Artest To Sign With Lakers

[Mainstreet]

It sounds like the Suns will be looking from below towards the top at the elite in the Western Conference, especially the Lakers and the Spurs.

From the AP dated July 2, 2009.

David Bauman, Artest's agent, told The Associated Press that the Houston Rockets forward has verbally agreed to play for the NBA champions next season. Bauman said the final details are still being worked out, but could be finished as early as Thursday night.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2009/07/02/20090702lakersartest-ON.html

 

[Mainstreet]

Sorry, I failed to notice this topic was already a thread under "Other NBA Talk."

Please feel free to remove.

 

[slinslin]

Houston will be bad next year without Artest, Ming and McGrady..

 

[az1965]

Houston will be bad next year without Artest, Ming and McGrady..

They already are in some sense, since McGrady and Ming are always injured...

 

[elindholm]

For a rebuilding team, which is what Houston now is, Ariza is probably a better choice than Artest anyway.

 

[mojorizen7]

Not like we were gonna sign him but...the great teams know what and who it takes to win titles.
LAKERS are a repeat LOCK aside from catastrophic injuries.

 

[Bufalay]

Not like we were gonna sign him but...the great teams know what and who it takes to win titles.
LAKERS are a repeat LOCK aside from catastrophic injuries.

Everyone knows what it takes to win. Not everyone has the means to do what it takes.

 

[mojorizen7]

Everyone knows what it takes to win. Not everyone has the means to do what it takes.

No they don't.

 

[elindholm]

Is Artest really that big of an upgrade over Ariza in the Lakers' system? It seems like a lateral move to me. It reminds me a bit of when they brought in Dennis Rodman.

 

[TJ]

I'm curious to see how he fits in with the Lakers, especially the chemistry with Kobe. I don't foresee any problems because Artest has been on his best behavior since the Auburn Hills incident, but with him, he is an eccentric figure and you never know what may happen.

 

[Covert Rain]

I think Artest is an upgrade on the defensive end. Artest can still stretch teams out with his shooting. If the Lakers just got a little better defensively it's definitely a plus. The Lakers had some big defensive lapses in the playoffs this season. My guess is they are trying to shore that up.

Having said that, I think the Spurs recent moves are big as well. There will be a big dog fight out in the West. It's a 2 horse race IMO and everyone else will be at the starting gates.

 

[Mainstreet]

I think Artest is an upgrade on the defensive end. Artest can still stretch teams out with his shooting. If the Lakers just got a little better defensively it's definitely a plus. The Lakers had some big defensive lapses in the playoffs this season. My guess is they are trying to shore that up.

Having said that, I think the Spurs recent moves are big as well. There will be a big dog fight out in the West. It's a 2 horse race IMO and everyone else will be at the starting gates.

The Suns are apparently being left far behind by the haves. It will take a long time to recover... years. Perhaps some fans who were critical of DA can understand that excitement, 50 win seasons and at least the hope to compete for a Championship was the best the Suns could accomplish with the present ownership.

 

[LakeShowMan]

Is Artest really that big of an upgrade over Ariza in the Lakers' system? It seems like a lateral move to me. It reminds me a bit of when they brought in Dennis Rodman.

The biggest upgrade as I see it is that Ron will be able to guard the big stud 3 men in the playoffs (LeBron, Carmelo, Pierce, etc.). Ariza is a great off ball defender, but those guys gave him a lot of issues. The Lakers didn't take control of the Nuggets series until Kobe moved over to cover Carmelo. That alone is the biggest upgrade. Also, Artest can actually create his own shot and can take smaller guys on the block. Ariza had to have almost all of his shots created for him in the half court set.

 

[Bufalay]

Artest, like Kobe, is a world-class chucker.

 

[elindholm]

Also, Artest can actually create his own shot and can take smaller guys on the block.

It's difficult for me to envision when the Lakers would want Artest to create his own shot, since he's an inefficient scorer who will rarely be even as high as the second option.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Is Artest really that big of an upgrade over Ariza in the Lakers' system? It seems like a lateral move to me. It reminds me a bit of when they brought in Dennis Rodman.

Um yeah he is. Kobe now has a on court body guard, a guy who can guard Lebron and Paul Pierce, and who is a much better offensive player then he is given credit for.

Most importantly he takes away ANY questions about toughness about this team. I wasn't sure these Lakers would have beat a healthy Boston this year but you think KG is going to be growling in these Lakers faces?

I too think this is like when Rodman came on board. To the Bulls. And they went from great to epic.

 

[Yuma]

We can all hope that Artest loses it and goes Spreewell in practice taking Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson out!

 

[Darth Llama]

Artest is actually a pretty big upgrade, yes. He defends as good or better then Ariza and scores more then twice as much. Add in the fact that he brings the Lakers the tough edge that they lack and he's a significant upgrade. The upside to Ariza was his age and the fact he's probably only going to get better. Ariza is a serious prospect with a ton of upside, but if you asked who's better TODAY, it's Artest hands down.

 

[Joe L]

You must be registered for see images

Jerry Buss should have opened the pockets a little wider. And Mitch Kupchak should have jogged the memory a little deeper.

Remember the last time the Lakers made a postseason acquisition of an aging star that appeared to give them an embarrassment of riches and render them unbeatable?

The year was 2004, and they signed two of them, Gary Payton and Karl Malone, and you know what happened next. By the end of the season, the fractured chemistry imploded in a Finals loss to the Detroit Pistons that was so awful, afterward seemingly half the team either quit or was traded.

Like Malone and Payton, Artest is a great acquisition in a fantasy league. But this is reality, and nothing in NBA history has ever been quite like Artest's reality.

Everyone knows how, as an Indiana Pacer, he was suspended for 73 regular-season games and the postseason after going into the stands to confront fans and later punching one on the floor.

A long time ago, huh? Yeah, all of five years.

Did you know that he has also once shown up for practice in a bathrobe, asked to take a month off because he was tired, and been jailed for 10 days for domestic assault?
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke-lakers3-2009jul03,0,7616241,full.column

 

[LakeShowMan]

It's difficult for me to envision when the Lakers would want Artest to create his own shot, since he's an inefficient scorer who will rarely be even as high as the second option.

They probably wouldn't want him to do it that often, but at times when the offense breaks down, or he has a mismatch, or if he is on the court without Kobe and Pau his ability can come in handy. It is an additional facet that Ariza doesn't have.

 

[Bufalay]

They probably wouldn't want him to do it that often, but at times when the offense breaks down, or he has a mismatch, or if he is on the court without Kobe and Pau his ability can come in handy. It is an additional facet that Ariza doesn't have.

This additional facet may not be a good thing. Wait 'til Kobe starts pouting when Artest launches some crazy shots. You don't want role players who complain about their roles (like Shaq).

 

[Blackification]

This is going to mess up their triangle. Artest is going to chuck and once kobe gets heated he is going to do the same damn thing. Pau gets less touches, Odom might leave, Fisher is just getting older, sasha played like **** in the playoffs, bynum even if he stays healthy will also get less touches. Not a good move Ariza only took shots when he was open we all know artest is not going to do that. Not an upgrade defensively either.

 

[Joe Mama]

You must be registered for see images

Jerry Buss should have opened the pockets a little wider. And Mitch Kupchak should have jogged the memory a little deeper.

Remember the last time the Lakers made a postseason acquisition of an aging star that appeared to give them an embarrassment of riches and render them unbeatable?

The year was 2004, and they signed two of them, Gary Payton and Karl Malone, and you know what happened next. By the end of the season, the fractured chemistry imploded in a Finals loss to the Detroit Pistons that was so awful, afterward seemingly half the team either quit or was traded.

Like Malone and Payton, Artest is a great acquisition in a fantasy league. But this is reality, and nothing in NBA history has ever been quite like Artest's reality.

Everyone knows how, as an Indiana Pacer, he was suspended for 73 regular-season games and the postseason after going into the stands to confront fans and later punching one on the floor.

A long time ago, huh? Yeah, all of five years.

Did you know that he has also once shown up for practice in a bathrobe, asked to take a month off because he was tired, and been jailed for 10 days for domestic assault?
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke-lakers3-2009jul03,0,7616241,full.column

the problem with the 2004 LA Lakers comparison is that the 2004 LA Lakers signed two superstars in the twilights of their careers. I would argue that Ron Artest is at the top of his game. That Lakers team also did not have great depth, and more importantly Karl Malone was severely injured in the finals. He was the glue on that team, and I contend that IF he had been healthy that finals would have looked quite different.

I think signing Ron Artest was a good move for the immediate future, but they could regret letting Ariza go a few years from now. I'm anxious to see what happens with Lamar Odom. Who's left with decent free agent money to use this summer? The only team that comes to mind right away is Portland. Everybody else is going to be talking mid-level exception. I actually think signing Ron Artest looks like a better move if they lose Lamar Odom.

Joe

 

[Renz]

This is going to mess up their triangle. Artest is going to chuck and once kobe gets heated he is going to do the same damn thing. Pau gets less touches, Odom might leave, Fisher is just getting older, sasha played like **** in the playoffs, bynum even if he stays healthy will also get less touches. Not a good move Ariza only took shots when he was open we all know artest is not going to do that. Not an upgrade defensively either.

Yeah, the Lakers will be lucky to make the playoffs next season.

 

[mojorizen7]

a postseason acquisition of an aging star

This is way off base in reference to Artest. This writer is clearly a baseball fan.