I just saw this news and am shocked as well. Well, unfortunately I think either Shane or Landry is gone. I hope not Scola either.
Good for the Rox in getting a solid player. As a fan in Indianapolis, I know what Artest is capable of doing on the court. Hopefully he's matured enough to control his off-court actions. But Ron Artest isn't a thug nor he hangs at strip clubs like the rest of the troubled Pacers players. He just does dumb stuff at the wrong time. (Rap album, fights with his wife, etc)
Artest will be a fan-favorite, as he was here in Indy before he suddenly bails out and asked for a trade. But during his tenure here in Indy, with Reggie Miller giving up his playing time, Artest was really the leader of the team, not Jermaine O'Neal. So as long as his head stays clear (I hope that's not too much to ask for), the Rockets are gonna be better.
With that being said, I think I'm convinced that Shane is moving on, since they play the same position. And that's a bummer, cuz he's one of my favorite players.
Brian
· 1 year ago
I dont think shanes going anywhere
NBA front-office sources confirmed to ESPN.com that Artest will be dealt to the Rockets in exchange for Houston's first-round draft pick in 2009, ex-King Bobby Jackson (who arrives with a $6.1 million expiring contract) and the draft rights to Donte Greene. The Kings will also receive more than $1 million in cash, according to The Houston Chronicle, but the deal can't be announced before Aug. 14 because Greene is not eligible to be traded before then.
the numbers add up
Thanks, Brian. I will place your update in the main body above.
-- John
kai shen
· 1 year ago
Artest is a great player, that's for sure. But this will take time away from Battier, Scola and Landry. A lineup of Yao-Artest-Battier-Tmac-Skip to finish games is an excellent defensive team. We also now have the best defensive players against Kobe, with Artest and Battier sharing the time to defend him.
And the threesome of Yao-Artest-Tmac is up there with the best threesomes in the league, except of course we are still in the West, and the West is still as tough as ever.
Vince
· 1 year ago
hopefully Shane doesn't get traded, but man am I excited for Houston's version of the BIG 3... T-Mac, Yao, Artest!!!
DWC
· 1 year ago
i think GREEN IS the player to be named later becuz the rox can't trade him until his one month.
Ke
· 1 year ago
I think this is a great move for Houston. I know you guys are sad that this will cut into the playing time of players that you have grown attached to, but without a doubt Artest is a much better player than Scola, Landry, or even Battier. I'm convinced that Artest is going to play power forward most of the time and switch off to SF or SG to guard Kobe. Dennis Rodman did fine at PF, why can't Artest? He's 6 ft 7, a 250-260 pound walking tank.
Artest is even a better and more versatile defender than Battier. Battier has the fundamentals, but he's not an intimidating, wear you down, bruise you up, and break you down kind of a defender. Even Michael Jordan said that Ron Artest is the best on-the-ball defender in the entire league in 2001.
I think Artest will be able to guard any PF in this league except Duncan and Garnett, but it's not like anyone else and certainly not Luis Scola can guard them either. Artest will also be able to guard Kobe and Paul Pierce (very important because Pierce is a very physical player that Kobe and McGrady cannot guard.
Artest at the 4 will be best, then we can really give Yao a lot of room to work and all 4 of the starters will be able to shoot 3's. Rafer Alston has improved, McGrady is a top 10 player when healthy, Yao is the best center in the league when healthy and when the refs don't cheat against him just because China won't succumb to the league's demands, and Battier has always been one of my favorite players.
Wendy
· 1 year ago
Y'all have made my day! YEAAHHHH!!!! Hopefully Shane stays, but from a realistic standpoint he will go because he plays the same position (defensive specialist but less offensive threat).
But let's see, maybe the core stas intact, that would be so great!
Wendy
· 1 year ago
I have a dream… That is, Papaloukas to the Rockets. Seriously, I want to see him in the NBA, why hasn’t it happened already? And I want to see him in a Rockets jersey. A 6′7″ PG, strong and fast, amazing court vision. Better than Kidd?
AirChina23
· 1 year ago
When I first posted, I didn't read much press coverage on the news. Now I'm certain that the unnamed player is Greene. That's awesome, because none of the current players is leaving.
I know a lot of you are putting Artest at the PF. I agree that he's definitely strong enough to do so. Artest can really play four positions, including the point guard. His ball-handling skills are often overlooked, but they are decent. He has started or played at the point many times for the Pacers in 2004, when the Pacers finished with a league-best 61 games that season.
Most important of all, Artest is a player who will drive in and draw fouls when the game gets close. He will not settle for jump shots during crunch time. So the Rockets will be able to win even more close games with Artest in the line-up.
Luckyme
· 1 year ago
I am fine with the idea of our version of BIG3 - ie. TMAC, Yao and Artest. However, I am not too comfortable with the injury - prone nature of them. I hope at least both Yao and TMAC can play injury-free for a change this upcoming season.
All Comments
Good for the Rox in getting a solid player. As a fan in Indianapolis, I know what Artest is capable of doing on the court. Hopefully he's matured enough to control his off-court actions. But Ron Artest isn't a thug nor he hangs at strip clubs like the rest of the troubled Pacers players. He just does dumb stuff at the wrong time. (Rap album, fights with his wife, etc)
Artest will be a fan-favorite, as he was here in Indy before he suddenly bails out and asked for a trade. But during his tenure here in Indy, with Reggie Miller giving up his playing time, Artest was really the leader of the team, not Jermaine O'Neal. So as long as his head stays clear (I hope that's not too much to ask for), the Rockets are gonna be better.
With that being said, I think I'm convinced that Shane is moving on, since they play the same position. And that's a bummer, cuz he's one of my favorite players.
NBA front-office sources confirmed to ESPN.com that Artest will be dealt to the Rockets in exchange for Houston's first-round draft pick in 2009, ex-King Bobby Jackson (who arrives with a $6.1 million expiring contract) and the draft rights to Donte Greene. The Kings will also receive more than $1 million in cash, according to The Houston Chronicle, but the deal can't be announced before Aug. 14 because Greene is not eligible to be traded before then.
the numbers add up
Thanks, Brian. I will place your update in the main body above.
-- John
And the threesome of Yao-Artest-Tmac is up there with the best threesomes in the league, except of course we are still in the West, and the West is still as tough as ever.
Artest is even a better and more versatile defender than Battier. Battier has the fundamentals, but he's not an intimidating, wear you down, bruise you up, and break you down kind of a defender. Even Michael Jordan said that Ron Artest is the best on-the-ball defender in the entire league in 2001.
I think Artest will be able to guard any PF in this league except Duncan and Garnett, but it's not like anyone else and certainly not Luis Scola can guard them either. Artest will also be able to guard Kobe and Paul Pierce (very important because Pierce is a very physical player that Kobe and McGrady cannot guard.
Artest at the 4 will be best, then we can really give Yao a lot of room to work and all 4 of the starters will be able to shoot 3's. Rafer Alston has improved, McGrady is a top 10 player when healthy, Yao is the best center in the league when healthy and when the refs don't cheat against him just because China won't succumb to the league's demands, and Battier has always been one of my favorite players.
Hopefully Shane stays, but from a realistic standpoint he will go because he plays the same position (defensive specialist but less offensive threat).
But let's see, maybe the core stas intact, that would be so great!
That is, Papaloukas to the Rockets. Seriously, I want to see him in the NBA, why hasn’t it happened already? And I want to see him in a Rockets jersey. A 6′7″ PG, strong and fast, amazing court vision. Better than Kidd?
I know a lot of you are putting Artest at the PF. I agree that he's definitely strong enough to do so. Artest can really play four positions, including the point guard. His ball-handling skills are often overlooked, but they are decent. He has started or played at the point many times for the Pacers in 2004, when the Pacers finished with a league-best 61 games that season.
Most important of all, Artest is a player who will drive in and draw fouls when the game gets close. He will not settle for jump shots during crunch time. So the Rockets will be able to win even more close games with Artest in the line-up.