even with his stock at an all time low, we still don't have enough to offer. guys like vince and peja may not be available for ron anymore however, eddy curry, ricky davis, michael redd, and kenny thomas are all better offers that what we could give. incase you are wondering, that list is from a pacer bbs thread about how little is being offered right now. juwan and change just won't do it.
He had 3 months to do that. If he wanted to spend time with his kids, he should have done that instead of producing an album.
I hate how professional sports repeatedly forgives great athletes for things that we would never get away with in our day to day jobs. That being said Artest would be a great compliment to Yao. If we could dump anything other then T-Mac and Yao (boki, Mo T, Howard.....) I would take him. I really don't think that we have alot that would be of great interest in trade value though........
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2897186 Facing the music Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy's head might have exploded had a player asked, as the Indiana Pacers' Ron Artest did, for a month off to promote an album his record company produced and to rest from the grueling promotional duties. Instead, he viewed Artest's request with a mix of chagrin and amusement. "That was one of the all-timers right there," Van Gundy said. "That story will live forever in NBA folklore. But it's not funny for our league. The craziness you see right now, some of the stories. There's a certain part of compassion that goes into coaching for certain things. I'm not sure promoting an album would be one that would inspire a great deal of compassion." About as close as Van Gundy has come to a player requesting time away from the team was last season when Steve Francis skipped a flight with plans to attend the Super Bowl. "Even that, you can't even compare missing a flight to wanting a month off." Then this.... http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2897487 Yet he came close to paying this reconfigured team a high compliment Thursday when he began talking about things like effort and having people on whom he can count at crunch time. "I couldn't be more blessed in that regard," he said. "We're not going to have any drama with this team. We're not going to be a good story unless we win. We're not going to provide a lot of fireworks." It doesn't look like JVG would support the idea, he wants no more drama, and you know Ron Artest would bring that.
JVG likes to keep things simpe and focused, like the spurs and jazz. we are a pro team now, not a circus act.
To me he is more Spree-like than Rodmanesque. Spree was always out there on the edge, Dennis was a calculating menace.
well if we do get him.. we will probably win a championship and he will retire (he said theres a great chance he will retire even if pacers when a championship this yr) ... im sure teams will look into that when trading for him
He may be the best two way player this side of Garnet and Duncan. I would try him in an instant if the price did not include T-Mac or Yao. Remember, the guy is only 25!
HELL YES... people, he played with a broken hand last season (he was suppose to be out for the year and came back the next night !)
(zoodburg's voice) What an honor! No seriously, if Artest cant be had would we consider trading one of our big men for a quaility SF or a good PG?
Artest is a great player, and he plays with a lot of heart and intensity. I would n't be against having him if JVG feels confortable with that. Too bad we don't a player on the team that demands a great deal of respect and hence can keep someone like him in check. MJ used to keep Rodman under control.
There was an article in the Chronicle the other day that wasw saying some very positive things about Howard. Now I stand very much in the middle on a trade that would bring Artest to the rockets, I see both sides. But I think that a player like Howard and JJ could maybe keep that kind of player in check......you never know.
I wouldnt trade for him just yet. I think this season we basically have a brand new team. We need this team to establish itself...work out who the top dogs are, who the role player are and where everyone can fit into the team environment. Once we have an established team....then I'd be willing to role the dice on Artest to try and get the X-Factor going. I think Artest would be GREAT for the Rockets. I really think we need a bit of a head kicker...someone to fire up and to drag the team along. Look at Wallace and his move to Detroit. Thats the X-Factor.
hehe, how about we send them Matt Maloney and Mo with a 2nd rounder....then I would do it, other than that NO WAY!!!
i strongly believe that ron artest is a top ten player in the game. He doesnt only brings defense, but he can score. A top 15 player like a ray allen or a vince carter would be ron artest's b****es. He can score against them and he can shut them down. Plus hes a tough hombre, one doesnt backs down from anyone. We need him in the team. He can play the 2 or the 3. Ron And Tmac would be interchangeable depending on the opponent. A trade for him would easily make the rockets a contender for years to come.
I like having a thug on the team to keep the defenders honest on T-Mac and Yao. I'll trade anyone outside Yao and T-Mac for Artest. As long as he doesn't shoot at his girlfriend I don't care about his volatile temper. After all, JVG is a motherf**king motherf**ker. Yao and T-Mac are players that command respect too. As for taking a break thing, I think he just got caught up in a rap star pipe dream, the same way Jordan got caught up in all that baseball crap. After he get over the rapping frenzy he's gonna be fine because he always played with intensity. Buy low, sell high. Get himand let him have a steller season then all the GMs will forget everything he did. I mean who cares about Sprewell choking his coach right now?
I would love to have Ron Artest. Plug him in with Yao and Tmac and it totally changes the game. Artest would be a fantastic replacement for JJ. If you read about him (and that's an interesting subject), if you go a little bit beyond the sound bites, you'll find his coaches allways back him. He's a warrior. He's very coachable. He doesn't seem to understand basic social mores. He has to be coached there, too. If they committed to the idea of getting him and using him, he would bust his ass and deliver. I don't think JVG wants to really coach difficult stubborn minds, though. He just wants good soldiers with half the drive and talent. I don't think he's man enough to do it. Philip would be great. Why is this story in the press? Whose interest was served by releasing this story?
