[LA Times] Ron Artest is an awkward fit with Lakers

not going to go read pages and pages on a thread


just saying though that its an internet forum and while chances are a good portion of those posting on there are probably from LA but there is no way to be sure of that for sure. Just like here there are several posters who live outside of Houston and even more who live in China who post. The lakers are a much MUCH more popular team than Houston and have large followings all across the country and the world. When you said all "LA Fans" i took it as you referring to the people who are in Los Angeles and not Lakers fans as a whole. Like I said of all the people I talked to in person, and I've had conversation with over 50 people since they wanted to know what I thought of Artest when he became a Laker, the vast majority of them still wanted Ariza. I asked them all this question again back in late Jan when it had been a few months since asking someone their opinion right when a trade/signing happens is reactionary at best. And once again the majority said they preferred Ariza.


Its similar to this forum where if you asked who is the best player on the Rockets you would get a lot of people voting for Brooks or Martin but Yao would win (lets say he wasnt as good as it his) based on the large overseas following on this site.



And personally speaking, while the lakers will probably win the title again barring and major injuries to Gasol or Kobe I think the move for artest was a lateral move for them but will lose its value as the length of his contract plays out as Artest is on the wrong side of 30 while Ariza is still entering the prime of his playing career.

 

is a 6/7% difference in 3 pt shooting, considered a tie? Artest has better shooting percentages all around, though he is averaging about 4 pts less per game.

 

Umm, that was 90% Battier.

 

lmao i luv it

stupid faker fans are fibding out wat i been saying all along

 

lmao good 1, now that i can agree with

 

idk man, those guys on lakersground seem to love him.

 

hmm, yea i suppose they do, theyre all nut jobs out there

 

Let's see how Lebron performed against LA this year, against Artest.

Dec 25 - 26 pts, 47% shooting (9-19 FG), 9 ast, 4 reb (Cavs win 102-87)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=291225013

Jan 21 - 37 pts, 52% shooting (13-25 FG), 9 ast, 5 reb (Cavs win 93-87)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=300121005


31.5/9/4.5 on 50% shooting - I think he's doing not bad against Artest, don't you think? Unless somehow Artest turns it up a notch in the playoffs, I think Lebron will be fine...

 

Yep Ron...Trevor is a better basketball player than you.
LA needs to lighten up on Ron....regardless of whether he is playing 50% or 100% we are still going to win the title.

WSC

 

Ron is getting old - he has definitely lost a step.

 

I know Ron Artest has all these flaws, but damn do I miss him.

Ron Artest has the Rocket smell.

 

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Slightly NSFW (No nudity sadly)

 

Hate him or not, last season with him was just very, very exciting for Rox fans. I know it wasn't just him but he seemed the primary reason. He gave us character in a good way.

 

Artest dominated on the defensive end against the Spurs tonight.

 

Lakers have Melo, LBJ, PP in mind, and Ariza is just not capable to defend strong SF. He's proved that in last 2 playoffs. He did get two critical steals in Nuggets series but he also got abused in it.

Playoff is all about matchup, the team that has to double is on the losing side. With Artest, you can leave him handle those guys all by himself. Melo, LBJ can still get 30, but they won't be able to involve teammates very well. With Ariza, Lakers double down low every time and switch Kobe to Melo on 4th and Melo still got his 30 pts. That's a huge difference.

 

Artest was awesome defensively today. He seems to do this on the big televised games. Sign of things to come in the playoffs?

 

Guessing you didn't see him against Orlando....or Cleveland....actually most of the time he doesn't come up big....

 

I'm so glad that Artest is with the Lakers and Ariza is a Rocket but Artest played Lebron as much or more than Battier in that game. I remember watching it and thinking that Lebron just does not have the strength to push Ron around like most defenders.

Both players typically took turns guarding the other teams best wing player. Ron and Shane switched guarding Kobe and Lebron. Typically I thought Shane's defense was better as a whole last season than Ron's defense. But I do think Ron had his best defensive game of the year against Lebron last season.