I don’t know if you heard, but the Lakers won the championship. Yeah, they were pretty good. So naturally, they went out on the free agent market this summer (prior to re-upping two critical pieces in Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza, mind you) and added the single most combustible ingredient available. I hope the police have stayed frosty since the post-title riots, because Ron-Ron has just prescribed all of Los Angeles a lifetime supply of crazy pills.
At least that’s the theory. And I say theory because this is Ron fricking Artest, and until he signs that contract in blood, I’m going to continue to think of him in free agent terms. Ron’s lunacy has earned that much respect, and we’d be wise to honor it.
That said…WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON?! This would seem to be an arrangement from which neither party really gains. Artest seemed to have a pretty good thing going in Houston, and though Yao’s likely out for the season, Ron would have plenty of room to flex his alpha dog complex. The man needs the ball on the offensive end, which leads some rather random results. It’s what happens when talented players live and die by the contested, fadeaway jumper. With the Rockets, there is no question that Artest was the man on the offensive end. There’s no Yao or T-Mac in sight, meaning most of the playmaking responsibilities would fall on the shoulders of Artest and one Aaron Brooks, who still has quite a bit to learn in the way of being an NBA point guard. Shane Battier, Chuck Hayes, and even Carl Landry and Luis Scola are not guys that are likely to complain about their touches on the offensive end. Artest probably didn’t have the green light to shoot 30 times a game, but he is undoubtedly one of the more talented offensive players on that roster.
Beyond that, Artest only makes sense offensively in situations where his skills can be utilized without damaging the team concept. Los Angeles, home of the triangle offense, is not that place. Artest’s tendency to stop the ball, throw possessions into the wind, and take what can only be described as “Ron Artest Shots” can’t fly well with Phil, with Kobe, with Pau, with Tex Winter, or with just about anyone who has come to know and love (or at least respect) the most dominant offensive unit in the game. The Lakers are just too damn good offensively because of the triangle, not in spite of it as some Jordan-esque logic might suggest. They were able to dissect a fantastic defensive team in the Finals because the talent was there and the system was there. Artest brings plenty of one, but substitutes the other for generally poor basketball IQ and the possibility of going bonkers at any particular time. Sweet.
On top of that, the Lakers seem to be severing their ties with Trevor Ariza. Signing Artest is doing more than showing Ariza the door. It’s pushing him out, throwing his stuff out on the lawn, and handing Ron a molotov cocktail. Feelings are going to be hurt, and for a player that claims that he just “wants to feel wanted,” that means quite a bit. The true delight comes in the fact that Ariza could function within the system at a level we can never expect Artest to. Trevor made a habit out of deferring on offense, and perfect a few offensive skills in his ability to hit the three from select spots and his tremendous finishes. The Lakers needed that against the Celtics, and they got it against the Magic. It wasn’t the only reason why the Lakers have one title instead of two, but it definitely played a role. This team clearly competes at a different level with Ariza on the floor, and that’s a credit to just how hard he’s worked on his game.
As for Lamar Odom, he’s likely to be just as confused at this situation as we are. Lamar is a guy who needs the confidence of his teammates and his coach to be successful, and forcing him out of the starting lineup with Crazy Pills is probably not the way to go. Artest is a bit similar in his need to be nurtured a bit by his team, putting the Lakers in a pretty strange situation if Odom does return. Both need to play and both need to feel respected, lest you risk losing a pivotal contributor. But Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum need their minutes, and Kobe’s pretty much guaranteed his. When it comes to the roles within the organization and their relative levels of prestige, something’s got to give. If you’re a Lakers fan, you can only hope that something isn’t Lamar’s confidence or Ron’s sanity.
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Artest is one Odom’s best friends. Just thought I’d point that out.
Make way for CRAZY PILLS IN THE 24TH AND A HALF CENTURY!!!
your glass is half empty, laker fans = half full. we got someone to stop lebron or pierce in the finals. all you’re talking about is the offensive end. without taking into account the 1 position, we are now a dominant defensive team.
Oh come on. You think Lamar is that big of a baby? Him and Ron are good friends. I know this signing scares the anti-Laker nation, but it happened and you can thank Trevor Ariza’s agent David Lee for it. He spouted off about how the Lakers disrespected him and his client by only offering the MLE when other teams offered more, and what does he do? He goes and signs with Houston for the MLE. As a Laker fan, would I rather have Trevor for the MLE than Ron Artest? Yeah, given his age and upside…but Trevor as a player probably wasn’t as good as he showed in the 09 playoffs.
Personally, I’m glad Mitch decided to stick it to that idiot David Lee who managed to bone the Lakers out of some money on Andrew Bynum. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice? You’re fired.
I’m a little skeptical about Ron’s play. But the whole “WILL HE GO CRAZY?” speech seems to happen all the time for Ron now and I think its overdone. Ron had some issues with hucking the ball in Houston BECAUSE he was the alpha dog. You think he’s gonna have issues like that with Kobe on the team? I sure as hell don’t. Ron will need time to work into the system, but there’s a good chance he will by the ‘10 playoffs…afterall he DEFINITELY has something to prove now. And defense? LA has the best perimeter defense in the game as well as a pretty strong inside presence with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Toughness? A laughable question for the Lakers now who just added a pitbull to a championship roster. Talent? The only question there is “is it too much”?
Again, thank David Lee.
Also, the Lakers never planned to put Lamar back in the starting line-up if they could help it and I’m sure that thought was communicated with him from start to finish. He will be resigned and he will be a happy candyman.
It should be pointed out that not once this past season did Lamar Odom play any small forward minutes, except possibly in one game against San Antonio when Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic were hurt; so the Lakers signing any SF doesn’t effect Odom’s chances of starting one iota. The only thing that would have any bearing on that is if something happened with Gasol or Bynum.
That said, Artest is definitely a huge risk for the Lakers, even if Odom re-signs (which I suspect he will). Artest is going to have to defer on offense the way Ariza did or he’s going to muck up LA’s potent offense just like you say he might. On the other hand, if Aftest can somehow control himself (or the Lakers coaches or players can control him) and can get him to mesh with the offense, then he’d actually be a better fit than Ariza was. Artest is a better outside shooter when he’s wide open than Ariza is, and Artest has a rather superb post game, whereas Ariza had none.
Defensively Ariza is probably more versatile, as he can guard the 1, 2 or 3, while Artest really can only effectively guard the 3 (and maybe against bigger 2s or small 4s); but the key here is that Artest is better at guarding the 3 than Ariza is. This will especially be true when the Lakers play Cleveland and Boston, who both feature players (LeBron and Pierce, respectively) who are probably too big for Ariza to reasonably contain. Same goes for Denver with Melo, and to a lesser extent, maybe Orlando with Vince.
If Ariza can contain himself and fall in line, then he’s arguably the perfect piece for this Laker team. But odds are quite slim that Artest will fall in line the way he should, so it very well could end in disaster.
One main thing to point out:
I don’t see it as Ariza being pushed out the door and his stuff left out on the lawn as you put it. His agent (David Lee of the ridiculous Bynum contract fame as pointed out above) essentially came out into the media a few days ago and said they didn’t think they would get a deal done and that Trevor would prefer to play for someone else’s MLE than for the Lakers’ similar offer. The Artest move was made as a counter to that.
I agree with Yams in that Artest is an upgrade defensively against the likely targets the Lakers see themselves matching up against. The Lakers are still going to be shredded by the Chris Pauls and Deron Williamses of the world, but even with Ariza they were getting shredded. Also, it can’t be underestimated how much this is going to benefit Kobe. I know the legend of Kobe is that he works so hard he never gets tired and when he hits the wall he runs right through it but let’s be honest here. He was running on fumes at the end and his defensive responsibilities weren’t helping matters. This at least makes sure that Kobe only defends other people “in his own weight class” to use his own words.
Also, the potential comedic interactions between Artest and Morrison or Artest and Vujacic simply cannot be overstated.
As I wrote on my blog yesterday … there were several very productive ways for the Lakers to proceed if Trevor Ariza was really intent on not returning to the fold next season for the reigning World Champions … but, not a single one of them was named Ron Artest.
Ron Artest is physically strong in a way that Trevor Ariza will never be. Other than that, however, Ron Artest is simply not as good a fit with the 2009-2010 version of the LakeShow as T-Ariza – who is more lithe, quicker, taller, and a better shooter, driver, defender and complementary teammate.
I agree wholeheartedly that Lakers have made a mistake. and it’s not about head cases etc. It’s about basketball. Ariza is a better player. Artest looks like a better one – because he could do a things Ariza can’t, but when you consider not what they _could_ do but what they _are_ doing – Ariza comes at the top.
Just take a look at stats per 36 (first column Ariza, second Artest):
Reb 6.3 5.3
Stl 2.5 1.5
Ast 2.6 3.4
TO 1.6 2.1
TS% .54 .51
USG% .17 .24
Artest is less efficient shooter used to use a lot of possessions. Ariza uses less possessions _and_ produces more of them (more Reb, Stl, less TO).
Then there is the defense. I doubt if Ariza is a worse defender than Artest – at least at this stage of their careers.
Lastly, the age. Artest is going down, Ariza is going up.
I really don’t know why Lakers have chosen Artest. Even the money is equal.
Yes, I’m a Lakers fan and I’m sad.
Ariza is not the Ariza of Playoffs 09. The steals might still be there, but the three point shooting is just too far outside the mean (Hollinger has written about this a few times).
I think this is a move all about taking the pressure off Kobe on the defensive end (and sometimes as the creator offensively, too). Artest doesn’t need to be the alpha dog – as long as he respects the alpha dogs on his team. I think he’s got a little time for Kobe’s skills (Pau’s too).
Ariza of the regular season gave Lakers more than Artest will be able to do. Ariza of the playoffs was a cherry on the cake.
[...] The Lakers are an embarrassment of riches, and they just traded a ruby for a diamond. But I’m with those who think Artest is a bad fit in Los Angeles. And more importantly, the Spurs could benefit from Trevor Ariza’s departure from [...]
A couple of things:
1.) Phil & Jordan were able to keep Rodman under control.
2.) Kobe has always wanted Ron. And guess what, although it may not look like it right now, they are good friends too. Kobe became a better offensive player because he was able to bring Ron over for practice and one on one’s during the off season. Can you imagine how many games they’ve played together. They’ve been playing ball all the way back since they were in high school.
3.) If you’re the Lakers, would you want another team such as the Cavs to get Ron. I think not. So it was a great protective move.
4.) Ariza’s D is great, but Ron’s is better. Yes I know the steals really showed off Ariza’s brilliance, but really Ron can guard 1-4, and is a stopper. Literally a “guy not named Kobe” stopper. Imagine what he can do against Melo (someone should look up those stats.
5.) With Ron and Kobe’s D, games won’t be so close thus not requiring Ariza’s clutchness.