Comments on: Will Artest Love L.A.? And Will They Love Him Back? http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917 NBA & ABA Basketball Statistics & History Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:56:04 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6 By: Jacob Hiller http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917&cpage=1#comment-12580 Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:56:15 +0000 http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917#comment-12580 I agree that Phil is going to make things happen.
Jacob from the jump manual

]]> By: Ben http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917&cpage=1#comment-10946 Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:03:02 +0000 http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917#comment-10946 I think Phil Jackson will make it happen, so I think it will work for Artest in LA and I think LA will work for Artest IMO

Ben from the jump higher in basketball hub.

]]> By: j http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917&cpage=1#comment-10844 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:59:25 +0000 http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917#comment-10844 I thought it was great when Houston landed Artest but it was the worst thing that could have happened. T-Mac and Artest had trouble playing together because you had 2 guys who need the ball to be effective and there wasn't enough of it to go around. From what I saw in Houston, Artest is a guy who's talented physically but he likes to dribble out the last 14 seconds of the shot clock and put up a fadeaway jumper or three and that's not what you want in the triangle, an "equal opportunity" offence. Artest won't mesh with the Lakers and you'll see him either unhappy on the bench or a Lakers team with a win total in the low 50's.

]]> By: Nonreality http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917&cpage=1#comment-10822 Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:54:41 +0000 http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917#comment-10822 Thanks my friend.

]]> By: KC http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917&cpage=1#comment-10814 Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:08:34 +0000 http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917#comment-10814 I agree with the above poster (#14)

]]> By: Nonreality http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917&cpage=1#comment-10790 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:49:35 +0000 http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917#comment-10790 Two things that I've haven't seen brought up is the fact that I think Artest is finally happy, really happy, for the first time in years. Also he really wants a ring. These two things I believe will make him willing to do whatever Kobe and Phil want him to do in order to win. He won't be after stats, he will be about winning. He knows everything is aligned for this to happen and that he probably will never have a better chance than now. I think he is going to work out well.

]]> By: Michael http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917&cpage=1#comment-10778 Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:45:51 +0000 http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917#comment-10778 I'm kind of mixed. Artest is a great addition but Ariza is also a young guy who can keep improving. I'm going to agree with Neil Payne that the trade is good at least for now.

]]> By: Jason J http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917&cpage=1#comment-10772 Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:00:17 +0000 http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917#comment-10772 I think the concern would be much less "is Ron willing to play within the system" than "is Ron's skillset a good match for the system." That was the trouble for Payton. He was disciplined and played inside the system - deferred to Shaq and Kobe, played at their pace and abandoned the post game and running style that he used to dominate in Seattle (he was 35 by then so it was obviously best to play to Shaq and Kobe rather than him). But his PER dropped by 4 points and his overall impact on the game wasn't what you'd expect when you say "We've got Gary Payton playing point guard!" The truth was you had Gary Payton imitating a 1997 Ron Harper. Like Payton there's some question as to whether Artest's value will be maintained when he's asked to stop doing the things that made him great and start doing what Rick Fox used to do.

On the other hand, one thing nobody has acknowledged is how much Ron has improved from the three point line in the last couple of years. He shot 40% from 3 last year. On a team with Kobe and Gasol both demanding a ton of defensive attention and Fisher, Walton, and Odom being such great passers, Artest's shooting could be huge.

]]> By: Anthony http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917&cpage=1#comment-10771 Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:56:08 +0000 http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917#comment-10771 Jason J - If your point is "will it be a bad fit" then there is nothing to talk about. If Phil "Ten Rings" Jackson can't get Ronnie to play within his Championship offense then Artest won't see the light of day. That being said, Media types and fans never know who will fit. You brought up Gary Payton and that's a great point because damn near everyone thought the Lakers were a lock to win that year. Gary played great within that system and nobody complained until they lost. Also to another point you made about Ron being a ball stopper who creates his own offense. On what team was Ronnie that guy? He's never been an offensive jugernaut why are people worried about it now?

The Lakers only problem over the last two years has been defense. The Celtics celbfration would have been voided out with our own had the Lakers played defense. Artest is a more physical and better defender than Ariza in spite of his age. Ariza grew leaps and bounds this year yes but he didn't surpass Artest. Ariza had a great playoff run and I'm glad he did but the Lakers aren't losing a thing with Artest.

]]> By: Jason J http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917&cpage=1#comment-10770 Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:17:17 +0000 http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=2917#comment-10770 Kukoc. Toni Kukoc. Scottie didn't really dislike Toni particularly. He was just pissed at Chicago for paying Kukoc more than him. And the Bulls only missed the conference finals by a game. They missed the finals by five wins.

I'm not sure who you're lambasting here. Nobody mentioned whether or not Artest would get along with the other Lakers in the locker room or who would lead the campfire songs at Phil Jackson's ranch.

There are legit concerns about losing a lanky, athletic player who did the little things without worrying about how many shots he got and replacing him with a ball-stopper who excels at creating offense rather than fitting into a system. People are just concerned with how Ron's game fits with Phil's system. Don't forget how Payton never really got acclimated (though Gary was obviously much older and on the decline, their similarities are pretty obvious - defensive stalwarts who are used to handling the ball a lot and making a lot of decisions being asked to remain effective as part of a passing system where only Bryant and Shaq / Gasol really get to isolate).

Larry Hughes is a good example of a player who was a near All-Star while running in a high octane offense with Gilbert Arenas in the Eddie Jordan motion offense, and who immediately became a liability when he tried to fit into Coach Brown's slowdown, LeBron-centric half court offense. He didn't lose 6/10th of his ability when he changed uniforms. He just didn't fit anymore. Then he got hurt. Now he's lost 6/10th of his ability.

Another example would be Elton Brand. Terrific player who never made a lick of sense coming into the Phili system. They were an up-tempo team with a ton of length and athleticism and no shooters. He's a half-court player who doesn't run well and specializes in post scoring that requires shooters to provide proper spacing. This stuff matters. Even when he was healthy they were better without him (no offense to Brand who I've always liked. Just a bad fit. Which is the point).

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