Artest would be a HUGE addition to the team. He is the BEST perimeter defender in the league and is a pretty good scorer as well. An Artest/TMac/Yao combo would be pretty nasty, I think teams would literally be "scared" to play us. As far as his "baggage." I just look at what JVG did for Spree, sure Artest is on a whole different level, but Spree had very similar incidents and JVG was able to change his whole persona. IF we can get Artest, we should go for it, but since he is under contract and there will be teams wanting him, I don't see us having anything the Pacers want.
New Yorker summed up my feelings.No matter how much he would add to the Rockets,Les won't take this risk.Artest's troubles are such that the downside could very well happen no matter what environment he is in.In a basketball only world "yes".But taking everything into consideration...no.There are many more options.We're not desperate.
Yeah, get Artest, sign AD, and trade for Miles or Odom. With AD, Artest, TMac, Miles(Odom), and Yao, we'd hold everybody to 65 ppg. Yao could just stay on the defensive end and watch the boys run all those steals back down to the other end for dunks. How about Odom running the break with Artest filling the lane, and TMac and AD on the wings for the 3 balls..........and then big Yao comes down for the trailer????
God! The stink I smell here is the stench of absolute desperation. I cannot believe that things have gtten so bad that it has come to this. No F'ng way should Artest even get mentioned as a viable candidate for the Rockets. First of all, it doesn't matter what he can do ON the court - because how will he be able to help your team when he's suspended from the league? Next, the guy is not even what you'd call a headcase because he is so far out there, he makes Rodman look normal. In fact, there is a real question of his even wanting to play basketball because he's stated that his music is more important to him. To even CONSIDER this guy would be in the same vein of trying to justify signing Kermit Washington to the Rockets because hs is a prototype PF and his game is exactly what we need to fill the hole at the 4 - why just look at how he took care of that Rudy Tomjanovich guy.
Larry Bird would have to be out of his mind to trade away an All-Star player, that just so happens to be the best defender in the league, all for our expiring contract garbage. I don't think it's feasible at all. Aside from doing the K-Mart, NJ/Denver trade and give them about 700 future 1st round picks---how is the likes of Spoon, Baker, Moochie, etc going to be more appealing than what other teams could offer? I would absolutely love to see this guy in a Rockets uniform but i'm certainly not going to hold my breath.
How? Kermit Washington directly assaulted one of OURS. What has Ron Artest done to the Rockets? Nothing. It's not comparable at all. It's actually silly. Further, I'd take Kermit Washington if he was in his prime right now. He's a good guy. He just made one awful mistake. I'm fairly certain Tomjanovich has forgiven him. This isn't about desperation on our part. It's about potentially taking advantage of a Pacers team that IS desperate to be rid of him. We all acknowledge it's a risk, but most of us seem to feel the potential reward outweighs the risk. There's nothing desperate about that.
Which is why he did nothing but work out w/ his team 4 hours or more every single day (sometimes, according to Carlisle, he was the most hard-working of the bunch), when he knew there was no chance of him getting reinstated?!?!? Artest is nuts... but he can do things on the b-ball court that no other player in the league can attest to.... thus, its great to talk about adding him to our team. I don't expect everybody to be "for" this deal. Hell... I'd say a great percentage of the people here were against drafting Yao Ming over Jason Williams, and they were agianst trading SF3 and Mobely for T-Mac (you all know who you are... some of you are posting in this very thread). But, its bold moves like that which propel you to win championships... this would be another one.
What would be more financially greater in the end for Les? Getting Artest, IF HE'S AVAILABLE , for expiring contracts and winning a championship? Or Passing on Artest, IF HE'S AVAILABLE , and keep the expiring contracts only to have them not be used? Would there be risks in taking him on board? Of course there is. He could walk out any day, or retire, or go bananas again on anothe fan. But what did we lose from that? Great players? We are not trading Tmac or Yao for him...heck maybe not even Howard or Mike James. We are trading players that barely saw PT in the playoffs. From a business standpoint, the greater the risks the greater the rewards. Les knows this. Wasn't this the same man that didn't want Charlie Ward on the team because he badmouthed Jewish people or something one year? And now he's taking Les' money like it was free samples at Costco. Les has shown us that, if an opportunity arises to get a better team on the floor, he'll give the green light. The man might be shrewd, but he's not going to NOT see the possibility of bringing in an Artest and not seeing championships in his mind. Are we desperate? No...maybe a bit bored and antsy but not desperate. We don't even know if Artest could be had. Essentially, I think if we can get Artest and not get a PF or a PG this offseason, we would be a better team period. The man can defend like no other and is capable of scoring. We always speak of wanting toughness on the team and some even said Sura was our tough guy. You think Josh Howard or one of those Mavericks would have taken cheap shots at us if we had Artest on our team?
Is it just me or does anyone else regret other's misfortune? I don't think Carlisle will take Artest back and I think at least half the Indy community feels the same way. But I just can't see him ending up here no matter how much I drool. However, if something that freaky should happen we have to resign Barry. He probably has ten lines that he couldn't contain that would end up involving SWAT teams.
But if he's nuts, exactly how will his coming here suddenly make him sane? I'm not trying to be contentious here but if he's a loon in Indianapolis, he'll be a loon in Houston and how does that benefit us?
The same could be said when Rodman went to the Bulls and when Sheed went to Pistons, as well as Spree to the Knicks. There are players that come with a lot of baggage and Artest probably is the player with the most. But there is a reason why all these players are wanted. What Artest brings is sheer toughness. He is the BEST perimeter defender in the league hands down and is a very good scorer and he rebounds well. It wasn't long ago when Sheed was the headcase of the league, just go back and remember all the problems he had. He got traded to a good team with a good coach and he ended up being the missing piece of a championship team. Spree had a full season suspension when he choked his coach, he came back and had very good seasons under JVG, including a trip to the finals. IF we can get Artest, we should. His defense, his scoring, his size, his toughness would be a HUGE upgrade over Wesley.
It benefits us when he's doing the same things, with his play, that he's been doing throughout his entire career. (most of which, he's been a "loon"). If you want to let that one incident (a very bad one at that) define his career, that's fine... you're not going to be the only one. I'm banking on the fact that since he's lost a year's worth of salary, and whatever endorsements he once had, that he's somehow learned that you can't go into stands and start fighting. Will he get some flagrant fouls this year? yes. Will he possibly get suspended for the mandatory 1-2 games if he gets too many of them? I'd say there's a 20% chance. BUT... if he doesn't go out into the stands of Detroit, Phoenix, Dallas, or some other city where he's provoked to... he doesn't get suspended... and he undoubtedly helps the team. If you still don't think him "being nuts" couldn't help the team... look how Indiana has done the last 3 years. Hell... they BLEW OUT Detroit in that very game that started all of this. The guy can play... and the Rockets (and most other teams) would take him in a second... but whether or not we have enough to get him is a whole nother story.
I'm ALL for getting Artest! He's what we need. Exactly what we need. Not more dead wood, like Donyell Marshall, etc. Get the PROVEN player. He's less likely to screw up again, now that his wallet is a million dolla lighter. All yuns bastards thought that Sheed was insane, & he's about the get his second ring in two years.
If you can overlook all of the bad things that Artest has done and minimize the terrible thing that Kermit Washington did to Rudy T, then there is no way you can understand my position. And I suppose that Artest would be OK because technically he didn't assault another player, only a fan. And yes, ol' Kermit made a teeny weeny mistake and we should all overlook it and give him a pass even though that "mistake" almost killed Rudy T. Call me old fashioned but in my book a mistake is something like not buying Chrysler at $5 a share not punching someone's face in and almost killing them. But let us not quibble over mere details because it would appear that his actions aren't nearly as important as his ability to play basketball which coincidentially would also appear to apply to Ron Artest. The reality is that you cannot separate his actions from who he is and Artest is just plain bad news. Folks here who want to take a chance on him are gambling (praying) that somehow, some way, he will play up to the level of his physical talents while maintaining the self control required of an adult and a professional athlete. Even in the face of much evidence to the contrary, their desire to have the Rockets win at any cost is so great that little things like the facts get lost in the process. Based on his history, hoping for the best in the case of Artest is ill advised because his athletic talent/potential/basketball skillz/etc and his destructive persona are inextricably linked and nothing can be done to separate the two. In other words, you cannot have one without the other because together they make up the being known as Ron Artest. If he comes here, you will get your monster on the court but be advised that you cannot control the uncontrollable.
Regardless of whether he comes to the Rockets, or not... I'm rooting for him to do well.... as a supporter of a human being who deserves a second chance, not just a Rockets fan. If you made the assumption that any player who's gotten into trouble is just "plain bad news", and you'd never be willing to give them a second chance, then you'd have missed out on some of the greatest comeback stories by many professional atheltes. Hell... Hakeem at one point was just "plain bad news" when he was faking injuries. Same w/ Rasheed and Rodman (as the poster said above). You tell people here that they shouldn't assume that he'll be a contributer for us... yet you've already branded him a psycho for life... as if you've been inside his brain, know exactly what his agenda is, and what he plans on destructing in the future. That's a little tad unreasonable and over the top. Do you not think he deserves a second chance? Are you willing to say that he deserves to be banned for the rest of his career? I never assumed he was going to be a complete angel... he is a bonafied risk if he goes into the stands again. But, as I said already, I'm betting that something of that magnitude DOES NOT happen again... and thus I'd take that risk.
But Nick, now you're expecting a crazy person to suddenly start acting rationally - to somehow understand and learn that his actions have consequences. Artest lost more money this year than most of us could ever dream of having but I seriously doubt that he is all that concerned or at least concerned enough to behave in the manner that you detailed above. That's because he knows that no matter what he does or has done in the past or WILL do in the future - because he's good at playing ball - because he's VERY good at playing ball, teams will be lining up for his services saying come help us win, all is forgiven and we will pay you more millions to make up for what you lost. That may be the way things work today but I just find it wrong.
I don't think giving people parole, or second chances in life, for an offense which they serve just-time for is wrong. I'm sorry... that's what I think. If you feel the suspension wasn't re-habilitating enough, fine... but then again, I wouldn't know how you'd know that. First of all, none of us here is qualified to speak on Artest's "mental state". None of us. He could be even crazier than we all know... but still, we can't judge based on what happened that night in Detroit, so excuse me for not believing anyone here when they say "he's a crazy man for life," unless they've actually sat down, talked w/ them, and possess a PhD in psych, or is a psychiatrist. He's a complicated man... yes (that much, we can all assume). But he's one that apparently loves basketball (being assumed from his desire to continue to practice and stay in top shape, when it was made abundantly clear that he wasn't going to get re-instated). I guess in the end, I'd give him a second chance. There's a good probability that he'll never start a fight in the stands again (considering it was such a freak occurence to begin with). I already said that he'll probably get some more flagrants, and he might even have a run-in with a media member... but, if he can stay away from the fan-interactive-brawls... he can still be a great player in this league.
I love Artest, for the most part. But I think it's not one of those things where you can just add Artest alone. TMac and Yao are our best players but aren't vocal leaders--I think Artest is one of those guys who will keep his cool if he has a teammate he respects to keep an eye on him (like Rasheed and Ben Wallace). I know there's no Jack Haley equivalent for Artest, but if we add Artest, we need a vocal, forceful type that he respects to keep a lid on him. His game fits us perfectly, though.
I think all this debate about whether or not Artest would be a good fit or not is pointless. All we have to offer is expiring contracts and a low first round pick this offseason. As bad as a rep as Artest has, I'm sure there's quite a few more teams out there that would offer substantially more than that for his services.
