article link Scout's take An NBA scout assesses Ron Artest's impact in the veteran forward's first two-plus months with the Rockets. Artest, who has struggled with an ankle injury, is averaging 16.0 points (on 37.3 percent shooting) and 5.5 rebounds in 30 games. "What you hope is that he's in a situation -- meaning how good of a team you are -- where he is a positive. And for this team, that's how I look at it. He has a responsibility to guys like Yao Ming. He can't just go there and not be accountable. This team has a chance to contend, and because of that there's a natural checks and balances. I don't necessarily see a lot of strong-willed, leader-type guys on that team who are going to keep Ron in place, but when you're winning, and you know you're going to win 50 games, that tends to keep people in check. It's like when Dennis Rodman went to Chicago. "On the floor, he provides something this team didn't have: toughness. He's a guy who won't back down from anyone in the league and who will take on the other team's leading scorer, whether he's a wing player or a big man. And, of course, he's still a guy who can give you 20 or 25 points on a given night. By and large, they're running their continuity, high-post offense. But Artest presents unique matchup difficulties because normally he's being guarded by an opposing wing. A lot of times, especially when teams go small, Houston will look to post him and take advantage of mismatches, and he's generally so much stronger than the guy guarding him that he can succeed in that situation." ..... XXXXX ...... Further down in the same article I found this quote that most of you would like...
