Ron Artest is truly crazy — and I LOVE IT! Check out this little story…
CBS: Kobe said that after the Lakers lost game six of the ‘08 NBA Finals in Boston by 39 points, he was alone in the shower, just fuming. He heard somebody walk in and assumed it was one of his teammates, or maybe a staff member. Instead, he looked up, and it was Ron Artest (to this day, Kobe has no idea how Artest got into the locker room).
“I want to come help you,” Artest said. “If I can, I’m going to find a way to come to LA and give you the help you need to win a title.”
Very interesting stuff coming from Ariza’s camp. What are your thoughts? Sound-off…
L.A. Times: Ariza agreed to a five-year deal with the Rockets for about $33 million, roughly the same that the Lakers had offered in their effort to retain him.
“I had to do what was best for me and family,” Ariza said. “I am happy with my decision. I’m glad this all worked out. The Rockets are going to give me a chance to improve my game and that’s all you can ask for.”
Ariza’s agent, David Lee, said the 24-year-old forward passed up a more lucrative contract offer from another team with salary-cap space. “We decided to go with Houston anyway,” Lee said. “It was never about the money. It was about going someplace where you felt appreciated.”
Here’s more on the situation…
My Fox Houston: I can tell you definitively Trevor had an offer that was nine million more than what the Rockets offered and he decided to go with Houston,” said David Lee, Ariza’s agent, in an interview Thursday with FOX 26 Sports.
“It’s like I told (Lakers General Manager) Mitch Kupchak. It was never about the money. It was about being at a place where he felt wanted and appreciated.”
Ron Artest is a Los Angeles Laker! This is nuts — pun intended!
CBS Sports: Shaq can have LeBron. Ron Artest says he’ll take Kobe.
Artest, whose versatility and toughness have made him one of the most coveted and combustible players in the NBA, told CBSSports.com Thursday that he’s signing with the Lakers.
“I’m definitely going to L.A. — to sign, yeah,” Artest said in a phone interview. “Lakers, Lakers, Lakers. I’m in L.A. right now.”
Artest said he met with Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss Thursday and previously had spoken with Lakers coach Phil Jackson. He was en route to his financial manager’s office, where he planned to huddle on the phone with his agent, David Bauman, to finalize details.
Artest’s exuberance — he spent the whole summer in L.A., including several appearances at Lakers home games during the NBA Finals — got ahead of the process a bit. Other teams that made overtures for Artest – including the Cavaliers — have not yet been notified that Artest is signing with the Lakers. (Consider them notified.) Bauman has spoken with Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, but parameters have not yet been agreed to. Still, it’s pretty clear where Artest is going.
“I don’t really care about the money,” Artest said. “I’ll play there for nothing. … L.A. was very interested in me, and they got me.”
Continue reading ‘BREAKING NEWS: Ron Artest is signing with the Lakers!’
Check out the link for the entire schedule and roster for the Lakers’ 2009 NBA summer league.
Lakers.com: Former College National Player of the Year at Gonzaga and current Los Angeles Lakers forward Adam Morrison will headline the team’s summer league roster, it was announced today.
Acquired by the Lakers from the Charlotte Bobcats along with Shannon Brown in exchange for Vladimir Radmanovic on February 7, 2009, Morrison missed the entire 2007-08 season after suffering a torn ACL during the preseason and appeared in 52 games in 2008-09, averaging 4.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 13.7 minutes. In 2006-07, he averaged 11.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 78 games and was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie Second Team.
The Lakers will open their 5-game NBA Summer League schedule Friday, July 10 at 5:00 pm against the Toronto Raptors at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, NV.
Continue reading ‘Lakers announce 2009 NBA Summer League Schedule and Roster’
This is a pretty sick package from 2k Sports…
The limited collector’s edition includes: a numbered 2K Sports game storage locker with combination lock that can store up to 20 games, an exclusive figurine from McFarlane Toys featuring NBA 2K10 cover athlete and spokesman Kobe Bryant, a 16″x36″ 2K Sports Kobe Bryant poster designed by Shepard Fairey’s Studio N° 1, a NBA 2K10 10th anniversary video that explores the history of the NBA 2K franchise, and access to the Gold Room, NBA 2K10’s VIP online lobby.
Bleacher Report: … Imagine if the Lakers introduced an alternate black jersey, to occasionally wear on “big time” road games. How intimidating would the Lakers be marching into T.D. Banknorth Garden with a dominating black, trimmed with traditional purple and gold?
With strong talks of the Celtics introducing a new alternate jersey for home, (one that would be similar in design to their alternate away uniforms) nothing would be better for the Lakers than to introduce a new black jersey. (No design or print changed whatsoever)
Now many “traditionalists” are probably screaming their lungs out right now, but remember it’s not a complete jersey overhaul. The Lakers’ away purple jerseys would still dominate for much of the season, but a touch of black here and there would not hurt.
Again to those traditionalists, the Lakers have changed the design of their jerseys five times since moving to L.A.
Most would agree that those changes have ultimately made the Lakers’ uniforms better.
Change is indeed good.
As we head into the next decade, a fresh, black alternate jersey for the Lakers would do wonders.
Besides, just how good does the black, purple, and gold look?
Looks like Mr. Gasol threw out the first PAU-erful pitch last night.
Press Enterprise: Lakers big man Pau Gasol threw out the first pitch at Dodger Stadium tonight, receiving a hearty ovation as he walked out to the mound.
He may have dropped the ball a couple times warming up, but his pitch (which was from the mound) managed to fly over the plate, albeit a little high.
Can’t blame a 7-footer for that though, can you?
Scottie Pippen got into an in depth thinking of the Kobe vs. Jordan debate. Scottie, who played with Jordan during his career, had this to say about the two players…
Hoopsworld: “Well I think you’re looking at two great players and it’s hard to really compare them,” started Scottie on KLAC in Los Angeles. “They played in two different eras, they have very similar styles. I don’t know if Kobe has mimicked Michael’s style or if he has his own style. But there are a lot of similarities there – the way they play, the way they approach the game, the ability to close games at the end. It’s never going to be a situation where you can compare who’s better – Kobe or Michael. Kobe is the greatest player in his time and Michael was the greatest player in his time.”
After some prodding, Pippen finally chose a side.
“To say who’s the greatest player of all time – you may have to give that to Michael right now because of what he was able to accomplish in the game as an individual, from a team standpoint,” revealed Pippen. “He was at the top in every aspect of the game – offensively as well as defensively. Has Kobe met that yet? No. Will he? Maybe not. But does that make him less of a player than Michael was? No it does not. I think he’s the best player in the league right now in my eyes still. I know LeBron has shown great signs of being great and he’s definitely a better all around player than Kobe, but I think Kobe is definitely the greatest player in this generation.”
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