The Case For Ron-Ron
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 9, 2009 10:48 PM PDT
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PrintIn this post I am going to be making my case for the Blazers to sign Ron Artest. Rather then other 10 million dollar options, like Andre Miller, Kirk Hinrich or Hedo Turkoglu.
- Offense: Compared to Turkoglu(A name often thrown around as someone the Blazers could sign at the 3). Shot selection(.401% last year, but .453% in Sacramento the year before). Regular season wise, not much worse then Turkoglu(.413%). A better 3pt shooter(.399% with 5.2 3's per game) then Turkoglu(.356% with 4.9 3's per game). Was not very clutch last year(As we know, that is Roy's department. At that point, Artest should be focused on shutting down the opposing SF), but the Rockets didn't have many close contests, so its tough to tell. A usage rate of 22, compared to Tony Parker who logged 30 average on the season. With the scorers here & McMillan as coach, I think his shooting % goes back up, somewhere between .425%-.450%
- Defense: Intense, borderline crazy. Very strong. Very active. Great post defender against other SF's(Just about the only SF in the NBA who can post him up is LeBron). Holds opposing 3's to an average of 12.3 PER rating, while he puts up 17.6 PER. Won defensive player of the year in 2003-2004. It is debateable but I would say he is top 3 at defending the SF spot in the NBA.(Behind LeBron, Pierce). High number of steals, while not gambling too much.
- Artest's Insanity: He is very crazy. That is for sure. However, plenty of crazy people have had great success in the NBA. Dennis Rodman(Multiple championships) in the 90's & most recently, Kevin Garnett(NBA Champion 2007-2008). I don't think he is an issue off the court, seems to have matured since the suspension.
- Minutes/Shot Distribution: How it would work. Lets look back to 2007-2008, Outlaw took 11.8 shots per game, Webster took 8.7 shots per game. Artest is a better 3pt shooter then both Outlaw & Webster. Better rebounder, better defender & a better passer. Give Artest 15 shots per game, 35mpg(Can also play some 4, at least as much as Outlaw did, but more on that in a bit). Between the salaries of Outlaw/Webster potentially being gone, we can cover Artest pretty well in that department. Give him a two year deal, with the 3rd being a team option.
- Versatility: I see him most definitely being able to have more success sliding to the 4 when Aldridge is out, then Outlaw did. He can do the same thing Outlaw did, in terms of attempting to drag the opposing 4 out to the 3 line, but again Artest is better from deep.
- Added Bonuses: Opens the championship window next year. Camp competition. Batum; Teaches him he needs to bulk up if he is going to stand a chance against the bigger 3's of the NBA. Oden; Forces his hands to become better when handling the ball in the post, when Ron-Ron is attempting to slap it out of his hands down low. Roy; Would provide him a bigger/tougher perimeter defender to compete against then we have on the roster, think of Artest as a medicine ball. Roy will be better prepared to score/defend against bigger players & when he goes against smaller players, even more domination. Has the utmost respect for Roy.
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i like the breakdown you have
i don’t know if we could get him is the problem. with him being a contract year last season, he will probably want more than we would be interested in giving him. i have read reports on realgm that said he was not going to give houston a ‘hometown discount’ in the negotiations which further questions how much he will command. and he is not a better 3 point shooter than martell or travis. look at his career numbers. not saying that this past season was an anamoly, but he is a chucker. when ron gets hot, ron wants to keep throwing it up.
but i love the breakdown of how he could help this team. i agree wholeheartedly.
Thanks for the input
I don’t see his shot selection as a problem, with Outlaw already getting 27mpg & 10 attempts in that time on average. With the scorers on this team he won’t feel like he has to carry the load. Think about who he has played with in the past, compared to who he would be playing alongside in Portland.
Offseason:
PG Options: Mike Conley(T)
SG Options: Terrence Williams(D)
Forward Options: Ronnie Turiaf(T) - Damion James(D), Taj Gibson(D), Kevin Seraphin(D)
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 9, 2009 11:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Artest may be a bit of chucker
But his shot selection is no worse than Travis’. Not even close. Artest would be an improvement in that area by default.
Anyone else hope we sign him just because seeing Nate coaching Artest on the sideline would be hilarious.
Labelling players who score as chuckers....
is stupid IMO because it nobody labels Kobe, Wade, Vince Carter, etc…. elite scorers chuckers. When, they chuck more than anyone. It seems like a ridiculous way to label a player whose job it is to score the basketball and hit 40% or more. Not an easy task. Teams have 3 or 4 guys that they will lean on for solid points each game, if you are one of them, you need to shoot and score. Calling scorers chuckers is like calling a Baseball player who hits just shy of .300 a whiffer….
Players who shoot the ball are fine to have on your team., that is why you have to have a coach who runs set plays and keeps the ball in his leaders hands most of the time. And a leader who other scorers follow.
by Portland Dynasty on Jun 11, 2009 10:28 AM PDT up reply actions
If we signed Artest
I would feel much safer about us advanacing in the playoffs with Blake/Bayless as our setup.
Offseason:
PG Options: Mike Conley(T)
SG Options: Terrence Williams(D)
Forward Options: Ronnie Turiaf(T) - Damion James(D), Taj Gibson(D), Kevin Seraphin(D)
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 11, 2009 10:30 AM PDT up reply actions
If anything
His outstanding defense far outshadows his shot selection “issue”
Offseason:
PG Options: Mike Conley(T)
SG Options: Terrence Williams(D)
Forward Options: Ronnie Turiaf(T) - Damion James(D), Taj Gibson(D), Kevin Seraphin(D)
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 9, 2009 11:05 PM PDT up reply actions
thinking about his past teams
Bulls- not really talented, just a collection of players to make it seem like they competed
Pacers- good squad with established players in reggie, jermaine, i believe al harrington started coming into his own; this team was a perennial playoff contender
Kings- i concede this point. wow, he HAD to be the number 1/2 because outside of kevin martin this team had nobody putting the ball in the hoop. not even kenny thomas.
Rockets- reminder of his old Pacer days; established post in yao, scoring in tracy (along with established medical record). on this team he didn’t need to do more than defend until tracy went down and he became the de facto second (sometimes first) option.
upon this scant and general view it seems that ron artest has only experienced heavy scoring loads in about 4 or 5 of his 10 year career. so you have a point and i will props on it. but even if we assume ron lets go of taking ill advised shots, there still will be doubts in my mind at least about whether or not it is completely remedied.
OT- as for your signature, i like kevin seraphin. watched him in the hoop summit. good talent, didn’t get to show alot but he is just long and active on the boards. i really am interested in his potential.
Seraphin
I want him to take the Scola route to the NBA. We take him sometime during the 2nd round & have him come over in a few years when he will be more effective.
Offseason:
PG Options: Mike Conley(T)
SG Options: Terrence Williams(D)
Forward Options: Ronnie Turiaf(T) - Damion James(D), Taj Gibson(D), Kevin Seraphin(D)
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 10, 2009 8:47 AM PDT up reply actions
What about the Technicals coming in the Playoffs this season?
As a baller, I think Ron Artest is more than legit. Period. Dude can play with anyone.
Problem is that IF he was brought over to Portland, our team does get better but would Ron Artest unravel at the wrong moment… and even if just for a moment or two, that could be the exact moment that we need him. So, even though I think he has sick game at basketball, I don’t and can’t trust him to be there as a playermaker or team mate whenever we need him. The “wild card” thing does scare me a bit….
by Portland Dynasty on Jun 9, 2009 11:48 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Not interested
Ron-Ron is sure quotable, but he goes off the reservation on offense too often to be useful.
Also, he doesn’t know that he’s not clutch. No one dares tell him, either.
Give me a 23 year old Trevor Ariza
and I just got everything Ron-Ron brings plus a player that actually knows his role on the offensive end.
You don't get "everything" Ron Artest brings.
Ariza is just not the same sort of scoring threat, although maybe that could change in a few years. Ariza also lacks some of the strength that Artest has guarding the block and the ability to switch onto bigger players. I wouldn’t put them in the same league defensively, at least not yet.
Truehoop did that survey of NBA players this year that asks who bothers them the most on defense and Ron’s name came up a lot. Ariza’s name didn’t get mentioned at all. It was called Your Nightmare Defender and some of the answers went like this.
Ron Artest. He doesn’t really care if he fouls you or not. He’s going to make sure you feel him. He’s going to do something like clamp down on you physically. Whatever it is, he’s going to force you away from the basket and make the referee make a call. The best way to beat him is just keep moving.-Ray Allen
Ron Artest. He gets into you. He’s so aggressive on the defensive end and they let him get away with a couple of fouls. He really has to hit you in order for them to call a foul on him. You have to be aggressive, strong, and physical to beat him. You have to take the contact, then try to go through the contact. -Rashard Lewis
Ron Artest. He’s so strong. He uses his body well, his hands. He’s very quick. He uses his feet well. You have to try to shoot over the top of him. Make him run around a little bit. Put him in pick-and-roll situations and stuff like that.-Kevin Durant
Ron Artest. He’s a big strong guy and it’s definitely tough to hit a shot over him.- Eric Gordon
Of the 16 players surveyed only Ron and Kobe were mentioned more than once, with Kobe getting two votes.
Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .
by Nick Van Excellent on Jun 10, 2009 2:16 AM PDT up reply actions
Artest has lost a step...
He just isn’t the same anymore versus quicker wings. Against stronger slower guys, he’s quite good obviously, and is as strong as anyone in the league, but I don’t think you can really expect much more out of the soon to be 30 year old Artest. With Ariza you get a guy that also won’t be bullied, but he’s not quite as strong, but you also get a quicker longer defender. He also will just be turning 24 years old and hitting his prime. He’s currently ranked as the 6th best SF in these playoffs, and was ranked 16th SF in the regular season (PER, which doesn’t even account for his defense).
As can be seen in his development just this year, his three point shot has drastically improved, and he’s been able to sink them in quantity as these playoffs can attest to (33/68 49%).
"Lost a step"
Thats what Detroit fans said when Artest left for Chicago. We know how that turned out.
Offseason:
PG Options: Mike Conley(T)
SG Options: Terrence Williams(D)
Forward Options: Ronnie Turiaf(T) - Damion James(D), Taj Gibson(D), Kevin Seraphin(D)
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 10, 2009 8:48 AM PDT up reply actions
I mean Rodman, not Artest.
Offseason:
PG Options: Mike Conley(T)
SG Options: Terrence Williams(D)
Forward Options: Ronnie Turiaf(T) - Damion James(D), Taj Gibson(D), Kevin Seraphin(D)
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 10, 2009 8:49 AM PDT up reply actions
Can we time machine that Rodman to us?
He is exactly what we need!
Forget Artest, Rodman at backup PF FTW!
Banger, rebounder, defender, lover of strangeness…
Maybe he would fit in better if we moved the Blazers to Eugene?
Artest is the next Rodman ;)
Offseason:
PG Options: Mike Conley(T)
SG Options: Terrence Williams(D)
Forward Options: Ronnie Turiaf(T) - Damion James(D), Taj Gibson(D), Kevin Seraphin(D)
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 10, 2009 9:08 AM PDT up reply actions
If he is, then we need to stay as far away as possible
Rodman’s insanity grew exponentially with each passing season. Madonna?
"Sasha? That's a sissy name." -Mike Rice
Um, Rodman never left Detroit to the Bulls
He was traded to San Antonio because the franchise grew tired of his acting like an 8 year old. The Spurs tried everything they could, and he still acted like that. Krause traded Will freaking Purdue for Rodman, that shows how much value he had at the time.
That Steve Nash is exactly the same as Kirk Hinrich, but worse.
by NBA Observer on Apr 8, 2009 12:23 PM CDT
by Ozzie Montana on Jun 10, 2009 12:31 PM PDT up reply actions
I love ron artest but we already full at the small forward
Don’t get me wrong, Artest is one of my favorite players. One of the few players in the league that dosen’t back down to superstars, mainly Kobe. But I want to see how this Martell, Batum, Outlaw situation works its way out.
That's right, that's a picture of me with my new bff Joel Przybilla. He said my Billy Idol Karaoke was spot on.
Ok, I'll bite...
Assaulted a fan at the big brawl in Detroit. Received the longest non-drug suspension in NBA history. Requested a trade from Pacers, causing his teammates to feel he betrayed them.
Criticized for applying for a job at Circuit City, to get an employee discount.
Attended a practice with the Indiana Pacers in a bath robe.
Suspended for two games after he asked for a month off because he was tired from promoting an R&B album for the group Allure on his production label.
Suspended for three games for destroying a television camera at Madison Square Garden.
Suspended for four games for a confrontation with Miami Heat coach Pat Riley.
Suspended several times for flagrant fouls.
Animal Services officers issued a "pre-seizure" notice to Artest, on the suspicion that a dog at his home in Loomis was not getting adequate food.
Arrested for domestic abuse.
Thanks but no thanks.
Koponen - PG of the future. For Italy, that is. Book it.
Because he's not "just" a chucker.
He’s also one of the best defenders in the game.
Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .
by Nick Van Excellent on Jun 10, 2009 8:16 AM PDT up reply actions
Exactly Nick.
No more a chucker then Outlaw.
Offseason:
PG Options: Mike Conley(T)
SG Options: Terrence Williams(D)
Forward Options: Ronnie Turiaf(T) - Damion James(D), Taj Gibson(D), Kevin Seraphin(D)
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 10, 2009 8:50 AM PDT up reply actions
That's another good point.
Considering he would probably be taking Outlaws minutes it’s actually a net gain offensively as well as defensively. We would most likely improve on both ends.
Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .
by Nick Van Excellent on Jun 10, 2009 8:53 AM PDT up reply actions
He is one I was thinking of KP
“If only you knew who I was talking about”.
Ron-Ron is hungry for a Ring-Ring.
Offseason:
PG Options: Mike Conley(T)
SG Options: Terrence Williams(D)
Forward Options: Ronnie Turiaf(T) - Damion James(D), Taj Gibson(D), Kevin Seraphin(D)
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 10, 2009 8:59 AM PDT up reply actions
I think comparing
the shooting habits of Outlaw and Artest is an apples to oranges comparison. It is true that Outlaw and Artest both like to go one on one and that stops the ball movement, but for Travis that is his job. He is supposed to score one on one in the 2nd unit, but Artest does it on the first unit even when he has much better scorers around him.
As much as I hate when ball movement ceases with Travis, I am 10 times more appalled by a Ron Artest dribbling clinic with 20 left on the shot clock with a bewildered Yao standing underneath the basket.
Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.
Is he?
This may be selective bias, but everytime he guarded Kobe it seemed Bryant got the upper hand, getting to the hoop or drawing fouls, basically using Ron’s overly aggressive play against him.
Contrast that to Battier. He had a single gameplan, stuck to it, and forced Kobe to take a litany of bad jumpshots. If they went in, then well he’s Kobe what can you do about it?
That Steve Nash is exactly the same as Kirk Hinrich, but worse.
by NBA Observer on Apr 8, 2009 12:23 PM CDT
by Ozzie Montana on Jun 10, 2009 12:32 PM PDT up reply actions
KP's comments seem to apply....
Can’t remember where I heard it, but KP was asked, “Do you think you have the culture established firmly enough that you could bring in a guy with some character issues, if they were a good fit on the floor?”
Can’t remember KP’s exact quote, but the gist was, “I do think that our culture is firmly in place. Guys have to fit our culture rather than the other way around. I would have to be pretty sure that such a player would put us over the top as a title contender.”
So there you have it, the question is: does Artest put us over the top? Artest gives us a top flight perimeter defender, something the team truly needs. My impression is that he has matured substantially as a person and a player. He seems to genuinely regret a lot of his own poor decisions as a young guy. He seems to value “team play.” His comments about Roy could easily be taken as an indication of interest in coming to Portland.
IMO, I think it would depend on the role Artest wants. If he wants to play 30+ minutes per game during the regular season, that would inhibit our ability to develop Batum and Martell. If Artest is primarily interested in winning and in extending his career. He could come in and teach a lot of our young perimeter guys how to play hard nosed defense. In particular, if he is willing to tutor Nic and Martell, he might be a real asset
If we traded for Artest, it would make either Martell or Rudy more expendable in terms of trying to bring in an upgrade at the point. Lots of interesting possibilities.
by upper left corner on Jun 10, 2009 7:07 AM PDT reply actions
Yes.
I think if you could add Artest without losing too much it would definitely put us over the top. He would probably take Outlaw’s minutes which improves the SF defense as well as the backup PF defense. I think we would probably gain a little offensively as Artest is a more prolific and capable scorer overall.
Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .
by Nick Van Excellent on Jun 10, 2009 8:20 AM PDT up reply actions
Artest is a FA
To make room you have to move Outlaw/Webster. So Those two are the only players you would lose. A shot chucker no defense & a player who played 5 minutes but has a sweet stroke. For one of the best defenders in the NBA.
Offseason:
PG Options: Mike Conley(T)
SG Options: Terrence Williams(D)
Forward Options: Ronnie Turiaf(T) - Damion James(D), Taj Gibson(D), Kevin Seraphin(D)
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 10, 2009 8:52 AM PDT up reply actions
In order to pay Artest the money he would command.....
…..wouldn’t we be likely to need to work out a sign and trade with Houston. We might be able to arrange a joint sign and trade with Frye and Outlaw for Artest with the Blazers absorbing any extra salary. How much would Artest cost? What do you think?
by upper left corner on Jun 10, 2009 9:27 AM PDT up reply actions
wouldn't have to
You could just give him a longer contract and he’d probably be happy with it. We can be under the cap by 8 million dollars pretty easily. The NBA only has guaranteed contracts, and giving him 5 years at 8 million dollars given his age and history would probably be enticing enough for him to take it. If you do that, you don’t have to give up Blake or Outlaw. I’m guessing at most all you’d need to do is renounce Petteri’s rights, something we should do anyway (if we don’t trade them for a 2nd rounder next year or something like that).
We’re then working from this position…
PG: Blake / Sergio / Bayless
SG: Roy / Rudy
SF: Artest / Batum / Webster
PF: Aldridge / Outlaw / Freeland
C: Oden / Przybilla
Picks: #24, #32, #38, #55, #56
If you do that, it would seem like you have a lot of spare parts that you can work on getting that point guard you need.
I was thinking of a three year deal at about 10, but a five year at 8 definitely has some advantages
It would likely reduce our flexibility down the road, but we are likely to be far over the cap anyway. Luxury tax is an issue.
by upper left corner on Jun 10, 2009 10:52 AM PDT up reply actions
Artest does not fit the culture
Fan’s freaked out that Shav said something about getting gayness on him, and no way in heck the the fringe fans, mothers of fans, and fans that left because of the Jail Blazers are going to support signing a guy who as recently as February 2007, had his dogs taken away because he didn’t take care of them. He’s a great player and he’ll never be a Portland Trail Blazer. Book it.
I can't believe people were offended by that.
“As long as you don’t bring your gayness on me, I’m fine.”
Twice now I’ve been propositioned by strange men for sexual favors in public. Both times I was very polite, but informed them that I didn’t want their gayness on me. Does that make me a bad person?
Has it really gotten to the point that fans are mad at Shavlik because he’s not super excited about people bring gayness upon him? In general I think it’s pretty distressing to have anyone’s sexuality thrust upon you and I imagine it would only be more uncomfortable if you shared a locker room with that person.
Good grief, people overreact to things.
Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .
by Nick Van Excellent on Jun 10, 2009 8:51 AM PDT up reply actions
OT: I think you would find that different words might help
If you hit on a woman and she looked grossed out and said, “eeuw, don’t get your heterosexualness on me.” You might be a bit offended. Simply saying, “no thank you, I’m not interested”, gets your point across without offending anyone.
by upper left corner on Jun 10, 2009 9:00 AM PDT up reply actions
Yes, but men and women don't have to share locker rooms.
If they did I imagine there would be a lot of women telling men to leave them alone and I doubt they would be super polite about it. Maybe it wasn’t the most media savvy thing to say, but I don’t think there was anything inherently wrong with his comment.
Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .
by Nick Van Excellent on Jun 10, 2009 9:13 AM PDT up reply actions
I think we have probably veered as far off-topic as discretion would advise
I managed to get myself banned over the weekend for what I thought were totally innocuous comments. Having just bee reinstated, I don’t want to push my luck :-)
by upper left corner on Jun 10, 2009 9:22 AM PDT up reply actions
lol
Sorry, I didn’t mean to tempt fate.
“Five dollar footlong is one of the best songs, that’s a hot song. You’ve got the freecreditreport.com, and then five dollar footlong comes on. When five dollar footlong comes on, they should play that in the club. They should play all those in the club.” -Ron Artest
Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .
by Nick Van Excellent on Jun 10, 2009 9:35 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Ahahahahaha
Offseason:
PG Options: Mike Conley(T)
SG Options: Terrence Williams(D)
Forward Options: Ronnie Turiaf(T) - Damion James(D), Taj Gibson(D), Kevin Seraphin(D)
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 10, 2009 10:28 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't care who you are...
If someone asks you for sexual favors in public you have a right to be rude to them.
"And once again we can say, it's a GREAT day to be a Blazer."- Brian Wheeler
by lrh86 on Jun 10, 2009 10:36 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Thank you.
Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .
by Nick Van Excellent on Jun 10, 2009 10:50 AM PDT up reply actions
KP
"I do think that our culture is firmly in place. Guys have to fit our culture rather than the other way around. I would have to be pretty sure that such a player would put us over the top as a title contender."
He does put us over the top, as in next year.
Besides Tom, you just sealed his fate. He will be a Blazer because you said “book it”
Offseason:
PG Options: Mike Conley(T)
SG Options: Terrence Williams(D)
Forward Options: Ronnie Turiaf(T) - Damion James(D), Taj Gibson(D), Kevin Seraphin(D)
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 10, 2009 8:54 AM PDT up reply actions
I like it
I already posted on this about a month ago. I think Ron Ron could be a title maker for this team. Yes he has the bad history, but he seems to have turned a corner. He will always be a little bit off his rocker but that is what makes him so dangerous defensively. Other players FEAR his defense. I don’t think anybody fears the PTB on defense now! KP fight the Portland stigma and bring in the best defender in the NBA, Ron Artest.
by The Natural ala Mode on Jun 10, 2009 7:53 AM PDT reply actions
I like Ron Artest.
But rather than sign him as a Blazer, how about offering an all expense paid summer vacation in Oregon to his family in exchange for him spending a month working with Martell and LaMarcus? Set up a work out routine where these guys have to go one on one with Artest every day until they develop some of the same defense mindset.
Personally, I think both Aldridge and Webster have it in them to become that type of defender.
hakkaa päälle !
Aldridge/Webster
I have seen flashes of Aldridge being dominant in the post & I think he could one day be that. Webster? I don’t think he has it in, doesn’t have the mind set of “I am going to lock my man down”. Batum was already much better then him at age 19. Artest takes Outlaw/Webster’s minutes from 07 = championship in 2009-2010
Offseason:
PG Options: Mike Conley(T)
SG Options: Terrence Williams(D)
Forward Options: Ronnie Turiaf(T) - Damion James(D), Taj Gibson(D), Kevin Seraphin(D)
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 10, 2009 8:58 AM PDT up reply actions
I think that one of the things that gets overlooked with Artest
is how Adelman puts up with his crap and gets the best out of him. To me it seems like Ron has bristled under more hardline coaches so I dont know if the Nate Artest marriage would be made in heaven and I would be very hesitant to put Artest on a team that does not a a “players” coach.
Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.
Nate was only seen as a hardass by 2 players
Z-bo and Darius. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that all other players that played fo Nate think of Nate as a players coach.
As for Ron, I think he’d put us over the top. He would give us a wing post-up player with obvious defensive accumen. HE seems intersted in a high bidder in FA but I think he wants a winning program. The chance at a ring is what keeps Ron level headed, not so much as Adelman. I’m confident if KP chose the Artest route in FA, he’d build out clauses into the contract in case things didn’t work out. I think Ron would mesh into the established culture as long as we continue to win.
Ron Brings skills that we could use but he is clearly not going to improve over time he has reached his peak. That’s okay. a 4 yr contract might very well be worth it. But that means we’d have to give up (ie trade away Trout) to make room for Ron. Ron would bump Batum out of the playing rotation even if Trout was traded, as Ron would need more minutes than just backing up Lma. The big question is do you risk delaying Batum’s growth?
I guess we will just have to agree to disagree
Nate know when to take it hard on players and when to take it easy, but he is no softie and at the end of the day it still seems like it is his way or the highway.
How many Ron Artest one-one dribble offs with time left on the shot clock do you think Nate will tolerate? Adelman puts up with a lot of those.
Also, he has had a hard time working with even moderate coaches, which might best describe Nate now. It is not like Rick Carlisle is known for being a real tough coach, but he had a lot of problems in that system.
I guess a good question to ask is why do you want to spend money on a guy who is a big question mark? Why not throw money at a guy like Hinrich who is a really low risk, but could have gains as great or greater than Artest?
Life is exhausting when you are this stupid.
I'd be just as happy doing nothing over taking on Artest or Hinrich
The improvement of Hinrich over Blake is less than the upgrade of Artest over Webster/Batum. Do we need either change? No. Would both help us? Probably. But I think Artest brings aspects to our team that we currently don’t have, both on offense and defense. I can’t say the same for Kirk. His game is better on defense than Blake but it is not much of a change on offense.
Ron is a danger/risk in his offensive decision making, yet he brings a banger skillset at the wing which we lack (in addition to being able to hit the 3 and driving the lane). This makes artest a posible viable canidate for backup 4 minutes, especially as he gets a bit slower (he’ll still be strong). My point is that he might be worth taking the gamble to sign because of those skills he brings in addition to his defense. But I also think that termination options or some other aspect that makes his contract very tradable is a must. If Ron performs as we hope great, but if he doesn’t the team can deal/rid themselves of the contract easily too.
As for Nate I think we have very similar opinions. Nate is a good guy but he stick by his convictions especially with younger players. Vets get more leeway under Nate. One would be had pressed to say that Nate doesn’t get his players to perform better than expected; that I think, we can both agree upon.
CONTRACT YEAR
If he showed he could be a good team player in every other year, then maybe. I am not impressed that he did not murder anyone in a contract year.
Also, his shot selection is among the worst in the NBA. He kept the Blazers in several games in the series on his shot selection alone.
More than the crazy, I just don’t think he’s all that good anymore.
If he is not too expensive...
I would be in favor of bringing in Artest. He is a bit of a risk, but I believe he definately could put us over the top and into title contention next year. We would probably have to get rid of both Outlaw and Webster, but we still have Batum and this would allow Nic to be groomed and eased into his role over the next 2-3 years.
Good arguments can be made for a number of players, e.g. Hinrich, Artest, Turkoglu, etc. I definately think we need to bring in a solid veteran at either the 1 or 3.
He likes Houston, and Adelman might be the best coach to handle him. I'm happy they have found each other.
I liked what he said about Roy and that he defended it against attacks by some pundits. There are elements in his game that would be good for the Blazers. But there are about a dozen SFs I would like to have above Artest, and at least one of them happens to already play for the Blazers.
Kevin Garnett?
He is nowhere near the level of crazy that Ron Ron and the Worm bring. Sure he talks a lot of trash but that is part of the game. Going into the stands and punching fans is not.
"Sasha? That's a sissy name." -Mike Rice
Defender off the bench, finishs at the rim well. Cheap. Patrick Ewing Jr!
We should give this guy an invite to camp & hope he can be a self-made player like Luke Walton or even Matt Barnes! He has more physical advantages then both those guys. Sign him from the Reno D-League team & it will be a cheap way to fill a roster spot !
Offseason:
PG Options: Mike Conley(T)
SG Options: Terrence Williams(D)
Forward Options: Ronnie Turiaf(T) - Damion James(D), Taj Gibson(D), Kevin Seraphin(D)
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 10, 2009 12:43 PM PDT reply actions
I don't see why he can't be a Luke Walton type for us
With better athletic skills, I think he has role player potential & he is used to to that, as in coming off the bench.
Wish we had an edit..
Offseason:
PG Options: Mike Conley(T)
SG Options: Terrence Williams(D)
Forward Options: Ronnie Turiaf(T) - Damion James(D), Taj Gibson(D), Kevin Seraphin(D)
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 10, 2009 12:45 PM PDT up reply actions
That would be awesome.
To have him on the staff.
Offseason:
PG Options: Mike Conley(T)
SG Options: Terrence Williams(D)
Forward Options: Ronnie Turiaf(T) - Damion James(D), Taj Gibson(D), Kevin Seraphin(D)
by TheGreatDane17 on Jun 10, 2009 1:22 PM PDT up reply actions
Well, you're honest....
Artest’s Insanity: He is very crazy. That is for sure. However, plenty of crazy people have had great success in the NBA. Dennis Rodman(Multiple championships) in the 90’s & most recently, Kevin Garnett(NBA Champion 2007-2008).
I’d prefer our Designated Looney be (1) cheaper; (2) younger; (3) not be a Small Forward.
t
"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal
Honestly...
there are times I think the Blazers could deal with it (vs Blazers in ‘09 Playoffs). Then he does his crazy thing (vs Lakers in ’09 Playoffs) and it brings me back to reality. He will only make you better for so long and then the crazy Ron will show up and become a bigger distraction than he ever contributed. The benefits of Ron are fool’s gold.
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