I'm THRILLED to add a player of Artest's calibur to our team, I think he is THE MISSING PIECE (provided Yao & Tmac stay healthy). But is he going to sign a long term deal or is this just a "one and done" situation? I personally think he will be really happy here with Adelman and fit in perfectly in his system (which he's already familiar with). And he is a different cat, so I could see him signing for alot less money somewhere if he's happy there. I'm not sure how much the Rockets can afford to pay him with a big payroll already! Thoughts?
I think it will actually depend on how the season goes. Playing with Yao and Tracy? Who wouldn't want to stay?! But if one or both get injured, players of Artest's calibur will wonder if it is worth it to stay on this team.
If he is a rental, at least we go back to the team that won 55 games before we got Artest. Except we will have come cap room.
This question has been addressed to some extent in the other threads,my answer it all depends on how Artest plays and behaves. At the present time, I'm inclined to think of him as a rental.
Who cares? We traded him for Bobby Jackson, an unproven player and a pick. If Artest goes bizirko, then you let him walk. If he works out, then you keep him at all costs. Getting Artest for 1 year is the BEST POSSIBLE SCENARIO.
We have his bird rights so we can easily offer more than others, and I don't think he'd walk away from playing with his favorite coach and two stars in Yao and Tmac. Sign 'em up big time.
We got him for Jackson...if he ends up being a one and done or a failed experiment, no worries. Let him walk. Jackson was dead cap weight and Artest is just a few million more with a TREMENDOUS upside
Why would any of you guys want to wait to re-sign this guy? Lock him up long-term! Here's why: 1. What value to us is he as an expiring contract? He'll be an unrestricted free agent this summer, making it harder for us to sign him. Lock him up now and avoid the chance of losing him to another team this summer. 2. "Well if we extend him and he implodes then we're stuck!" -- Uhh no, we're not. If he acts out, we trade him - simple. Even a "bad Artest" will fetch you a good sum. The guy was in the NBA's worst brawl and STILL got traded for Peja. Conclusion: Ron Artest is extremely valuable to the Rockets, whether he's playing or getting traded. Lock him up to an extension so we can assure his value to us.
I certainly hope the Rockets aren't rash in offering an extension. Artest is a nice pick up for one season. I definitely like this much more than the half-season scenario some were pushing for last February when our playoff prospects looked dim. But long term, you're taking a huge gamble with him. We'll see how he plays in a contract year, and if things go well, try to sign him for a reasonable price.
I'm sure Artest and his agent understands there wont be any talks of extensions until after he plays the season. There's that whole summer of 2010 thing, so Rox might not want to offer up too much future money, unless they plan on McGrady or Yao leaving.
Why would you risk losing him? 2010 came into play to land us our 3rd scorer -- he's on our team right now. Lock him up!
If it is one and done, that's an awful expensive rental when you think of giving up two first round picks.
But he's a headcase. I say we wait and see. If we kick arse this season, he will probably be willing to resign here anyways...
