Ron Artest's past will not go away until the Lakers repeat in 2010, but will they?
If you haven’t visited this blog, then you probably don’t know that I like Ron Artest as a player, and I also think he’s hilarious as a person.
Artest is awesome, in many ways. A lot of people hate the guy, but they shouldn’t. He’s been on good behavior for years now, and he’s committed to winning. Any team would be lucky to have him, except the Pacers of 2005.
Artest did something Tracy McGrady couldn’t. He helped Yao Ming and the Rockets make it to second round of the NBA playoffs, and it was about damn time this team made it out of the first round.
As usual, Yao went down, and the Rockets eventually lost to the Lakers, but they were competitive.
Artest didn’t shoot well in the series (a miserable 33% in the final four games), but played solid defense and provided a spark for an injury-depleted team, that gave the Lakers a bit of a scare.
He was essential to the Rockets success this year.
Artest is now going to join Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, and he’s doing it all for the small price of a reported $18 million over three seasons. On average, Artest will make $6 million per season, based on his talent and his ability to help make teams better, that’s a steal.
Blame it on the brawl, blame it on his past faults, but Artest is definitely signing a contract for a lot less than he should be.
On the other end of the spectrum, he gets to play with the NBA Champions and play with Kobe Bryant. He also gets to be coached by Phil Jackson. Artest might have signed a contract for less than his value, but this could easily be the best thing to happen to his career.
Artest hasn’t had a serious chance to win a title since he ruined the 2004-05 season for the Indiana Pacers on that November night in Auburn Hills. It has haunted him forever, and no matter how well he plays, people will not let go of that night, but maybe now they will.
This isn’t saying that Artest easily makes the Lakers the favorite to win the title, there is plenty of summer left, and Lamar Odom is still not signed with the Lakers. At this point, you still have to respect the champs. Artest is an upgrade over Trevor Ariza, and they got him for essentially less than the Rockets paid for Ariza, who also signed a long-term contract.
The whole event is reminiscent of Dennis Rodman’s 1995 arrival in Chicago. Can Phil and Kobe tame Artest, keep him in check and focused as Michael and Phil did with Dennis?
I think so.
