source: NBA
The Lakers hope Ron Artest will free up Kobe Bryant by taking on the toughest defender every game.
Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
Silliness aside, Artest ready to help Lakers go back-to-back
Posted Oct 9 2009 1:14PM
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ron Artest will not marry a Kardashian this season, partly because he's already married, partly because another Laker thought of it first.
But don't put anything else past his wayward imagination. He changes personas faster than he does uniform numbers, and speaking of which, it'll be 37 for the Lakers this season. Ask any other player why they wear a number, and most will cite sentimental reasons, personal reasons and whatnot. Ask Artest why he's switching from 96 in Houston last year (and 93 in Sacramento and 91 in Indy before that) and he'll say Michael Jackson's Thriller spent 37 weeks at No. 1.
Oh. Alright, then.
Let's be very clear about this: Those who thought Artest would somehow go mainstream, just because he's now on the defending champions and the stakes are raised, don't really know the man. But that's OK, because nobody can figure out the man. Which is just the way the man likes it.
"I'm always like a distraction," he said the other day, when the Lakers opened their preseason schedule against the Warriors. "I do so much. I'm always going to be 'out there.' That part won't change. Being in L.A. won't change that."
Yes, the move to L.A. only means a change in scenery, not a change in Artest. For proof, check out his move to L.A. Really, it's on YouTube. In true Hollywood style, Artest wrote, produced, directed and starred in his very own relocation video, a 10-minute documentary shot on his iPhone which he amusingly calls "a bootleg ghetto MTV cribs."
You get a short tour of the new place, where there's a ladder in the living room (don't ask), observe some memorabilia on the walls, see his taste in fine dining (soy milk, granola) and mainly watch him ramble on about ... whatever.
"I'm talking to myself in my own house," he says at one point in the video. "This is ridiculous."
As long as Artest is "out there" on the court for the Lakers for 82 games plus playoffs, they could care less if he gets in touch with his inner Rodman in his private time. They want him to be mainstream when it counts, because a repeat championship is well within their grip. The winning formula is still there. Phil Jackson returns for another year. Kobe Bryant, perhaps the game's greatest active player, is still in his prime. Lamar Odom is back. So is Andrew Bynum, after sitting with a bum knee. There are no issues with the returning players; the Lakers just can't afford any issues with the new player.
"I'm not going to come in here and mess things up," Artest said. "I know that's what people expect. But I don't care what people think. I'm on a good team, a dynasty team. And to be in L.A., too? A blessing."
Well, for a player with a rap sheet longer than Jay-Z's, there might be a question or three about his unpredictability. He turns 30 next month but in many ways is still child-like, which might explain his fixation on Michael Jackson. No need to re-hash all of Ron-Ron's past drama, some of it tame, some of it disturbing. There was a small concern when the Lakers essentially swapped Artest for Trevor Ariza in the offseason. But only a small one, because the setting seems right for the Lakers to take the chance.
Their coach, after all, is Phil Jackson, well trained to deal with different personalities. Jackson's a counter-culture-creature himself who found a way to win three championships with Dennis Rodman. Then there's Kobe, someone Artest respects plenty. Kobe rode Shaquille O'Neal hard when Shaq took a cavalier attitude about conditioning. Kobe will pounce on Artest if Artest takes a cavalier attitude about conforming.
"I won't disappoint Kobe," he said. "When you play hard, that respect from Kobe is going to come. You don't want to get him mad, whether you're with him or against him."
Mostly, the Lakers will give Artest his best chance at winning a ring. Deep into his soul, once you get past the goofiness (yes, it might take a while), Artest is viciously competitive. That should overcome any urge to go nuts. At least the Lakers hope. He'll free up Kobe by taking on the toughest defensive assignment every game, and also give the Lakers the sharp edge they lack from their big men.
"There's a lot of good things about me being here," Artest said.
The Lakers gave Artest a five-year contract at reasonable money ($34 million). His desire for defense and willingness to take the big shot is what attracted them. His tendency to collect technicals and forget rules and behave unprofessionally is what worried them. If the former outweighs the latter, they can live with it. Actually, the Lakers are anxious to see Artest have a meltdown and rip off his shirt and throw it to the crowd. At the victory celebration.
Until then, they'd rather he confine everything else to a homemade YouTube video. The only alarm the Lakers want to hear is the one Artest tripped by accident during a video tour of his new home.
"That's just my life in general, you know?" he said.
We know
The Lakers hope Ron Artest will free up Kobe Bryant by taking on the toughest defender every game.
Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
Silliness aside, Artest ready to help Lakers go back-to-back
Posted Oct 9 2009 1:14PM
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ron Artest will not marry a Kardashian this season, partly because he's already married, partly because another Laker thought of it first.
But don't put anything else past his wayward imagination. He changes personas faster than he does uniform numbers, and speaking of which, it'll be 37 for the Lakers this season. Ask any other player why they wear a number, and most will cite sentimental reasons, personal reasons and whatnot. Ask Artest why he's switching from 96 in Houston last year (and 93 in Sacramento and 91 in Indy before that) and he'll say Michael Jackson's Thriller spent 37 weeks at No. 1.
Oh. Alright, then.
Let's be very clear about this: Those who thought Artest would somehow go mainstream, just because he's now on the defending champions and the stakes are raised, don't really know the man. But that's OK, because nobody can figure out the man. Which is just the way the man likes it.
"I'm always like a distraction," he said the other day, when the Lakers opened their preseason schedule against the Warriors. "I do so much. I'm always going to be 'out there.' That part won't change. Being in L.A. won't change that."
Yes, the move to L.A. only means a change in scenery, not a change in Artest. For proof, check out his move to L.A. Really, it's on YouTube. In true Hollywood style, Artest wrote, produced, directed and starred in his very own relocation video, a 10-minute documentary shot on his iPhone which he amusingly calls "a bootleg ghetto MTV cribs."
You get a short tour of the new place, where there's a ladder in the living room (don't ask), observe some memorabilia on the walls, see his taste in fine dining (soy milk, granola) and mainly watch him ramble on about ... whatever.
"I'm talking to myself in my own house," he says at one point in the video. "This is ridiculous."
As long as Artest is "out there" on the court for the Lakers for 82 games plus playoffs, they could care less if he gets in touch with his inner Rodman in his private time. They want him to be mainstream when it counts, because a repeat championship is well within their grip. The winning formula is still there. Phil Jackson returns for another year. Kobe Bryant, perhaps the game's greatest active player, is still in his prime. Lamar Odom is back. So is Andrew Bynum, after sitting with a bum knee. There are no issues with the returning players; the Lakers just can't afford any issues with the new player.
"I'm not going to come in here and mess things up," Artest said. "I know that's what people expect. But I don't care what people think. I'm on a good team, a dynasty team. And to be in L.A., too? A blessing."
Well, for a player with a rap sheet longer than Jay-Z's, there might be a question or three about his unpredictability. He turns 30 next month but in many ways is still child-like, which might explain his fixation on Michael Jackson. No need to re-hash all of Ron-Ron's past drama, some of it tame, some of it disturbing. There was a small concern when the Lakers essentially swapped Artest for Trevor Ariza in the offseason. But only a small one, because the setting seems right for the Lakers to take the chance.
Their coach, after all, is Phil Jackson, well trained to deal with different personalities. Jackson's a counter-culture-creature himself who found a way to win three championships with Dennis Rodman. Then there's Kobe, someone Artest respects plenty. Kobe rode Shaquille O'Neal hard when Shaq took a cavalier attitude about conditioning. Kobe will pounce on Artest if Artest takes a cavalier attitude about conforming.
"I won't disappoint Kobe," he said. "When you play hard, that respect from Kobe is going to come. You don't want to get him mad, whether you're with him or against him."
Mostly, the Lakers will give Artest his best chance at winning a ring. Deep into his soul, once you get past the goofiness (yes, it might take a while), Artest is viciously competitive. That should overcome any urge to go nuts. At least the Lakers hope. He'll free up Kobe by taking on the toughest defensive assignment every game, and also give the Lakers the sharp edge they lack from their big men.
"There's a lot of good things about me being here," Artest said.
The Lakers gave Artest a five-year contract at reasonable money ($34 million). His desire for defense and willingness to take the big shot is what attracted them. His tendency to collect technicals and forget rules and behave unprofessionally is what worried them. If the former outweighs the latter, they can live with it. Actually, the Lakers are anxious to see Artest have a meltdown and rip off his shirt and throw it to the crowd. At the victory celebration.
Until then, they'd rather he confine everything else to a homemade YouTube video. The only alarm the Lakers want to hear is the one Artest tripped by accident during a video tour of his new home.
"That's just my life in general, you know?" he said.
We know
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