I just feel like the media is prematurely too excited to see Ron play in Los Angeles. There are many differences in what is to be expected from him a Lakers uniform and what he did with the Rockets. The Rockets had low expectations from Ron in terms of making a huge impact. Yes, we thought he'd make us a contender and he did but there wasn't the feeling that he needed to achieve a lot in order to justify trading for him. After all we gave very liittle to the Kings for his services. He was more valuable than the parts he was replacing in Houston. This afforded him the benefit of the doubt and Rockets willingness to put up with his abnormal antics in hopes that his productivity would overshadow his behavior. In los Angeles, the situation is very different, the Lakers are coming off a championship season. They hardly think of Ron as the final piece to put them over the top like the Rockets did. Also take into consideration that he is replacing one of their most important player Ariza, whose contributions towards winning the championship cannot be stated enough. Add to that the possibility of Odom not returning next season and you have a situation where Ron will be looked upon to the deliver the promise or atleast make equal contribution to those he is replacing. I think this could be the downfall of Artest and the Lakers, Ron has never conformed to such pressure before and nor will he ever be able to do so. Bottom line in my thinking is which team can better justifying adding or subtracting Ron? Rockets are looking at replacing Ron with Ariza. Flipping a low risk one year rental for a nice young and athletic wing who does all the right things on and off the court. Lakers are looking at replacing Ariza *and* maybe Odom for Artest, a tenacious player who is soon to be 30, has declining ability to guard perimeter players but still has the heart and toughness every team loves to have in their players. I my opinion and you can quote me next season, If Odom leaves for Portland, then the Lakers will never be able to justify giving up Ariza and letting Odom walk when all they got in return was Ron Artest. Spurs got Richard Jefferson Magic got Vince Carter Cetics got Rasheed Wallace Cavs got Shaquille O'Neal The defending champions Los Angeles Lakers got Ron Artest but lost Trevor Ariza and possibly Lamar Odom. And no, this is not addition by subtraction.
The media is only excited because it makes their job easier when drama unfolds. They could really careless otherwise.
I expect Ron to hurt the chemistry of that team....his personality is too strong.... Maybe Kobe can keep him in check...like Jordan did to Rodman...but Ron is just too strong a personality......and is a chucker..... I think the Lakers screwed up, and are done as contenders...I put San Antonio with a healthy Manu ahead of them now. DD
Ron Artest is a CUUUURSE!!! He has ruined Indiana and Chicago, and now we have to rebuild. We did a great job, sending him to the Lakers
Note that Kobe, Gasol, Bynum and Fisher also have strong personnalities. Man they are in for some rough locker room discussions!
Ron will screw up the Lakers. He's not going to change his personality no matter where he goes. I couldn't be happier that Artest went to LA.
ariza was like the 5th more important play behind kobe, gasol, fish and odom, ron has no pressure,,,,,,,,,,if odom leaves then that's a different story. The only people who think Artest to LA is going to be a struggle are rocket fans.
guys, we need to stop hating. just give credit to the lakers, we know they are re-signing l.o and theyre gonna win it again with ron. thanks ron. everyone thought he was gonna screw up our chemistry too. but he didnt.
Did you see us when we actually had the Big 3? It was horrible out there, we lost to the friggin Wizards once...Tmac and Artest looked like they wanted to see who could make the most 3s.
The Rockets wanted Ron for added offensive power (kind of weird), every other team that pursued Ron was after his defense and toughness. Its a smart move by the Lakers, if they do face Pierce, Jefferson, or Lebron they now have Artest who can guard either one extremely well. They also address some of their biggest weaknesses (toughness/physicality/competitiveness). There is no doubt in my mind that the Lakers made an excellent decision. Assuming they resign Odom they will be better than last year.
People that think Ron will destroy the Lakers are going to be disappointed. Houston - Our two best players coming into last season were not leaders. Indiana - Ron Artest was not the only hot head on team, it was filled with them. Chicago - Too young to remember what exactly happened there.
Yep, I agree, I think the Lakers are going to be worse off. I hardly think Ron even made us any better.
If Ron continues to shoot a poor percentage, take bad shots, and get burned on defense against quicker/smaller opponents, then he won't even get much playing time on the Lakers. His D was good in his younger days, but man I think its very overrated now. So all you have is a marginal defender who takes bad shots pretty much kills the flow of the offense. Combine that with the fact that he's no longer playing for a contract and well I don't see him offering much to L.A. I doubt he even plays more than 20-25 min per game max.
Artest isn't going to just magically decide he's happy taking 8 shots a game. His shot selection isn't going to automatically get better this late in his career. With Artest, you get the good with the bad. I think he's a terrible fit on that team personally. I could have seen him going to Cleveland where 13 shots a game would be easily manageable. Kobe and Gasol are the top two guys. Gasol made public comments about wanting more touches. When he got them, he played extremely well. Gasol's efficient offense isn't going to take a back seat to fadeaway 18 footers from Artest. Kobe won't put up with that either. Nobody's hating on Ron. Most of us have seen him play his entire career. He is what he is. People saying the consensus of Lakers fans is that they're happy to have Artest is signifigantly flawed. Most were pissed they lost Ariza. At best it's 50/50 now from what I've seen.
That's how I see it man. I'm not hating on Ron, I've always backed him up but it was clear to me when I saw our 3 play that the chemistry would be extremely difficult to get between Tmac, Ron, and Yao. Ron isn't going to just say "Alright, i'll be the 3rd or 4th option." he'll say it in public but his actions on the court will say otherwise. What is going to happen when Bynum wants more touches along with Gasol? Both have publicly complained about such things, I don't think it's as simple as "Oh he's Phil Jackson he'll take care of it." He will? What happened with Shaq, Payton, Malone, and Kobe? Phil couldn't handle it at all, he had to take a break and even said Kobe was the worst player he's coached and then they made up and he got his 10th, Kobe his 4th. What's being undermined is that people are saying Kobe is like Jordan and he'll take of Ron's attitude like MJ did Rodman. What's being forgot to me is that Rodman didn't take 10 fade aways 3 pointers and didn't feel entitled to like Ron will. The fear the Lakers need to have is that Ron is going to come there and FEEL he is the 2nd option. I don't think Gasol and Bynum will be too happy about that, and they both have pull on the team.
