Ron-Ron in La-La Land
One of the biggest free agents on this year's market, Ron Artest, has landed in Los Angeles. And, no, it's not the perennial doormat Clippers who have added the bad boy to their roster. The NBA champion Lakers have agreed to a three-year, $18 million deal with Artest, as reported by many sources.
The 30-year small forward needs little introduction to NBA fans and fantasy owners. Artest spent last season with the Rockets, a team that pushed the Lakers to seven games in the second round on the playoffs. He averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.2 threes while shooting a poor 40.1 percent from the floor. The mercurial Artest is known as much for his tough defense and, uh, fiery attitude as much as anything else.
The signing has been met with mixed reviews. On the positive end, some people believe Phil Jackson, the Zen Master, will be able to harness Artest much in the same way that he did Dennis Rodman during the Bulls' dynasty days. They see a Lakers squad with more than enough offense and a potentially excellent defense between Artest, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and a hopefully healthy Andruw Bynum.
On the negative side, we have the pundits who preferred the youth and relative stability of Trevor Ariza, who departed and signed with the Rockets. Still other outlets, such as Fanball's "Lakers of Fire" blog can see both sides of the story. There is no doubt that the Lakers have added major risk as they try to defend their title.
From a fantasy perspective, the move won't likely be a good one. Bryant will obviously continue to be the driving force in the Triangle offense, and he is going to get his 20 shots per night. Pau Gasol is the Lakers' second-leading scorer at 18.9 points, and he was very efficient last season, needing only 12.9 shots per game. They will obviously want to keep feeding him the ball. Will Artest be happy as the third wheel? What happens if Lamar Odom comes back? And will Bynum ever see the ball? The Lakers averaged 106.9 points last season (third in the NBA), and nobody outside of Kobe and Gasol saw more than 10 shots per night. You can see the potential problem, right?
Even if Odom signs elsewhere, it will be tough to envision Artest averaging 17 points again, and his assists could also take a small dip. The alternative would be that the Lakers would have fewer touches for Gasol, which is not a good idea. The good news is that Artest's shooting percentage should rise, possibly back into the 44-45 percent range he enjoyed in 2006-07 and 2007-08.
In the long run, Thursday's news is probably better for the Rockets. They might have been title contenders with Artest, a healthy Yao Ming, and a healthy Tracy McGrady. Unfortunately, Yao's busted foot has cast a huge cloud over his future, and McGrady's knee surgery could cause him to miss a sizable chunk of next season. It's too soon to know if he will ever reach superstar status again.
Thus, the Rockets are probably in a rebuilding mode, even if they haven't admitted it yet. Ariza, who turned 24 just a few days ago, gives them a promising wing player to go along with Aaron Brooks, Luis Scola, Shane Battier, Carl Landry, and Kyle Lowry. They have a huge hole at center that they unsuccessfully tried to fill with Marcin Gortat, and they may eventually dangle Battier and McGrady in the hopes of adding more young talent.
As the Rockets' roster currently looks, there is nothing to stop Brooks and Scola from turning into much better scorers next season. Ariza and Landry may need to step up on offense, too, and the Rockets may even let Jermaine Taylor chuck up a bunch of shots, unless they bring back Von Wafer. In other words, Houston could be a hot bed for sneaky fantasy bargains this fall.
The 30-year small forward needs little introduction to NBA fans and fantasy owners. Artest spent last season with the Rockets, a team that pushed the Lakers to seven games in the second round on the playoffs. He averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.2 threes while shooting a poor 40.1 percent from the floor. The mercurial Artest is known as much for his tough defense and, uh, fiery attitude as much as anything else.
Artest brings toughness to the Lakers.
On the negative side, we have the pundits who preferred the youth and relative stability of Trevor Ariza, who departed and signed with the Rockets. Still other outlets, such as Fanball's "Lakers of Fire" blog can see both sides of the story. There is no doubt that the Lakers have added major risk as they try to defend their title.
From a fantasy perspective, the move won't likely be a good one. Bryant will obviously continue to be the driving force in the Triangle offense, and he is going to get his 20 shots per night. Pau Gasol is the Lakers' second-leading scorer at 18.9 points, and he was very efficient last season, needing only 12.9 shots per game. They will obviously want to keep feeding him the ball. Will Artest be happy as the third wheel? What happens if Lamar Odom comes back? And will Bynum ever see the ball? The Lakers averaged 106.9 points last season (third in the NBA), and nobody outside of Kobe and Gasol saw more than 10 shots per night. You can see the potential problem, right?
Even if Odom signs elsewhere, it will be tough to envision Artest averaging 17 points again, and his assists could also take a small dip. The alternative would be that the Lakers would have fewer touches for Gasol, which is not a good idea. The good news is that Artest's shooting percentage should rise, possibly back into the 44-45 percent range he enjoyed in 2006-07 and 2007-08.
In the long run, Thursday's news is probably better for the Rockets. They might have been title contenders with Artest, a healthy Yao Ming, and a healthy Tracy McGrady. Unfortunately, Yao's busted foot has cast a huge cloud over his future, and McGrady's knee surgery could cause him to miss a sizable chunk of next season. It's too soon to know if he will ever reach superstar status again.
Thus, the Rockets are probably in a rebuilding mode, even if they haven't admitted it yet. Ariza, who turned 24 just a few days ago, gives them a promising wing player to go along with Aaron Brooks, Luis Scola, Shane Battier, Carl Landry, and Kyle Lowry. They have a huge hole at center that they unsuccessfully tried to fill with Marcin Gortat, and they may eventually dangle Battier and McGrady in the hopes of adding more young talent.
As the Rockets' roster currently looks, there is nothing to stop Brooks and Scola from turning into much better scorers next season. Ariza and Landry may need to step up on offense, too, and the Rockets may even let Jermaine Taylor chuck up a bunch of shots, unless they bring back Von Wafer. In other words, Houston could be a hot bed for sneaky fantasy bargains this fall.
