Artest on the Lakers: A List of Pros and Cons
My name is Patrick Crawley (a.k.a. The Basketball Fiend). I’m new to the FanSided roster, but I’ve been the managing editor over at Basketball Fiend for a year. I’m looking forward to contributing to Sir Charles in Charge and working with great writers like Andrew, Justin, Drew, and Adam. Check out my first contribution to SCIC below and, if you like it, head over to Basketball Fiend for more NBA content.
On Thursday night, the Lakers shocked the basketball world by agreeing to a contract in principle with controversial forward Ron Artest. Rather than increasing their offer to Trevor Ariza, a major contributor to Los Angeles’ 2008-09 title run, the Lakers decided to offer Artest a three-year contract worth a reported $18.7 million.
For better or worse, the Artest signing changes the dynamic of this Lakers team.
Here, as I see it, are the pros and cons of adding Ron Artest to the Lakers:
Pros
1. He’ll protect Kobe.
Artest will be an imposing physical presence for the Lakers. He can act as a bodyguard of sorts for Kobe, doing a lot of the dirty work on defense and in the lane. With 948 games under his belt, Kobe’s not getting any younger. Taking wear and tear off of his body is a definite plus for the Lakers organization. If nothing else, signing Artest is a great way for them to protect their #1 asset.
2. He’s a versatile defender.
There are few forwards who Artest cannot defend. Ron-Ron is able to muscle-up power forwards just as well as he can defend swingmen on the perimeter. This gives the Lakers a lot of flexibility. Using a five-man rotation of Artest, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Luke Walton, and (potentially) Lamar Odom, the Lakers can match just about anybody at the 3-5 positions. Artest’s presence is a big plus for them on defense.
3. He presents a new challenge for Phil Jackson.
Make no mistake, this is a good thing for the Lakers. As the best coach in NBA history, Phil Jackson relishes a challenge. In the summer before the 1995-96 season, the Bulls, under head coach Jackson, traded for mercurial forward Dennis Rodman. What followed was the greatest regular season record in NBA history. A 72-10 record that will likely remain untouched for many years to come. The impetus for that near-flawless season was not only Michael Jordan’s return, but also Jackson’s masterful use of Rodman. Rodman grabbed nearly 15 rebounds per game that season and was named to the All-NBA Defensive First Team. An out-of-control maniac in San Antonio the previous season, Rodman was an instant success in Chicago under Jackson.
Artest and Rodman are similar in personality. Both are outspoken players with a checkered past. Can Jackson coax a Rodman-like season out of Artest? The evidence says yes.
4. He gives the L.A. media all kinds of material to work with.
Artest is a quote machine. He speaks his mind. The media in Los Angeles has plenty of news to work with already, but Artest is a go-to guy on a slow news day. He’s like the Hakeem Olajuwon of interviews. You can go to him on the block every time and every time he’s going to give you a little something different. (And it’s usually going to be successful.) For an already-popular news outlet like The Los Angeles Times, Artest is icing on the cake.
Cons
1. He may not be a good fit in the locker room.
We’ve all read the stories. Kobe Respects Ron, He Wants Ron On His Team. But the reality of Ron Artest is a lot different from the fantasy ideal of a hard-nosed player with a few quirks. Artest can be difficult in the locker room, especially if he thinks his voice isn’t being heard or his needs aren’t being met. He can be a divisive personality. We saw it in Indiana and we saw it in his last season with Sacramento. As evidenced in Kobe Doin’ Work, Kobe is used to having the floor at halftime and during timeouts. Will that change now that Ron-Ron is in the picture? Probably not. But you never know. There is always potential for conflict when Ron Artest is in the picture.
2. He may try to dominate the offense.
This is not to say that Artest is a selfish player by design. He has often stated that he wants nothing more than a championship. But he tended to dominate control of the ball at times and jack up ill-advised shots last season. With Houston, Artest averaged 15 field goal attempts per game. (A number that increased to 15.6 in the playoffs.) By contrast, Ariza attempted just 7.6 shots per game last season for the Lakers. (8.0 in the playoffs.) 7.4 shots per game. That’s a signficant differential. If Artest is comfortable with less shots and less possessions, the offense will run smoothly. If he is not, there will be problems. It’s as simple as that.
3. He attracts a lot of attention from the media.
I realize this is also listed as a “pro”, but it deserves mention on both sides of the argument. Ron Artest is a magnet for attention. He’s going to say what’s on his mind. Sometimes, those thoughts are positive. Sometimes, they are negative. Either way, his filter is essentially non-existent. So if things don’t go well with the Lakers in the beginning (whether on the court or off), we can expect more than a few salacious quotes from Mr. Artest. Whether or not these quotes damage the team remains to be seen. (After all, Phil Jackson is the master of spin.) But, again, the potential is there for things to go wrong.
4. There is a referee bias against him.
We saw this throughout the playoffs (particularly in the Lakers series). When Artest gets physical, the refs freak out. Since they are worried about Artest getting out of control, they overreact and call needless flagrant fouls; often leading to ejection. This bias can obviously be a detriment to the Lakers in the playoffs next season. In a physical game, against a dominant individual player, that’s when the Lakers need Artest the most. But the refs have a quick trigger finger with Artest. If they decide that he’s being too rough, they’re liable to eject him. Artest is a potent weapon on defense. But if he’s not in the game, he’s obviously not effective. Whether it’s fair or not, this is an issue the Lakers will have to worry about next season.
5. The “kryptonite to his craziness” won’t be following him to Los Angeles.
That’s what I call Rick Adelman; the kryptonite to Ron-Ron’s craziness. Artest has enjoyed two of his most successful, and least dramatic seasons, under Adelman (in 2005-06 with Sacramento and last season in Houston). I don’t know what it is about Adelman, but he has a calming presence on Artest. He keeps the craziness level down. In terms of x’s and o’s, Adelman is obviously inferior to Phil Jackson. But is it possible that he’s Jackson’s superior when it comes to handling Artest? Though it’s too early to say definitively one way or the other, yes, it’s definitely possible.