I love Artest`s toughness. Can you imagine a fully healthy Sura playing with Artest, along with T-Mac and Yao? I am for it as long as it is does not include Head or Swift (and, of course, the obvious given, T-Mac and Yao).
They want to trade Jamaal Tinsley because he is VERY injury prone , and they could give anthony johnson more minutes. We dont need Tinsley, but we do need Fred Jones. We could trade Wesley ,moochie and cash considerations for Artest and Jones...but that wont work because Pacers are in championship mode
$68.5 million for next year, $71.8 million if they pick up the option on Fred Jones. That would put them $10 million over the luxury tax threshold. Indy is a small market, so you would not expect them to spend like the Knicks.
would they really want Head when they already have saruanas and tinsley? I think whoever they get, they'll also want DA, to have a small forward to replace Artest. No, DA isn't that great but he won't break the bank, tie you up for long and you need someone at that spot.
Yes, in a dream world, Artest would be the perfect #2/#3 scorer, and like rockbox said, you'd probably have to make him the #2 to placate him. But not only for that, he's just a damn good scorer, too, in many ways more effective at it than Yao. The toughness he would spread would be unmatched, and maybe I missed this on the first two pages, but I know McGrady and Artest rolled up to Fonde together this summer, so I think they hang, don't they? Of course, we're speaking in dream world terms, where offcourt friendships actually factor. They don't, and it won't, and probably can't, happen. Fun to dream though. I don't think we get rid of Head, though...I don't want to go th way of the Yankees and not have any young prospects we can call our own. Of course, my worries about Head leaving almost validates the fantasy that Artest will come here, which I probably shouldn't do.
Difference is that Swift never really was a proven player. He showed flashes of what he could be while Artest is almost always good and has been for the last few years. Basketball wise you know what you will get from Artest not so with Stro.
I'd do it. You always take talent. Artest solves all our problems: Stops guard penetration. Athletic defender to take the toughest matchup to save TMac. Provides general toughness we currently lack. Is a reliable scorer we desperately need. We'd instantly be considered contenders by everybody. The only thing missing is a bruising PF to pull down rebounds. But Artest is a tough rebounder too. Even if Artest left after 2007, that would give Yao 2 more seasons to mature. Since Yao has improved every year in the league, after two more seasons, Yao and TMac could probably single handidly make us a contender. Right now, we need some help. Risky but I'd do it.
people don't realize how bad our offense is: we have two legit scorers. Tmac may average 36-38 minutes a game, Yao 32 minutes (his foul trouble always bothers him). That gives us about 72 minutes total, meaning in at least 24 minutes every night, we have only one of these two on the court. That is half a game with only one scorer! Getting Artest will allow us to have at least 2 reliable scorers ALL NIGHT LONG. Plus Artest always play great D. All the elite teams can put 2 reliable scorers on the court all night long. If we want to compete with them, we need to do that too! Bird won't want to trade Artest to a central team, or even any east team. I think we have a shot. Other west teams that have a shot include Lakers (Odom package), Sonics (Lewis package), and maybe GSW and Suns. I don't think Kings offer (Peja) is attractive at all.
Well, according to ESPN, Donnie Walsh has said he is trying to trade Artest as we speak. WORK OVERTIME CD! GET THIS DONE! Get a Yao-Tmac-Artest trio in Houston even if you have to gut the rest of the team. Just surround that trio with shooters and Houston will win multiple championships. Added bonus: We get discounts on Artest's hip hop Cds.
I don't know about that. Since Artest is seen as risky and he is demanding a trade, the Pacers will not get equal value back. At this point, they just want to dump him for anything. What if we take Croshere off their hands and give them Stro, DA and an expiring contract (like Mooch or Wesley). DA can backfill Artests minutes. Stro is more interesting than Croshere. And they get an expiring contract to boot. That isn't unreasonable. I'm certain that Stro is not our answer at PF. We need a bruiser guy. So we'll have to wait to find that player later. I think Artest could make a huge impact on this team. Worth the risk considering how this season started. If we started strong, I'd say no way. But at this point, I'd do it.
Let's not be totally stupid. We have absolutely nothing Indiana would want in trade for a legit all-star. They aren't taking scrubs for him and, outside of Yao and T-Mac, that's all we really have. They are going to want a proven player, an all-star calliber guy that can help them win right now. We don't have anyone close to that beyond our best 2, so let's stop dreaming and move back into reality.
Totally. Just like that guy said: the reason we can't get him is because Larry Bird doesn't smoke crack. that says it all!
When the pressure mounts (and it always does when teams are going for championships) Artest will flake out and kill his team's chances. You cannot count on him and, thus, you cannot win with him. You can play great in the regular season (no pressure), but you can't win a championship. He's proven this and the great teams will always be able to exploit his volatility.
