You people of my beloved "JAKked Up," blog have attracted my attention with a possible trade of Ron Artest going to the Lakers for Lamar Odom. I wanna shout out Drew specifically, for scouring the ESPN landscape and breaking it to the Massis (oops I mean MASSES!)
It is true. There have been talks that involved the once heated rivals of Sacramento and Los Angeles were in trade discussions revolving Lamar Odom and Ron Artest.
To be frank...PULL THE TRIGGER LAKERS!
To me, this trade will be a no-brainer for the Lakers. I know there are the nay-sayers out there who say that Ron Artest is a malcontent, who likes to be beat up his wife in his spare time after games where he jumps into the crowd and clocks some guy in the face.
These cynics will talk about how Ron Artest will ruin the great Lakers team chemistry. They will go on to say that now with the ultimate cheerleader Ronny gone, (let's face it Lakers fans) Artest will become a lethal poison to a young team hungry to get back to the Finals.
I say, that's a bunch of Chicago BULLSH-UT YO MOUTH!
Speaking of those Chicago Bulls, is anyone old enough to remember the malcontent crazy Newport Beach dwellin' resident Dennis Rodman. This dude was the craziest cat to ever grace a basketball court. I mean the guy married himself, kicked a cameraman in the go-nads, and sported a new hair color every time he went out on the court.
Yeah um, that's a recent picture of Rodman...words just can't do it justice, I'm sorry! Anywho, back to my point. Phil Jackson has a history with crazy malcontents like Dennis Rodman, and to a lesser extent the quitter Scottie Pippen. The Zen Master was able to balance Rodman's craziness off the court and turn him into a focused mad man by the time the ball was tipped into the air.Phil Jackson will be able to handle Ron Artest and make sure that he plays like his all-star caliber self on the court. Hopefully, he won't have a mid-life crisis like Rod"man" and end up like him.
Ron Artest also provides a shooter that Phil Jackson desperately covets. Vladimir Radmanovich is too much of an inconsistent threat, and if the Lakers are unable to sign Sasha Vujacic, the Artest deal will become even sexier for the Lakers. He shot 38% from 3-pt. land last season, which was even better than Kobe.
Artest also provides a defensive stopper. Kobe won't have to guard the team's best player, which tires him down the stretch when he's at his most valuable. Not to mention that Ron Artest is very good friends with Kobe Bryant, and Lamar Odom by the way. Both sides can facilitate a trade.
That's JAKked Up: If the Lakers don't push and make this trade. Bringing Ron Artest to the Lakers will pratically guarantee L.A. many more championship banners hanging above Staples.
6 comments:
Lamar never put up the effort to become a better player. I dont know how many years he has left on his contract. The Lakers need to get what they can for him and do it quick because he's not getting better. but is Ron artest what we really need. So here are some pro and cons for both players.
This is from last season.
Pros
Lamar
Points-14
Rebounds-10
Assists-3.5
steals-1
Blocks-1
Cons-
Lamar Odom
Not consistant
Doesnt show up when he needs to.
Sometimes can't finish when driving to the basket.
Shaves a star on his head in the begining of the season because he wants be an "all-star" but shaves it off half way through the first half of the season because he knows he couldn't do it.
Ron Artest
Pros
Points-20
Rebounds-6
Assists-3.5
steals-2
Blocks-.6
cons
He hasnt been able to stay healthy his whole career. Last season he only played 57 games.
played in only one all-star game and only had 7 points.
So if you want a double-double a game go with odom. But you still feel he gives you less than a 100%
If you want someone who brings 20 points with 5 rebounds a game and he might play a bit more than half the games a season go with artest. oh and he has problems outside of the court.
Artest only averaged 20 points per game twice in his career and one of those seasons he only played 7 games. and the other season he only played 57 games.
I think we might be better off with Odom.
And its MASSIS
Damn I didnt know I wrote so much.
Oh and i went back and read it again now i get the masses part.
Duhh!
Great comment Drew! Love your take on Lamar shaving a star on his head. Freakin' hilarious!
I agree with the trade lamar angle. It would have been really nice to see Artest moving his feet in front of Paul Pierce or throwing a forearm at him to stop him from getting to the basket every single time. And as Jak said, Phil has done well with treating dysfunctional characters before. Pull the trigger, Mitch.
I get frustrated with LO as much as the next guy, but I'm curious to see how he'd do in the lineup once Bynum gets back in the mix. He thrives in the background, and he'll finally get to play "his natural small forward" position that everyone keeps talking about.
The Lakers have until February to trade Odom, who has an expiring contract, which is a huge plus for the Lakers. They should be stand pat until the end of the year (with a couple minor trades/pickups over the summer) and see how it works out. If they pull the trigger now, it's been reported that L.A. would likely have to take on Kenny Thomas' bloated contract. That can't be good to have your hands tied like that when Bynum wants a max extension, and Kobe's got a player option after the season (I think).
Remember this guy? The Incredible Bynum. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUbzE5920So
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