The Lakerhead

Ron Artest is a Laker, Trevor Ariza is a Rocket

Let’s get one thing out of the way: There is no way Ron Artest is all there-mentally.  In the head.  Forget the calculated antics of Dennis Rodman: Ron Artest is the real deal, “Mike Tyson of basketball” insane.

Here is Ron Artest pacing in place, calling Brandon Roy the best player he’s ever played against, outside of a guy from his hood in Queens who went to jail when he was 16 or 15 years old.  What?

Seriously, Ron Artest could start talking about how guarding lollipops and rainbows helped his defensive skills in a post game conference, and I won’t even raise an eye.

One question immediately comes to mind after the Lakers just signed Artest to a 3-year, $18 million dollar deal:

Is he a better player than Trevor Ariza?  A resounding yes.  Ron Artest can get his own shots.  Ron Artest plays mad defense.

Ron Artest Might Be Too Much Crazy For Even Kobe to Handle. L.A. Needs You, Phil.

Who fits the team better?  And therein lies the rub - the Lakers got better individually, but I hope the black hole that is Artest holding the ball for 14 seconds of the shot clock is fixed by a certain Zen Master.

I have the confidence Artest will give it up to an unselfish Gasol in the post, or the sometimes screaming for the ball Kobe Bryant.  At age 29, you hope he’s matured enough to just want to win a championship.

So why did the Lakers not just sign Trevor Ariza to the mid-level exception?  He’d apparantly take it, considering he just signed the midlevel with Houston for 5 years.

The answer is deeper than that 2 extra years.  I think the Lakers front office finally got fed up with role players having a good season and locking up substantial contracts only to disappear.

How Do I Prepare For the Coming of Artest? Probably by Grabbing His Album. You Know, Because I’m Street Like That.

Remember Luke Walton?  Wow, the Lakers got to the first round of the playoffs with him as our small forward, we’ve got to sign him!  Boom, a waste of $30 million dollars over 6 years.

What about Sasha Vujacic shooting well an entire season?  A shooting specialist that shoots well for only one year!  Amazing!  Boom, $15 million dollars over 3 years.

So when Trevor Ariza played good defense and made his outside shots with out-of-his-mind percentages, the Lakers said no to the pattern of role player greatness flash.

The Lakers went with something solid, that’s delievered defense, offense, and a lot of crazy, year after year.

I think I’m in opposite land because of what I’m about to type.  In this crazy world, Ron Artest was the sure thing.

That, or he and Odom can go around being the original candy-eating crew from Queens, New York, driving Kobe nuts, but entertaining the rest of Los Angeles.  I can’t wait for either outcome.