If we had Artest, we could: 1. Shut down Phoenix: If Amare and Yao goes toe to toe and it's basically a draw where both of them puts up comparative numbers, who else is going to step up for Phoenix when you got Artest hounding Q or Joe Johnson? You put Artest on one and TMac on the other and Phoenix basically has to hope that Nash can drop 50 every time. 2. Annihilate Dallas: Like Clutch said, just imagine if we had Artest on Stack or Terry. And then you have to make those guys work on the other end of the court because Artest, although not an offensive monster, can score and get to the foul line. 3. Even match up with San Antonio?: I'd like to see Artest on Manu. I really would. Because if that ever happens, I would know for sure that Manu wouldn't be flopping at all--because those would be real cheap shots by Artest Okay that was a low blow but I think Artest can relatively do a better job defending Manu than the other players in this year's playoffs has (Q, Ray Allen, and whoever the Nuggets threw at him) Basically, thats how good Artest is as a defender. He intimidates you, gets into your head, and is a smart defender. He'll take charges and flop with the best of them. If we had a shot, we better put a nice package together and hope for the best
steadyinatoyota, the Suns do have Marion as well, but I understand your point. The Suns are not head and shoulders above the Rockets as it is... adding a player like Artest could swing the pendulum in our favor.
thanks for crapping up my name I forgot about Marion..but then again, after that WCF performance...we all could tend to forget Marion.
Artest is the biggest mismatch in the NBA besides Shaq. He can shut down almost anyone near his size and he can score on almost anybody on the league. Artest could anchor a team if he had his head on straight. Definitely worth the risk.
Artest is a special talent. If Rasheed can rehab, Artest is can. What a perfect story to sell papers. Guy is so good, I get crazy man-crush wet panties just thinking about him shutting down that stupid flop Dirk, or Biotch Cracking Bowen and breaking his ribs. Suck on that, Bowen. Unfortunately, I see it ending badly. Not that I don't really want him here. I think he'd be the perfect yang to Yao and Tmac's yin. They would save him, too. Just don't see it in the cards. It would be a fun ride, though.
Interesting comparison to Dennis Rodman, but as far as I can remember, Dennis wasn't ever violent. In fact, most of the time he was the one pissing everyone else off and getting everyone else ejected. I can remember a few incidents where he got Karl Malone and Alonzo Mourning thrown out on purpose. He knew what he could get away with and would push his opponents to their mental limit... albeit very low mental limits for the two cases I cited. I would say Vernon Maxwell would be a better comparison, since he was more of a loose canon.
No kidding. Put a shot changer in the middle, and McGrady and Artest on the perimeter, and any player under 6-10 will be having nightmares. Offensively, it's scary as hell, too. Put a 2 guard on McGrady, and he shoots over him like he's not there. Put a 2 guard on Artest, and that player may not have teeth the next day. The Pacers started the year 6-1 in the 7 games Artest played- the only loss being by 2 points in overtime at Philly, when Tinsley (who scored 0 in 36 minutes) and O'Neal fouled out. Iverson scored 15 points in an overtime game. Believe that most of that was Artest. I'd give the Pacers whatever they want save TMac and Yao and take back whoever they want, too. Screw upgrading the PF and PG positions. If you can in effect upgrade Wesley for Artest on this team...wow, wow, wow. I've heard they'd like to rid themselves of Croshere and Bender's contracts. If you want to dreamcast Artest... Our expiring contracts (Wesley, Weatherspoon, Moochie, Vin) fall about 200K short of Artest+Croshere+Bender after 115%+100K. If you throw in Ward (who may be an expiring deal himself, but at most would only have 2 mill extra commitment), it works. I'd imagine probably 2 firsts (this years and 2007s, or 2006 and 2008 depending on when things happen.) would be wanted as well. To get an idea of the magnitude of that type of deal...if Ward's final year is voidable, this deal would save the Pacers 42 million in commitments over the next 4 years (about 30m of which is Artest). It drops their cap figure from 63+ million in 2006/2007 to 39 mill - that's a legit difference between staring potential lux tax and potential cap room. If you do this, it makes using the MLE pretty much out of the question the next 2 years for the Rockets, but it'd be worth it.
If the Pacers would give him up and we had to take Croshere along with us to get him, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Artest is a headcase, but JVG dealt with Spreewell when he was with the Knicks. If he can handle a coach choking money hungry nutcase like that, then he should definitely be able to control Artest. Really there are 3 coaches I think that could handle Artest. P. Jackson, JVG, and Larry Brown. And it just so happens we have JVG as our coach. And if we have to take on Croshere's enormous contract we would atleast have a PF that would actually log decent minutes behind J. Howard, assuming he wouldn't be packaged in the deal. Croshere has a decent long/midrange jumper, and is a very disciplined player. He reminds a lot of being a bigger slightly more athletic version of Padgett. Probably closer to Raef Lafrentz in playing style, but a better defender. Though I think we'd be more likely to get packaged with Pollard over Croshere which wouldn't be as enticing a deal, but still you're basically dealing for Artest and an enormous contract scrub.
Artest may be a head-case.... but he's not the crazy-man Rodman was simply because Artest's problems are all ON the court. Rodman was so flighty, he could be in one city one night, another the next, and show up before game-time and get you 20 rebounds on a whim. That kind of behavior could be detrimental to the chemistry of most teams. Artest, on the other hand, has only to deal w/ his on-court rage. Several things could help w/ that: 1.) A change of conference.... less games against his known problem-teams, namely the Pistons. 2.) Disciplinarian coach. I'm sure Rick Carslisle is as business as anybody else in this league, but I see the admiration that JVG has garnered from both current and ex-players (w/ the exceptions of the problem-childs last year), and you really can't get many better choices as a guy who could actually handle the beast of Artest. 3.) Playing w/ T-Mac and Yao... you couldn't find two nicer guys out there who are big-name stars. Eventually, Artest will realize the balance between using your rage to inflict hurt and pain, and using your rage to push you to excellence on the court.
Artest is a JVG kinda guy and I think he's one of the few coaches in the league who can keep him on a short leash. Look how Sprewell responded to JVG as a coach. Get Artest!!
We need Artest to pull a TMac, ala, what Tmac did last season by stating the Rockets are the only team he wants to go to. Otherwise he'd be too in demand while we have no one to make the Pacers to do it.
AMEN!! Did you watch Inside the NBA on TNT the other night when they had 3pt percentages in the playoffs? Kenny #1!!! you know who was worst? Charles, but at a close second was Jason Kidd .270 I like Artest, he reminds of certain great player who wore #11.
What about a 3 way with Toronto sending Rose to Indy, Indy sends Croshere and Artest here, and we unload expirings on Toronto? I think Artest is a pipe dream. Now could you imagine AD, Artest, and TMac, all guarding the perimeter. LOL-sick! They'd make our 2 big guys look like total studs.
TMac never said that. And it doesn't matter- NBA players don't have no trade clauses. Nick- Artest asked for time off to promote his CD. His nutty problems aren't completely on court. At least we know Van Gundy wouldn't shy away from it. Van Gundy had the guts to take on a guy who choked his coach, had started all but 10 games his entire career, and made him come off the bench...and like it. jopat- Indiana wants Rose and the 32.6 million he's owed the next two years because...?
Artest is one of my favorite players because of the intensity he brings each and every night to the game. Comparing him to Maxwell is probably more accurate than Rodman simply because both Max and Ron can go off (positively or negatively) in a game. I think Ron would def be the guy we would need to launch us into the upper tier of the league. He would be the Pippen to our MJ (tmac). Could you imagine Nowitzki or Manu or Joe Johnson, Marion etc. trying to take him on? Plus then Tmac would have less def responsibilty. But to get him would be a pipe dream and if we did CD would def be GM of the year. If we can do it though, it MUST be done.
SAR is my number one seemingly realistic choice, but artest is my number one, " oh my god, we pulled another t-mac" choice. he is a BEAST and putting aside the over 20ppg he can get you, a lineup with him and t-mac would be UNBELIEVABLE defensively. with a good offseason i think we can compete for the finals but getting artest automatically puts us among the best. it's a risk of course but i think we have the right coach and an organization that can handle him. it's worth it.
Like has previously been said, he did want time off to promote his album. That's certainly not on court. Further, he also has had some trouble at home. I've read an article that talked about how he was seeing someone about his anger issues because it was creating serious problems in his home life. Make no mistakes, he is NUTS! Completely nuts. It doesn't matter if he is on court or off, he's nuts. I still want him. In fact, I'd go so far as to say there are very few players in the NBA I'd rather see playing beside Yao and T-Mac. The only one I can think of I'd rather see in a starting line up with them is AK-47. Both AK-47 and Ron Artest would be amazing fits because while they both can score, neither of them need to score to completely dominate a game. Neither of them need to have plays run for them. They will get their numbers regardless. That said, the only real reason I'd prefer AK-47 over Artest is because on top of everything he can do on the court, he's actually sane too.
if we get him, we get the good with the bad......I think we can live with it! Especially with what has already happened with him....i don't think he's looking to loose any more money next season or ever!
