[Source] The Houston Rockets just signed Trevor Ariza to a Multiyear deal for 6 million dollars this evening. Ariza is most likely going to be taking Artest's spot in the starting line up averaging just over 8 points a game.
First, Ron has anger management problems. I'm not going to bring up the game at the Palace, but remember that he did get a flagrant and ejection in the playoffs this year. Second, Ron takes wide-open 3s and it's a total coin-toss as to if he's going to have a good or bad shooting night. In other words, he is inconsistent. Sometimes he makes 30+ in a game, sometimes he makes 30+ in 5 games. Third, Ariza is dependable. More so than Ron. 'Nuff said. Fourth, Ron is a ball-hog. He will take that three with 2 hands in his face and 2 hands going up for the ball while other 3 players on his team are open for two.
You can't really blame Artest for going to LA. I think the bottomline is that he just wants to win a championship. When the news of Yao came out, our chances for a championship went down. Now in LA, he has that sure-fire chance to win, and also you gotta consider that he is still trying to restore his reputation. There are still people out there who remember Ron solely for the brawl and his other activities, so Ron probably sees going to LA as a chance to show people how he's changed (Of course, there is also the possibility of a Kobe-Ron implosion). But we should definitely thank Ron for what he gave our Rockets team. His offense was erratic most of the time, but really only because Tmac went down and later Yao went down, which forced him to shoot several poor quality shots. What Ron did give us every night was a 110% effort (even in the regular and preseason). He always played every defensive possession like it was the last. And also he gave intangible things like toughness and a willingness to stand up for his team. There was that one game Josh Howard fouled Yao pretty hard, so Artest comes in and defended his big guy. Remember that Artest first came here to be an enforcer alongside Yao and Tmac... u wonder what could've been without the injuries... best Artest highlight this season <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hb9CWnqaASQ&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hb9CWnqaASQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
LOL @ comparing Artest to Rodman. The past season showed us Artest was on the decline and his impact to the game was not at the same level as before. What did he do in the series against Lakers? He did OK job on Kobe and that was about it. Rodman would give you 15 rebounds a game and play crazy defense on the opposite big man. It's not even close. I really don't mind let Ron walk away. Committing a great deal of money to him would be a mistake imo. I don't even think Ron would be an upgrade over Ariza. Ariza does not demand the ball while Ron does. Ariza can also run the floor much better than the much slower Artest. The only thing Ron got on Ariza is he has a much better inside game. However with Gasol/Odom/Bynum on the floor I don't see how that could pan out well. Let the Lakers have him and his big mouth for 3 years is not a bad thing. Lakers need efficient role players. Ron does not provide that.
there will be no fighting.......teams that win dont fight.....kobe and shaq were fine as long as they won......the pistons were fine as long as they won, if the lakers for some ungodly reason dont win, then they'll start fighting, otherwise they wont.
Doubtful. They'd still have 3 roster spots to fill, Bass's Bird Rights and Cuban doesn't go cheap playing $Ball.
6 mill a year is a great deal of money? if ron artest wasnt there, rockets probably would've lost game 1 vs the lakers, he's the reason we won game 6 and even got out the first round. People around here are so delusional. Ariza did well in the playoffs and now all of a sudden people on him like he's scottie pippen...i've seen ariza since his days in NY, this guy makes an impact on established teams.......on a team like the rockets where its likely, you'll want him to do more than make a few plays here and there, he will fail miserably.
He's only going to make 6 million? rofl That's like a little bit more than Vujacic money and similar to Adam Morrison
What A Surprise Artest= Rodman Another volatile player that will learn to play well under Phil Jackson. That's what Artest will be. Then they will go onto be the next Dynasty ala the Chicago Bulls! I was calling this a long time ago!!
Both of Artest's ejections were unwarranted. Kobe's elbow and a regular playoff foul. He got ejected because he is Ron Artest, not because it was his fault. I don't know how dependable Ariza is but offering him a long-term deal (5 years) over Artest who signed a 3 year deal... for the same price.. Hmmm let me think about that one. If Ron is a Ball Hog then Ariza is a Role Player. Ariza was a scrub at Orlando and he just won a championship so his stock is real high. People were saying 8~10 million, but the MLE is closer to what he's truly worth. Artest for the MLE is a bargain, and Laker's didn't even have to sign him to a long-term deal.
Where did I say he's Pippen? Yes I agree right now Ariza is definitely on the overrated side. But that does not justify to sign Artest a long term deal. 6m might not seem too much this year but given how Ron played this year we would be overpaying him pretty soon if not now. Oh by the way if you think Ron is the reason that Houston got out the first round I probably shouldn't even bother arguing with you.
I couldn't agree more. It's going to suck even more playing the stupid Lakers next season. As much as I hate the Lakers, though, I still hate the Jazz more
Now the "Zen Master" can deal with Ron and when Ron shoots bricks for them,it will be intresting. The 1st game here against the fakers will be intresting. Question is now how long will Kobe and Ron act like bffs, and will Ron miss games to promote his albums?
I appreciate what Ron did for his one and only year in Houston. When he was here, he never screwed over the fans, sure he missed a bunch of shots, but it was never lack of heart or effort. Thanks Ron. It was one of the best one year stints ever with the Rockets! definitely better than Pippens!
Forgot to add this, hopefully by him signing with them, the media will finally get off the faker bandwagon. {I'm going to pray this happens.}
Adding Artest really improves the Lakers. They're a team that has lacked toughness in the past and is still just a really talented finesse team that could use more toughness and intensity. He doesn't fit our needs anymore as we are rebuilding but this move really improves the defending champions. Doh!
