- Nov 22, 2002
- 11,629
- 62
The lesson for today: "Don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplacable".
[::2009 Champion LAKERS OFF-SEASON THREAD Vol. Boring Non-News Days Causing In-Thread Tension::]
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by licensed to ball,
- Start date
- Nov 22, 2006
- 5,270
- 11
So Ron Artest literally walked in while Kobe was naked taking a shower ? Ayo
- Jan 23, 2007
- 1,761
- 10
such a trip its been rumored for years, soo many tries to get this man in purple and gold.
cant wait for camp to start!
cant wait for camp to start!
- Feb 26, 2004
- 2,277
- 162
What a bargain! Seriously...Mitch has slowly become an elite GM...3 years/$18 mil for an upgrade (skill-wise) over Trevor? W
I'm sad to see Trevor go...dude was my 2nd fave Laker last year, but that's life. I'll be following his career from here. I wish him nothing butsuccess, and I hope he keeps that work ethic he had with us wherever he goes.
Now onto us...I'm confident that this will work. Already, I'm getting a lot of feedback saying that Artest gonna destroy team chemistry...it mighthappen, but I'm confident Phil and Kobe will keep him in check. I feel like this guy will be on a mission this year to prove how much he really wants towin. Now we only need to re-sign LO and Chris Breezy, and we're set
- Jan 18, 2006
- 40,363
- 45,115
Bill Plaschke:
Lakers make the wrong move going with Ron Artest
Email Picture
Chris Carlson / Associated Press
Houston Rockets forward Ron Artest, right, has words for Lakers guard Kobe Bryant during Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on May 6. The Lakers reached a deal with Artest on Thursday.
The champs should have spent more time negotiating with Trevor Ariza and passed on the forward with a volatile past.
Bill Plaschke
11:12 PM PDT, July 2, 2009
Less than three weeks after the parade, the NBA champion Lakers have already met the biggest threat to their throne.
Themselves.
What are they thinking? What are they doing?
They just won a title that would not have been possible without the strong defense and stunning shooting of a 24-year-old kid with a limitless ceiling.
Yet they send the kid packing for an aging nut whose greatest hits have occurred on the heads of fans.
They just won a title with a locker room bathed in the soothing light of unselfishness, teamwork and a quiet temerity.
Yet they cut the power and added the darkest of moods, a guy who has made a career out of hoarding the ball, the attention, and the anger.
Tell me again, why did they get rid of Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest?
Explain to me, please, why they wouldn't even negotiate further with Trevor Ariza before quickly agreeing to sign Ron Artest?
Artest is a better player, but that's not the point. (Then what the hell is the point)?
Ariza was a better fit, and that's what wins championships.
Artest is a strong defender, but if the Lakers need someone to quietly hound a guy during a routine inbounds pass and be willing to make a small play to win a big game, that's Ariza.
Artest is a good shooter, but if the Lakers need someone willing to stand in the shadows for three quarters and emerge to make a big three-pointer before disappearing again, that's Ariza.
Artest will supposedly make the Lakers tougher, but what is tougher than showing up every day and playing hard every play and fighting your way to a championship?
Ariza has a ring, Artest does not, so the Lakers are giving up wins.
Ariza is young 24, Artest is an old 29, so the Lakers are giving up age.
Ariza shot 48% from the three-point line in the playoffs while Artest shot 28%, so the Lakers are giving up clutch.
The one thing the Lakers are absolutely gaining here is money, which is exactly what you will be paying them in increasing increments next season.
Artest will sign a three-year deal for about $18 million, roughly the same annual salary that the Houston Rockets gave Ariza.
But Ariza was given two more years by the Rockets, pushing his total closer to $33 million.
Heaven forbid you would want to give a rising young star two more years, or spend some of your roughly $1 million-per-game playoff bounty to do it!
Jerry Buss should have opened the pockets a little wider. And Mitch Kupchak should have jogged the memory a little deeper.
Remember the last time the Lakers made a postseason acquisition of an aging star that appeared to give them an embarrassment of riches and render them unbeatable?
The year was 2004, and they signed two of them, Gary Payton and Karl Malone, and you know what happened next. By the end of the season, the fractured chemistry imploded in a Finals loss to the Detroit Pistons that was so awful, afterward seemingly half the team either quit or was traded.
Like Malone and Payton, Artest is a great acquisition in a fantasy league. But this is reality, and nothing in NBA history has ever been quite like Artest's reality.
Everyone knows how, as an Indiana Pacer, he was suspended for 73 regular-season games and the postseason after going into the stands to confront fans and later punching one on the floor.
A long time ago, huh? Yeah, all of five years.
Did you know that he has also once shown up for practice in a bathrobe, asked to take a month off because he was tired, and been jailed for 10 days for domestic assault?
Everyone said he was a changed man when he was traded from the Pacers to the Sacramento Kings, but he was suspended for a playoff game in 2006 for a flagrant elbow, and the Kings lost that series to the San Antonio Spurs in six games.
Everyone said he changed again when he joined the Rockets, but in this spring's playoff series against the Lakers, he was thrown out of two games while finishing the series hitting 17 of 61 shots in the last four games.
And Trevor Ariza has done what, exactly? Agree to come off the bench? Agree to guard the team's best shooter? Agree to take that shot when Bryant couldn't?
Ariza's only NBA mistake occurred this week, when he followed the lead of his misguided agent, David Lee. By joining the Rockets as a miscast free-agent star, the kid now faces the possibility of a career filled with disillusionment and mediocrity, not to mention anonymity.
Ariza was more valuable to the Lakers than to anyone else. This was his home, his comfort zone, the perfect spot for a supporting actor to shine from the wings.
Why didn't Ariza realize this? And why couldn't the Lakers have given him more time to realize this? This agreement occurred within two days of the start of the free-agent period.
Couldn't the Lakers have given him a chance to come to his senses?
Couldn't they have met somewhere in the middle?
But, no, a flashy guy in a funky haircut beckoned, and the Lakers bit, trading heart for Hollywood, quiet strength for false bravado, a rock for a hard place.
While Lakers fans are now faced with an unsettled title defense, there is a shining word of certainty for every other fan who recently watched the NBA's next dynasty while shouting "Break up the Lakers."
Done.
[email protected]
twitter.com/BillPlaschke
LOL...
Typical Plaschke. Yes Ariza may be a better fit. But hell this team hasn't even played a game yet. Why not wait and see before you say the dynasty is over?
I wanted Ariza. His agent played him so we got Ron Ron. Time to move on...
Only thing I agree with is maybe we should have given Tervor a little more time. But hell he shouldn't have jumped at Houston's deal. Maybe he shouldhave made a call and said I maid a mistake.
- Dec 29, 2005
- 4,748
- 186
Originally Posted by tupac003
Bill Plaschke
[h1]Lakers make the wrong move going with Ron Artest
[/h1]
[h1][/h1]
[h1]Email Picture[/h1]
[h1]Chris Carlson / Associated Press[/h1]
[h1]Houston Rockets forward Ron Artest, right, has words for Lakers guard Kobe Bryant during Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on May 6. The Lakers reached a deal with Artest on Thursday.[/h1]
[h1]The champs should have spent more time negotiating with Trevor Ariza and passed on the forward with a volatile past.[/h1]
[h1]Bill Plaschke
11:12 PM PDT, July 2, 2009
Less than three weeks after the parade, the NBA champion Lakers have already met the biggest threat to their throne.
Themselves.
What are they thinking? What are they doing?
They just won a title that would not have been possible without the strong defense and stunning shooting of a 24-year-old kid with a limitless ceiling.
Yet they send the kid packing for an aging nut whose greatest hits have occurred on the heads of fans.
They just won a title with a locker room bathed in the soothing light of unselfishness, teamwork and a quiet temerity.
Yet they cut the power and added the darkest of moods, a guy who has made a career out of hoarding the ball, the attention, and the anger.
Tell me again, why did they get rid of Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest?
Explain to me, please, why they wouldn't even negotiate further with Trevor Ariza before quickly agreeing to sign Ron Artest?
Artest is a better player, but that's not the point.
Ariza was a better fit, and that's what wins championships.
Artest is a strong defender, but if the Lakers need someone to quietly hound a guy during a routine inbounds pass and be willing to make a small play to win a big game, that's Ariza.
Artest is a good shooter, but if the Lakers need someone willing to stand in the shadows for three quarters and emerge to make a big three-pointer before disappearing again, that's Ariza.
Artest will supposedly make the Lakers tougher, but what is tougher than showing up every day and playing hard every play and fighting your way to a championship?
Ariza has a ring, Artest does not, so the Lakers are giving up wins.
Ariza is young 24, Artest is an old 29, so the Lakers are giving up age.
Ariza shot 48% from the three-point line in the playoffs while Artest shot 28%, so the Lakers are giving up clutch.
The one thing the Lakers are absolutely gaining here is money, which is exactly what you will be paying them in increasing increments next season.
Artest will sign a three-year deal for about $18 million, roughly the same annual salary that the Houston Rockets gave Ariza.
But Ariza was given two more years by the Rockets, pushing his total closer to $33 million.
Heaven forbid you would want to give a rising young star two more years, or spend some of your roughly $1 million-per-game playoff bounty to do it!
Jerry Buss should have opened the pockets a little wider. And Mitch Kupchak should have jogged the memory a little deeper.
Remember the last time the Lakers made a postseason acquisition of an aging star that appeared to give them an embarrassment of riches and render them unbeatable?
The year was 2004, and they signed two of them, Gary Payton and Karl Malone, and you know what happened next. By the end of the season, the fractured chemistry imploded in a Finals loss to the Detroit Pistons that was so awful, afterward seemingly half the team either quit or was traded.
Like Malone and Payton, Artest is a great acquisition in a fantasy league. But this is reality, and nothing in NBA history has ever been quite like Artest's reality.
Everyone knows how, as an Indiana Pacer, he was suspended for 73 regular-season games and the postseason after going into the stands to confront fans and later punching one on the floor.
A long time ago, huh? Yeah, all of five years.
Did you know that he has also once shown up for practice in a bathrobe, asked to take a month off because he was tired, and been jailed for 10 days for domestic assault?
Everyone said he was a changed man when he was traded from the Pacers to the Sacramento Kings, but he was suspended for a playoff game in 2006 for a flagrant elbow, and the Kings lost that series to the San Antonio Spurs in six games.
Everyone said he changed again when he joined the Rockets, but in this spring's playoff series against the Lakers, he was thrown out of two games while finishing the series hitting 17 of 61 shots in the last four games.
And Trevor Ariza has done what, exactly? Agree to come off the bench? Agree to guard the team's best shooter? Agree to take that shot when Bryant couldn't?
Ariza's only NBA mistake occurred this week, when he followed the lead of his misguided agent, David Lee. By joining the Rockets as a miscast free-agent star, the kid now faces the possibility of a career filled with disillusionment and mediocrity, not to mention anonymity.
Ariza was more valuable to the Lakers than to anyone else. This was his home, his comfort zone, the perfect spot for a supporting actor to shine from the wings.
Why didn't Ariza realize this? And why couldn't the Lakers have given him more time to realize this? This agreement occurred within two days of the start of the free-agent period.
Couldn't the Lakers have given him a chance to come to his senses?
Couldn't they have met somewhere in the middle?
But, no, a flashy guy in a funky haircut beckoned, and the Lakers bit, trading heart for Hollywood, quiet strength for false bravado, a rock for a hard place.
While Lakers fans are now faced with an unsettled title defense, there is a shining word of certainty for every other fan who recently watched the NBA's next dynasty while shouting "Break up the Lakers."
Done.
[email protected]
twitter.com/BillPlaschke[/h1]
LOL...
Typical Plaschke. Yes Ariza may be a better fit. But hell this team hasn't even played a game yet. Why not wait and see before you say the dynasty is over?
I wanted Ariza. His agent played him so we got Ron Ron. Time to move on...
Seriously, blame Trevor's agent not us. We are just playing the hand we were dealt.
- Jun 28, 2007
- 2,466
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That's creepy...
MVP
Supporter
- Feb 28, 2008
- 83,036
- 85,624
j/k my dude
- Jun 24, 2002
- 9,655
- 123
PJ to return
MVP
Supporter
- Feb 28, 2008
- 83,036
- 85,624
[h2]Source: Jackson intent on return[/h2]
Comment Email Print By Marc Stein
ESPN.com news services
Archive
The Los Angeles Lakers' commitment to sign the mercurial Ron Artest would appear to make retaining Phil Jackson even more imperative than the teambelieved when the NBA's free-agent period began.
Jackson
It shouldn't be a topic of discussion much longer.
Jackson's presence on the bench next season, according to one NBA coaching source, is "99.9 percent" assured, with another source indicatingthat Jackson's return will be publicly confirmed by the Lakers by early next week at the latest.
Sources said Jackson left Los Angeles on Wednesday to make the drive back to his offseason home in Montana after completing a positive series of medicalcheck-ups following the Game 5 victory in Orlando on June 14 that clinched the 15th NBA title in franchise history.
In a recent radio interview with 710 ESPN Los Angeles, Jackson said his 2009-10 status would be made official by "early July" and insisted thathealth concerns would be the only factor that could keep him from completing the final season of his contract in 2009-10, worth an estimated $12 million.
Since originally joining the Lakers for the 1999-2000 season, Jackson, 63, has endured an angioplasty and gout in addition to two hip surgeries andoccasional back and leg problems.
In the radio interview, Jackson acknowledged the Lakers have "toyed around" with the idea of letting assistant coach Kurt Rambis coach the Lakersin more road games to ease the wear and tear on Jackson, as seen in April when Rambis stepped in for Jackson in a road loss at Portland on the second night ofa back-to-back set.
But Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak subsequently announced that Jackson would "come back and coach both home and away games" if he indeedreturns.
"During my discussion with him," Kupchak said, "it was pretty clear that that type of scenario doesn't work. And that's his opinionas well."
One theory already in circulation holds that Lakers owner Jerry Buss wanted to sign Artest in part to entice Jackson with a challenge to come back afterwinning his record-setting 10th championship ring as a coach, breaking his longstanding tie with Boston Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach.
The ability to keep Dennis Rodman plugged in with the Chicago Bulls, something only Jackson and Michael Jordan managed after Rodman's early days with the Detroit Pistons, helped him win two of those rings.
Asked during a SportsCenter appearance Thursday if he believes he'll be playing for Jackson when he reports to Lakers training camp in October, Artestsaid flatly, "He's my coach."
Artest also told the Los Angeles Times: "I had a great talk [Thursday] with Phil. I'm a huge fan of his and I can't wait to show him what I cando."
Comment Email Print By Marc Stein
ESPN.com news services
Archive
The Los Angeles Lakers' commitment to sign the mercurial Ron Artest would appear to make retaining Phil Jackson even more imperative than the teambelieved when the NBA's free-agent period began.
Jackson
It shouldn't be a topic of discussion much longer.
Jackson's presence on the bench next season, according to one NBA coaching source, is "99.9 percent" assured, with another source indicatingthat Jackson's return will be publicly confirmed by the Lakers by early next week at the latest.
Sources said Jackson left Los Angeles on Wednesday to make the drive back to his offseason home in Montana after completing a positive series of medicalcheck-ups following the Game 5 victory in Orlando on June 14 that clinched the 15th NBA title in franchise history.
In a recent radio interview with 710 ESPN Los Angeles, Jackson said his 2009-10 status would be made official by "early July" and insisted thathealth concerns would be the only factor that could keep him from completing the final season of his contract in 2009-10, worth an estimated $12 million.
Since originally joining the Lakers for the 1999-2000 season, Jackson, 63, has endured an angioplasty and gout in addition to two hip surgeries andoccasional back and leg problems.
In the radio interview, Jackson acknowledged the Lakers have "toyed around" with the idea of letting assistant coach Kurt Rambis coach the Lakersin more road games to ease the wear and tear on Jackson, as seen in April when Rambis stepped in for Jackson in a road loss at Portland on the second night ofa back-to-back set.
But Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak subsequently announced that Jackson would "come back and coach both home and away games" if he indeedreturns.
"During my discussion with him," Kupchak said, "it was pretty clear that that type of scenario doesn't work. And that's his opinionas well."
One theory already in circulation holds that Lakers owner Jerry Buss wanted to sign Artest in part to entice Jackson with a challenge to come back afterwinning his record-setting 10th championship ring as a coach, breaking his longstanding tie with Boston Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach.
The ability to keep Dennis Rodman plugged in with the Chicago Bulls, something only Jackson and Michael Jordan managed after Rodman's early days with the Detroit Pistons, helped him win two of those rings.
Asked during a SportsCenter appearance Thursday if he believes he'll be playing for Jackson when he reports to Lakers training camp in October, Artestsaid flatly, "He's my coach."
Artest also told the Los Angeles Times: "I had a great talk [Thursday] with Phil. I'm a huge fan of his and I can't wait to show him what I cando."
- Sep 30, 2007
- 869
- 10
Still can't believe we got Artest.. What's the update with LO? The trade for Nate?
- Aug 23, 2007
- 14,257
- 5,503
ariza is a #!!*!++ idiot
i don't care what anybody says.
i don't care what anybody says.
- Jul 1, 2001
- 507
- 11
cmon, Ariza is solid and all but.....he aint what some of you are hyping him to be.
He played very well in the playoffs. Nuff said.
He played very well in the playoffs. Nuff said.
- Dec 9, 2002
- 34,655
- 28,013
I can not believe ariza actually left. We made dude what he is today
they say it was more of his agent, but dude shoulda fired him on the spot and said'nah I wanna stay'
Ron does bring some intensity to LA though and DEFINITELY some heart.
that shower story is just wierd.
Ron does bring some intensity to LA though and DEFINITELY some heart.
that shower story is just wierd.
- Mar 15, 2007
- 3,405
- 120
I'm just wondering. Who will get Ariza open shots now?
darthska
Staff member
- Apr 30, 2004
- 46,970
- 31,587
Von Wafer?
Shane Battier?
Carl Landry?
- Feb 28, 2003
- 471
- 10
Yao? TMac?............. wait.......Originally Posted by 23ska909red02
Von Wafer?Shane Battier?Carl Landry?
- Dec 29, 2005
- 4,748
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YO Ron Artest is THAT dude!
Video from last night:
http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=75e1b051-ec04-42ef-b52d-06bc5cb00765
what's 9 x 4?
then this one after he leaves espn i think.
http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=9e389151-0dd2-448a-95a2-4d1ddd092514
http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=75e1b051-ec04-42ef-b52d-06bc5cb00765
then this one after he leaves espn i think.
http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=9e389151-0dd2-448a-95a2-4d1ddd092514
- Sep 30, 2010
- 889
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That Kobe-Ron shower story is kinda weird, but a nice gesture, I guess. Phil's coming back, man, this is starting to sound awesome. I hope it's notjust too good to be true and ends badly. Whatevers, time to enjoy!
- Aug 23, 2007
- 14,257
- 5,503
am i late ?
just heard on KCAL9 that phil will be returning next season.
just heard on KCAL9 that phil will be returning next season.
- Apr 24, 2006
- 18,753
- 13,103
from hoopsworld
Ariza was Plan A: With the Los Angeles Laker boldly agreeing to terms with forward Ron Artest, General Manager Mitch Kupchak has landed a player the team has been itching to acquire since he was in Indiana.
The cost was the well-liked Trevor Ariza, who has agreed to sign an MLE deal with the Houston Rockets (~$32.3 million).
A source tells HOOPSWORLD that Kupchak was prepared to give Ariza an offer equivalent to the full MLE but at 10.5% raises, totaling at approximately $33.8 million over five years.
LA's ceiling might have been a $6 million starting salary for $36 million over five but before negotiations progressed after 9:00pm Pacific on Tuesday night, the source says that Ariza's agent, David Lee, took a confrontational approach with Kupchak.
Lee wanted a deal in the $50 million range and took offense to the team's stance that Trevor should test the market first for that level of compensation.
By the next morning, the Lakers were going after Artest in full force with Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and even Magic Johnson reaching out to the Houston forward.
LA was acknowledging privately that Ariza was going down the path of Ronny Turiaf, a player the team had great affection for and wanted to keep but couldn't because of economics.
Ariza's agent ended up settling for significantly less money with the Rockets, at least based on the expectations he presented to Kupchak.
By getting a raise greater than 20% (he earned $3.1 million last season), Ariza's contract has Base Year Compensation (BYC) status which is a technical term that indicates he's difficult to trade. Should the Lakers and Rockets want to do a dual sign and trade with Ariza and Artest, Trevor being BYC makes that extremely difficult and quite unlikely.
While letting Trevor Ariza go was a difficult decision for the team, Kupchak reacted quickly. Taking advantage of Houston's misfortune with Yao Ming's foot injury possibly taking him out for an entire year, the Laker GM quickly turned to Plan B.
Artest adds a level of intimidation to the Lakers that was sorely needed.
Winning the title helped rid the team of the "soft" label but sources close to the team have acknowledged that the Lakers got the best draw of three possible opponents in the NBA Finals.
Matchup up against the Orlando Magic, it was finesse vs. finesse. While the Cleveland Cavaliers may have had their flaws, they would have been a more difficult out than Orlando.
Against a healthy Boston Celtics squad . . . some confidence but mild trepidation. Of course Kevin Garnett was out for the postseason and Boston was never the threat they were a year ago.
The bottom line is that the Lakers felt getting tougher was a good thing.
Artest has his flaws but he's a physically dominating player on both ends who can free up Kobe Bryant from tougher defensive assignments. The belief is that Coach Phil Jackson along with Bryant will be able to keep the volatile Artest in check and focused on his first title.
Ariza was blossoming into that role but in Artest LA gets a ready-made product. There were some fears that Trevor's production, especially as a three-point shooter, could taper off after signing a long-term contract.
The Lakers intend to re-sign both Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown to round out the roster. Odom hasn't drawn much interest beyond the MLE.
While it's not clear what price he'll agree to, LA had established Lamar as a priority over Ariza before the offseason began simply because there were more readily available options to replace Trevor (Artest).
Once Artest is signed, the team will have almost $82 million in guaranteed salaries which could total $93.5 million with luxury taxes. Whatever Odom and Brown are paid, assuming they both return, will cost the Lakers double in tax.
Negotiations with Odom are ongoing. Expect his representatives to protest as well at what the Lakers are offering but Lamar may not find much more than Ariza got in Houston on the open market.
If Odom is penciled in at $6.5 million (only a guesstimate) and Brown at $1 million, the team's total payroll would be $108 million for the upcoming season.
The most that the Lakers can sign Brown for without using a portion of their MLE or their Bi-Annual Exception ($1.99 million) would be $837k.
Certainly Kupchak will look to trim off players like Adam Morrison, Sasha Vujacic and possibly even Jordan Farmar to get that number under $100 million if he can.
While negotiations with Odom could drag, it would appear that team owner Dr. Jerry Buss is willing to pay for team's opportunity to win now.
Mitch said *%%$ that @#*!
darthska
Staff member
- Apr 30, 2004
- 46,970
- 31,587
*still nervous about Ron actually signing with the Lakers*
It hasn't happened yet, so to me, it hasn't happened yet.
A verbal agreement still means that this is possible: everything that happened last night still happened, and then the ________ __________s (insert NBA team)contacted him like 'Hey, we know you verbally committed to the Lakers for the MLE x 3 years, but we know you're better than that. We're thinkingyou're worth _ years (insert number higher than 3) for _ _ million (insert number that produces a total greater than 18 mil). What do you think aboutthat?', to which Artest replies 'Hell yeah! I think you're right!'
It hasn't happened yet, so to me, it hasn't happened yet.
A verbal agreement still means that this is possible: everything that happened last night still happened, and then the ________ __________s (insert NBA team)contacted him like 'Hey, we know you verbally committed to the Lakers for the MLE x 3 years, but we know you're better than that. We're thinkingyou're worth _ years (insert number higher than 3) for _ _ million (insert number that produces a total greater than 18 mil). What do you think aboutthat?', to which Artest replies 'Hell yeah! I think you're right!'
- Nov 22, 2006
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$50M for Trev?
- May 9, 2005
- 10,219
- 1,671
VERY SADDENED that Ariza left. He was my favorite personality on the team, aside from LO. He was probably the most deserving of a ring based on personality,hard work, and so on.
It sounds like Ariza's agent is to blame for these negotiation tactics and putting the idea that the Lakers didn't value him into his head. Which isannoying.
But in truth, Artest is a better defender than Ariza, and improving defense is the one thing that will improve the team. Ariza was a solid defender, but it wasdue to his quick hands. Artest can actually physically get in the opponent's face and lock him up much better than Ariza, rather than rely on gambles.
It sounds like Ariza's agent is to blame for these negotiation tactics and putting the idea that the Lakers didn't value him into his head. Which isannoying.
But in truth, Artest is a better defender than Ariza, and improving defense is the one thing that will improve the team. Ariza was a solid defender, but it wasdue to his quick hands. Artest can actually physically get in the opponent's face and lock him up much better than Ariza, rather than rely on gambles.
