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Ron Artest says "He'll take Kobe"
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| able.h |
Is this true?
http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/...838893/15861966
Artest says he's signing with Lakers (UPDATE)
Posted on: July 2, 2009 6:56 pm
Edited on: July 2, 2009 7:16 pm
Shaq can have LeBron. Ron Artest says he'll take Kobe.
Artest, whose versatility and toughness have made him one of the most coveted and combustible players in the NBA, told CBSSports.com Thursday that he's signing with the Lakers.
"I'm definitely going to L.A. -- to sign, yeah," Artest said in a phone interview. "Lakers, Lakers, Lakers. I'm in L.A. right now."
Artest said he met with Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss Thursday and previously had spoken with Lakers coach Phil Jackson. He was en route to his financial manager's office, where he planned to huddle on the phone with his agent, David Bauman, to finalize details.
Artest's exuberance -- he spent the whole summer in L.A., including several appearances at Lakers home games during the NBA Finals -- got ahead of the process a bit. Other teams that made overtures for Artest -- including the Cavaliers -- have not yet been notified that Artest is signing with the Lakers. (Consider them notified.) Bauman has spoken with Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, but parameters have not yet been agreed to. Still, it's pretty clear where Artest is going.
"I don't really care about the money," Artest said. "I'll play there for nothing. ... L.A. was very interested in me, and they got me."
UPDATE: Lakers spokesman John Black declined to comment on Artest's assertion, but another person with knowledge of the situation corroborated Artest's account that he will sign with L.A. pending the financial parameters being finalized.
Only 24 hours earlier, the buzz was focused on Artest joining LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal in Cleveland in what would've made a potent Big Three on the shores of Lake Erie. It would've been, well, eerie, too: Artest's internal combustion engine, combined with LeBron's exquisite dominance and Shaq's alpha-male, all-round Shaq-ness would've been something to see.
But Artest said talks with Cleveland "never got that far." Told that Cleveland, by all accounts, had extreme interest, Artest said, "I don't know how extreme. I love the Cleveland Cavaliers, though. I love LeBron and Coach (Mike) Brown and Shaq."
But what he really loves is L.A.
"L.A. is what it is," Artest said. "I've been here for the whole summer, and it's pretty good. It's good for me. I know Lamar Odom, so that's pretty cool."
Artest spoke as though Odom would return to the Lakers to join Artest and Kobe Bryant for another title run. The addition of Artest would mean the Lakers have to choose between Odom and Trevor Ariza. Obviously, Ariza would be the odd man out and already has expressed displeasure with the Lakers' efforts to lure him back with only the mid-level exception.
UPDATE: The addition of Artest is a coup for the defending champion Lakers, who have faced the prospect of trying to retain their own free agents, Odom and Ariza, and have seen other contenders make major efforts to improve. Most notably, the Celtics dispatched their Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce, along with coach Doc Rivers and managing partner Wyc Grousbeck to Detroit on Thursday to offer free agent Rasheed Wallace a mid-level contract. Cleveland's acquisition of Shaq put the Lakers, Celtics, and Magic on notice that the Cavaliers were making a serious push for a title next season. The Cavs' pursuit of Wallace, Artest, and Ariza signaled that they weren't finished after the pre-draft trade for Shaq.
"I talked to Coach Phil, and I was happy to talk to him," Artest said. "Big fan of Coach Phil. My agent talked to Kupchak, and I met with Dr. Buss. I'm very, very excited."
Category: NBA
Tags: Cavaliers, Free Agent Buzz, Kobe Bryant, Lakers, LeBron James, Ron Artest |
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| kingofthenight |
:eyes:
We'll take Artest! |
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| Brian Scott |
So many things to say on both the pro and con sides of things. The obvious cons are Artest's alpha dog personality (and it's potential clash with Kobe's) and his short temper. Chemistry is a big question mark if this deal goes thru.
However, the positives are great. Artest is a masterful on-ball defender and adds some needed toughness to the Lakers starting 5. He's an energy guy and commands a double-team when his shot is falling.
Trevor Ariza will probably end up in Cleveland. Lamar will sign with the Lakers again. Artest's defense definitely offsets the loss of Ariza and may actually be better overall.
Starting 5 next season if this goes thru:
PG: Jordan Farmar (I'm betting he improves enough to take over from D-Fish)
SG: Kobe
SF: Artest
PF: Pau Gasol
C: Andrew Bynum
6th: Lamar Odom |
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| able.h |
LATimes is reporting it also:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp...0,7602019.story
The move would probably end the pursuit of forward Trevor Ariza.
By Mike Bresnahan
4:26 PM PDT, July 2, 2009
The Lakers are close to reaching an agreement with Houston forward Ron Artest, The Times has learned.
Artest has been meeting with Lakers executives throughout the day and is expected to agree to terms later this afternoon.
Artest will likely want the full mid-level exception from the Lakers, which will work out to five years and about $32 million. (The NBA will soon announce the actual cost of a mid-level contract for next season.)
Artest, who will be 30 in November, enjoys the Los Angeles lifestyle and was a presence in the courtside seats for some of the Lakers' games in the NBA Finals.
He is still a formidable defender and averaged 17.1 points last season, though he would have to take a pay cut because the Lakers don't have much money at their disposal when it comes to other team's free agents.
The addition of Artest would basically end the Lakers' pursuit of Trevor Ariza, who met today with the Houston Rockets.
Artest was also connected with other championship-caliber teams, including Cleveland and Orlando. He would have to take mid-level money with both of them as well because the Cavaliers and Magic are over the salary cap. |
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| 72hrpartyanimal |
| sounds pretty gay |
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| bigperf |
| peace out trevor ariza. he just put a bulls eye on the lakers. |
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| galactic2154 |
| Trevor who????? Laker Haters can suck on thisssss!!!!! |
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| 72hrpartyanimal |
| quote: | Originally posted by galactic2154
Trevor who????? Laker Haters can suck on thisssss!!!!! |
you mom hates the lakers too;) |
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| mar46017 |
| quote: | Originally posted by 72hrpartyanimal
sounds pretty gay |
Still bitter ay? |
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| kingofthenight |
| Ariza might go to the Rockets. It's almost like a trade Ariza for Artest. |
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