Hi - Test R - Test It is time to put aside the T-Mac dream and look at other (contingent) options, at least for a moment or two. For example, the Pacers' coach has already announced changes are imminent. Speculation has surrounded Harrington, including from me. But - what about Ron Artest? Indy talks a good game about liking Al H and wanting to keep him, he being starter quality etc. So, what would it take to get Artest? Stevie for Artest and Pollard? Done. However, why would Rox want Pollard's albatross of a game and contract? Too much better for Indy than Rox. Cat and Cato for Artest and Pollard? Might it work? It just might. Equally good for both trading partners. Write it up.
I really dont like Artests Offensive game. His 3 point shooting aint that great if i remember correctly. We need a good shooter instead of a defensive stud.
As good a player Artest is , he is no , no how worth SF...period. Steve for a superstar or steve stays.
When you really analyze his game, all Francis really brings to the table is the ability to lose any defender that guards him but as has been discussed in full, Francis can't shoot or pass efficiently once he loses his defender so I'm not sure if his ability to break down his defender is really worth that much. People in the know who defend Francis are holding out hope that eventually his shot and passing ability will come around. Those against keeping Francis believe 5 seasons is ample time for a player to develop his shooting and passing abaility and have seen enough. In Artest, I see a player that is still improving that is one of the best if not the best defender in the game. In my opinion, that is a more valuable asset than Francis' ability to break down his defender and a much harder attribute for a team to attain since so few players really focus on defense. I would certainly consider trading Francis for Artest and someone else, but I'm in the group that has given up on Francis.
Like your signature says, defense wins championships and Artest is the best defensive player in the league.
His three point shooting was better than Steve's, so we would gain defense and not lose 3pt shooting. Actually, Steve had more assists, but Artest was better at just about everything else last year. You would probably need to take a bad contract in addition to Artest to get him for Francis.
I didn't watch much of the Pacers - Pistons series, but didn't Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince pretty much destroy Artest in the playoffs?
How can you not like his offensive game??? He was the Defensive Player of the Year AND scored over 18 per game (more than SF this year).
And then the playoffs started and promptly went into the tank on offense and got lit up on defense. And a headcase to boot.
I would trade Stevie for Artest in a heart beat. PG Free agent (Barry, etc) SG Artest/Cat SF JJ/Boki PF Mo/Padgett C Yao/Cato Our only weekness would be at PF but in alot of ways I like the Mo/Padgett combo. Gives us outside shooting, decent D, and hustle at that position.
Defense will only do you so much good if you give up offense in the process of gaining defense. I realize that Artest scored alot of point during the regular season but he disappeared in the playoffs.
I love Ron Artest. I have big man-crush on his game. I'd trade anyone but Yao for him. Yao Artest whatever It's the yin-yang. We'd be as good as Indy, just like that. Trade the rest of our holdover clique, and we're that much better. All Yao and Artest would need is shooters in the backcourt. Artest would allow the Rockets to get a power forward with a soft touch like Troy Murphy. He'd be the grit and fire to balance Yao's air and water. I don't see Indy trading him. But sure, I'd call and offer whatever.
IF we trade Artest for Francis, no way this team gets any better. We struggle to score more than 60 any given day.
Artest is a legit #2 scoring option in the NBA, and is a top 3 defender w/o a doubt. As far as scoring and whether he's a shooter, I'll attempt to break it down best as I can. Artest: -Primarily gets his points by slashing or posting up. 14.2 ppg career average, with a high this year of 18.3 ppg. Career 41.6% FG percentage, with a low year of 40.1% and high of 43.3% (01-02). Solid and consistent, then. -Has averaged 12.1 FGA/game over his career (last year: 15.2), which falls in line with a number 2 or 3 option. -Takes 2.8 threes a game (career), shooting 31.3%. Pretty steady over his career, with a high in 01-02 (39.6%) and a low the following year (21.5%). Steve: -Primarily gets his points from off-the-dribble pull up jumpers or slashes. 19.3 career scorer, with a high of 21.6 in 01-02 (16.6 this year). Career 43.1% shooter, with a high of 45.1% in 00-01 and a low of 40.1% this year. Has struggled greatly finding his place in this year's system. Whether he returns to previous form or continues to struggle is to be seen. -Has averaged 15.4 FGA over his career (career low was last year's 14.1), low for a 1st option but high for a 2nd option. -Has taken an average of 3.6 threes a game over his career, shooting 34.6%. High was in 00-01 (39.6%) and low was last year (29.2%). IMHO, the two can be summed up as such: Artest is more limited in his offense tools, but tends to play within himself. He also does a good job at maximizing his opportunities. Steve is one of the true talents in the league and is armed with a strong jumper with range. He is prone to poor shot selection (last second heaves) and tends to break out of the offense to get his points. If Steve can become comfortable within JVGs offense, he's a much greater offensive weapon than Artest. However, I did say 'if'. Evan
Of course I'd take Pollard. Pollard is probably a better fit here than Cato, anyway. Here's the deal - why would Indy trade Artest now and keep Harrington? Artest is locked up at a fairly good price. Indy needed a shooter and a beefy center, to allow JO to work as a pf. They could upgrade the point, but it was a functional position. Ok, Cat and Cato work. Neither is exactly Larry Bird material, though. Neither is Steve, but he is a star and does provide needed scoring. I think the price for Artest would be pretty high. The opportunity window for this trade was last summer; of course we know the Rockets stood pat. IF they could pry him with Cat, Cato and the TE for Pollard, Croshere and Artest, that'd be a deal. (then sign and trade Taylor for Brent Barry- woo.) Yao/Pollard Pollard/Croshere Artest/Boki JJ/Barry Francis/Barry/Arroyo If they could trade Steve for him (plus another good contract) , it's still worthwhile, so long as we make other moves to improve the roster, getting shooters to go with our stoppers. Artest and Yao are a good combo.
