Replacing Trevor Ariza with Ron Artest is a downgrade, let’s just put that one out first.
Sure, Ron Artest is obviously the more talented player but why in the world did the Los Angeles Lakers let an energy guy like Trevor Ariza go and jam Artest up on their roster that just might mess up the chemistry these guys have been trying to establish the last couple of years?
That is the dilemma the Lakers are in heading to the brand new 2009 NBA basketball season. For a team that already won the NBA title, was getting a guy as volatile as Ron Artest the right way to go?
For all of you who didn’t know, Ron Artest signed a mid-level exception to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, receiving $18 million over three years.
This is the same guy who mixed it up with Lakers star Kobe Bryant on multiple occasions during the 2009 NBA playoffs. Hell, they almost killed each other with elbows then and they’re suppose to be teammates now?
Sure, he will add extra toughness to a Lakers team trying to defend their championship. But if Artest can’t put his ego aside, they might as well kiss their bid for a re-peat goodbye.
Well, they’d have to anyway with Shaquille O’Neal now playing alongside LeBron.
The deal came on the day we learned that the Lakers weren’t interested in giving forward Trevor Ariza more than the same mid-level exception they offered Ron. Ariza has since signed a new deal to play with the Houston Rockets, basically trading places with Artest.
Artest should bring defense, tenacity, three-point shooting and another player able to create his own points. This deal solidifies the Lakers’ chances to repeat as several other contenders have bolstered their lineups through trades and free agent signings, including the San Antonio Spurs, who traded for Richard Jefferson, the Cleveland Cavaliers who signed Shaquille O’Neal and the Boston Celtics who finally saved Rasheed Wallace from Detroit.
Unless Artest fucks it up, which we think he will, eventually.
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