Years ago, this would have constituted franchise suicide. Years ago, when Ron Artest was attacking fans and and facing spousal-abuse charges and firing obscene gestures and qualifying as the NBA's scariest menace to society, you wouldn't wish him upon your most despised team. But even the unhinged grow up eventually, which is why I dare say the Los Angeles Lakers have made a monumental statement in signing the sort-of-reformed problem child.
Shortly after the Lakers' championship run, Phil Jackson admitted that he'd like to return to the sidelines for the final year of his contract but couldn't commit until doctors put him through a series of medical tests. He did so this week, and he was given the thumbs up.
"After consulting with Lakers team internist Dr. John Moe, I feel confident that I can gainfully pursue an NBA season with another long playoff postseason. All things point to go!" Jackson said in a statement posted on the Lakers official site.
There is a reason nothing stays the same in the NBA. It's never good enough -- even at the top.
What the Los Angeles Lakers learned from the previous four NBA champs – Detroit, Miami, San Antonio and Boston -- was that the status quo will just get you beat the next season.
It's why there have been no repeats lately.
By landing Ron Artest to replace Trevor Ariza -- a huge upgrade -- the Lakers did what others before them didn't do. They got better after they won.
The Boston Celtics aligned their three stars and rode them all the way to a NBA championship in 2008.
The Houston Rockets hoped to do the same when they added unpredictable yet talented Ron Artest with their superstar duo of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming last summer. But a year later, their dream has unraveled.
McGrady and Yao are sidelined with potentially career-threatening injuries and Artest left Thursday in free agency, heading to the world champion Los Angeles Lakers to join forces with Kobe Bryant for a three-year deal.
Bloggers knee-jerking on the phone + roundtable style = RoundCast.
One of the biggest moves of this free agent season went down on Thursday, when it was learned that Ron Artest will be heading to the Lakers. Matt Moore and I break down what is effectively going to be L.A. trading Trevor Ariza for Artest, as it was also announced that Ariza agreed to a deal with the Rockets.
After plenty of Artest talk, we also review some of the other deals that have gone down, and ponder the fates of some other would-be contenders like the Cavaliers, Pistons, Magic, and Celtics.
Well, the Houston Rockets didn't waste any time getting back at the Los Angeles Lakers for nabbing Ron Artest. According to two reports, the Rockets are discussing a deal with free-agent forward Trevor Ariza, who was likely nudged out of Los Angeles by Artest's arrival. (Update: ESPN's Marc Stein reports Ariza has verbally commtted to Houston.)
Ariza expressed disdain that the Lakers only offered the mid-level exception (approximately $5.6 million per season) and said he would take a comparable contract elsewhere. The Rockets can only offer the mid-level but with Yao Ming likely to miss next season with a left foot injury and Tracy McGrady coming off microfracture knee surgery, Ariza would have a chance to shine with the Rockets.
As we all attempt to grok Ron Artest: Los Angeles Laker, much will (rightfully) be made of the strange relationship Kobe Bryant and our antihero Artest enjoy. Off the court, the stars claim to be best friends. On the floor, there has been some serious (and recent!) bad blood.
But in real basketball results, Pau Gasol might be the most endangered Laker in all of this. Kobe ain't giving up shots to Ron-Ron ... but someone will have to, unless you think Artest -- who has in the past placed himself in the same league as Kobe and LeBron James -- will shave half his offense to become Trevor Ariza II. I sincerely doubt our protagonist will be so generous. So the Laker attacker who requires the ball to be fed -- Pau -- figures to suffer.
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That's the mindset that Ron Artest has apparently taken following today's news that he's agreed to join Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. Artest was instrumental in helping the Rockets take the eventual champion Lakers to seven games during the Western Conference semifinals. Instead of serving as Kobe's antagonist, he'll become Kobe's sidekick.
According to Ken Berger of CBS Sports, Artest met with Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss and spoke with Phil Jackson on Thursday before instructing his agent to get a deal done. Details of the agreement -- both the length and the amount -- are still unknown, but from the sounds of it, Artest isn't about to quibble over the details.
Ron Artest caused a bit of a flurry Wednesday night when he went on his Twitter account and announced he was signing a new deal. Of course it was all a joke/publicity stunt. However, the activity on his twitter account -- particularly the farewell to Houston tweet -- made Artest's agent David Bauman come out and claim that the Twitter account is a fake.
As athletes have been burned by fake accounts before, we have become pretty good at identifying fake Twitter accounts, and it seems Bauman is wrong about the account in question being a fake.
As if Cleveland wasn't already a focal point of the NBA universe, it may be reaching a whole new level of crazy. A brand of crazy NBA fans only know as ... Ron Artest.
The Cleveland Plain Dealerwas the first to report on the possibility, but even coming from super-reliable Brian Windhorst, it was still just your run of the mill free agency rumor; a possibility to keep an eye on.
That was until Artest decided to fan the flames a bit by informing the world that his days in Houston were over -- via his Twitter page, naturally.
Shortly after the Lakers' championship run, Phil Jackson admitted that he'd like to return to the sidelines for the final year of his contract but couldn't commit until doctors put him through a series of medical tests. He did so this week, and he was given the thumbs up. 
There is a reason nothing stays the same in the NBA. It's never good enough -- even at the top.
The Boston Celtics aligned their three stars and rode them all the way to a NBA championship in 2008.
One of the biggest moves of this free agent season went down on Thursday, when it was learned that Ron Artest will be heading to the Lakers. Matt Moore and I break down what is effectively going to be L.A. trading Trevor Ariza for Artest, as it was also announced that Ariza agreed to a deal with the Rockets. 
Well, the Houston Rockets didn't waste any time getting back at the Los Angeles Lakers for nabbing Ron Artest. According to two reports, the Rockets are discussing a deal with free-agent forward Trevor Ariza, who was likely nudged out of Los Angeles by Artest's arrival. (Update: ESPN's Marc Stein reports Ariza has verbally commtted to Houston.)
As we all attempt to grok Ron Artest: Los Angeles Laker, much will (rightfully) be made of the strange relationship Kobe Bryant and our antihero Artest enjoy. Off the court, the stars claim to be best friends. On the floor, there has been some serious (and recent!) bad blood.
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That's the mindset that Ron Artest has apparently taken following today's news that he's agreed to join Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. Artest was instrumental in helping the Rockets take the eventual champion Lakers to seven games during the Western Conference semifinals. Instead of serving as Kobe's antagonist, he'll become Kobe's sidekick. 
Ron Artest caused a bit of a flurry Wednesday night when he went on his Twitter account and announced he was signing a new deal. Of course it was all a joke/publicity stunt. However, the activity on his twitter account -- particularly the farewell to Houston tweet -- made Artest's agent David Bauman come out and claim that the Twitter account is a fake. 
As if Cleveland wasn't already a focal point of the NBA universe, it may be reaching a whole new level of crazy. A brand of crazy NBA fans only know as ... Ron Artest. 
