Detoris didn't want to draft Carmelo because they already had Tayshaun Prince. Carmelo was the better player even coming out of college. I say you always go with the better player.

CRAZY PILLS IS A LAKER!!!!

*much confetti*

Pau is palying the European Championship this summer. He made it official this morning.

Sorry folks I know you wanted him to rest. Not my case of course.

And to the liar who said that Spanish players are forced by contract or rules to play for the Spanish National Team: Shut your mouth. Plain and simple. You have no idea, not even a clue. They can refuse if they want (just as Calderon did). But they don´t because they are proud of representing his country. Maybe some may learn...

Plaschke is against it. (But he's an idiot.)

That guarantees it will work out fantastically well.

Wow.

It's time for...

A Very Special Addition Of Jon K.'s Early Thoughts That He Has Not Put Too Much Thought Into Yet:

1. David Lee is a complete idiot.

2. Ron Artest is a MUCH better player than Trevor Ariza.

3. I was hoping we'd hold onto Trevor because he's a hometown boy, a Bruin, I liked his personality, and I felt he fit into his responsibilities as a role player perfectly... but David Lee screwed that up because he's an idiot.

4. There are reasons to be optimistic about Ron Artest. Let be count the ways:

a) He's matured.
b) He has a history with Lamar Odom (huge).
c) He respects Kobe Bryant and will defer to his leadership.
d) Phil Jackson has a deep knowledge of psychology which will be useful in communicating to Artest in a salient way.

5. As God is my witness, I hope someone will listen to me on this. I've done Ron Artest's Bio-Chrono reading and ONE THING is clearly important in terms of Ron being a Great, stable Laker (ONE THING!): His social network. In Los Angeles (this is very similar to Andrew Bynum, by the way) has to be constructive, mature, intelligent and positive-minded. If this is the case, then expect good things from Ron Artest. If Ron surrounds himself with emotionally immature, selfish, unsophisticated individuals... well, then expect bad things to happen. It is that simple. Ron SURVIVES off of consistent, positive, strong social support. The Lakers (and Laker Nation) need to make sure he gets that. Laker Nation needs to support Ron Artest. He's one of ours now.

6. My "hoping for the best" Lakerholic is speaking to me now and imaging a mature, stable Ron Artest playing beside a vastly improved Andrew Bynum and with Kobe Bryant and Pau "The Surgeon" Gasol... THAT is an unbeatable team.

7. Did I mention that Shaq is going to destroy the Cavs from the inside out? If I didn't, he will. He's still a Laker, after all, he's just a double-agent, destroying the rest of the NBA from the inside out.

8. We HAVE to resign Lamar Odom. HAVE TO now. Lamar Odom is key not only to our success, but to Ron Artest's success... which is also the Lakers success.

9. I have to admit I was incredibly impressed by Ron Artest's statement that he would play in L.A. "for free" and that he was "finally" a Laker. THAT is a spirit that one rarely sees in sports now. I was actually emotionally touched by it. Contrast that with the idiotic bluster of David Lee and his "no hometown discount" bullcrap and I feel much better about signing Ron Artest.

10. If (IF!!!!) we sign Lamar Odom, then the only thing we have left to bring this team into historic incredible incredibleness is to find an upgrade at the point guard position, someone with a Derek Fisher-level of respect, maturity and leadership capability who will be able to take over for Derek when he retires. We get that and this Dynasty is rolling. Kobe will retire with more rings than Michael Jordan.

11. Laker Nation needs to put together a better, more respectful nickname for Ron Artest than "Ron Ron". "Ron Ron" is a kid's nickname. Artest is now a Laker and he needs to be addressed with the dignity that comes with that responsibility.

12. So the adventure begins!

What do we play for? RINGS!!!!

Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.

GO LAKERS!!!!

I second Plaschke.

Ariza wanted to leave us, simple as that. (said by his agent)

I will miss him whole-heartedly but if someone wants to leave a championship team, let them. They will regret it.

Memo
To: Bill Plaschke
From: A Real Editor
Subj: Today's Column

Well, Bill. We finally got your column up on the web site http://tinyurl.com/llh5ka Not sure anyone's going to get much out of it, though. By the time it landed, there were already hundreds of reader comments posted on the Kamenetzky brothers' blog. Hate to tell you this, but most of them were more insightful and thought provoking than the drivel you turned in.

All you did was whine about the Artest move. What's the point. The deal is done. Oops. You predicted Ariza returning to the Lakers was automatic. Now I get it. You're whining because the move made you look bad.

Where were you when the story was breaking? I paged you and Heisler without success. I did get through to Simers, but the grouchy old codger cut me short. Something about he was getting a unique angle to the story from some grocery bagger he was talking to right then and there. Said he'd get back to me. I'm still waiting.

So, where were you. The buzz around the sports desk was that the ESPN guys from "Around the Horn" wanted you to get a haircut before your next appearance. Now do you understand why I keep telling you that television is evil? Look, I know Adande was able to parlay it into a full-time gig. But look in the mirror, Bill. Even with a haircut, you'll never be as telegenic and as smooth as he is. Seriously, Buckaroo. The Times is still your main bread and butter. At least until the next round of lay-offs.

We need better than you're giving us. Poor Mike Bresnahan was busting butt while this was breaking all by himself until I could get ahold of Turner. After all these years on the Times' payroll, shouldn't you be the guy ahead of the story, with direct insider access to Mitch and Dr. Buss? Why did Ron-Ron call CBS Sports and not you? You should have been playing Texas Hold 'em with Jerry when he talked to Artest, or playing checkers with Mitch in his office when this started going down.

If the Times is going to be an afterthought, at least give us a column with some thought. Something. It's a new world here in journalism. Get with the program. I wouldn't even wrap dead fish with the column you gave us today.

Meh, I don't know. I liked Ariza, and he was only getting better. Ron Ron makes us a lot more physical, but also a lot slower, which I don't like. The best thing about this trade is that Plaschke is against it, which probably means it was a great trade. He's never right.

I thought Ariza was an excellent fit for the team. He brought
good wing defense and developed a decent 3-point shot, and
went on a hot shooting streak during the playoffs.

His only mistake was the choice of his agent. And even so,
I think if it hadn't been for the Yao Ming situation, David Lee
would have shopped Trevor around, come back to the Lakers
and either taken the MLE money or maybe Mitch would have
bumped it just a bit.

But with Yao out of the picture and Houston not pressing the
issue of re-signing Artest, David Lee should have recognized
that he didn't have the leverage he thought he had, and he should
have accepted Mitch's original offer.

Some people were saying if the Lakers lost Ariza, they wouldn't
win a championship this season. But ironically, they got the
exact right player to replace Ariza. Artest offers good wing
defense and he can hit the 3 pointer to space the floor. He's
actually better than Ariza at either of those things, but when
you mix in the crazy pills aspect, it sort of levels out. Basically,
I have no doubt that Ron Artest can fill Trevor's shoes in helping
the Lakers to a repeat.

In fact, one of the reasons you don't see a lot of repeat champions
is that most of the players get complacent after the first ring.
They think they can just cruise to another ring because they're
the best.

I guarantee you, with Kobe and a hungry Ron Artest on this
team, NONE of the Lakers players will be in cruise mode this
season.

Jon K,

Great to see you on board! Two days ago you were threatening to unleash the Bio Chrono on a Crabalier Artest...

I also blame David Lee, but Trevor is a grown up, and he's responsible for David Lee's incompetence. If Trevor were smart, we'd see headlines today reading "Ariza fires Lee, calls Kupchak directly"

Regarding the PG... unless Nate Robinson will take the biennial, where's a PG going to land in our lap??

I really think given the triangle, and given the scoring threats we have now with Artest on board, UPS is fully capable of filling this role with some little extra effort in the off season. Do you agree??

jimjoyce,

"Plaschke is against it. (But he's an idiot.)

That guarantees it will work out fantastically well."

I laughed.

My gut tells me that you're right about that.

What do we play for? RINGS!!!!

Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.

GO LAKERS!!!

it's important to note that while Artest is undoubtedly eccentric and, to say the least, works to his own beat, he isn't necessarily a "thug," at least as people present the term. He's a smart guy, sensitive, and pretty thoughtful. I think he wants to do the right thing in most cases, but isn't always wired to make it happen.

From Richard Justice, columnist at the Houston Chronicle:
"The odd thing about Artest is that he was nothing like I thought he’d be. He’s not a thug. In fact, he’s a caring, thoughtful man with a charitable heart and a winning smile."

In some ways, he's like Kwame Brown, who I assumed would be a punk when he arrived in LA. Petulant, inarticulate, etc. He was nothing of the sort. Kwame, in fact, was one of the nicer guys I've ever covered, with a good sense of humor and was very well spoken. (He just wasn't all that good at basketball.)

Artest has done a lot to develop the stereotypes that surround him, but fans/writers need to try not to make too many assumptions before he actually arrives.

BK

David Lee is an idiot.

Drew: fire him, please!

Welcome [whatever your name is now :-] !!

GO LAKERS!!!

Phred
Nasty Dynasty. I'm collecting royalties.

Jon K.
http://tinyurl.com/lngs5y

A championship tends to disguise any flaws a team has. That guy on Yahoo who says the Lakers didn't have any flaws last year didn't watch them throughout the season. The front office knows it needed (still needs) to shore up its defense in order to repeat as champs. Artest may be a gamble for non-basketball reasons, but strictly in terms of defensive play he's an upgrade.

Now the next step is the point guard position. Fisher's leadership is indispensible but we need a backup who can stay with the quick point guards. Will Farmar be that guy?

Well said, RK and Jon K. You can't be content with the status quo. You stop growing, you die.

The best thing about this trade is we have the two best perimeter defenders in the game. Kobe does not have to guard the main perimeter man on the other team, which makes him more effective and less tired on offense. No Olympics+Artest on D = Fresh Kobe.

I'm not so sure that we can't do a similar upgrade on Odom, though. I'd prefer Sheed over Odom. Odom disappears too much during big games, whereas Sheed is clutch. But we better make sure that Odom doesn't go to San Antonio. The other great thing about the Artest deal is that Cleveland didn't get either of them. Ariza went to a non-contender. At least, we should hope that the Celts don't get Sheed. They'll be our most dangerous opponent with Sheed and a healthy Garnett.

Ariza goes for the money and Artest goes for the ring. Funny what large sums of cash will do to an individual; I think Artest got the better of the deal. Time to kiss and make up, Kobe & Ron. There's another championship to be had!

Ariza'a agent needs to learn how to negotiate. Shame Ariza is leaving but Artest is a nice addition to LA's toughness and defense. Denver and Boston will get smacked this year.

Rick- ouch. go easy on plashke. the guy needs a lot of sleep these days.

BK- man, stop hating on ron artest. it's vicious and vindictive posts like that, in addition to relentless blocking all the criticism of you that people try to get past your vigilant censorship that makes you such an evil super villain type. or maybe i'm brown nosing too much.

Charles- Gi Nasty Dynasty has a better ring to it, in my opinion, something about the two syllables and the assonance, but you can have the lion's share of the huge bank that we're sure to make off of it.

oh, and since I haven't pointed it out for a few hours;

WHOOOOHOOOOO! WE WON! WE WON! WE WON! AND WE'RE COMING BACK MORE LOADED THAN BEFORE! HIDE YOUR WOMENFOLK AND PUPPIES! (oh wait, maybe i shouldn't say that) AH SCREW IT. WE WON! WE ()*^(&*^ING WON!

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE LOVE, AND THE FACT THAT WE WON!

GO LAKERS!

I second Plaschke.

Posted by: RoseBowlKid | July 03, 2009 at 10:41 AM

...and I'll have Plaschke for seconds. I'm gonna get TJ first.

The unofficial poll of the day.

Which best describes Ariza's agent Lee?

A. He is an idiot
B. He is a greedy idiot
C. He only had his best interests at heart, which makes him a greedy, and immoral idiot
D. The guy is a scumbag for ruining Ariza's dreams.

I've finally discovered David Lee's identity!
Gríma, Wormtongue, from Tolkien's LOTR.

You poisoned King Théoden of Rohan's thoughts in the past, and now you poisoned Trevor's.
Bite your tongue Lee, and get poisoned!

Rick Friedman -

You obviously took great delight in penning that piece.

Well done, sir!

Now for the rebuttal from Bill P..

Dear Rick Friedman,

I am supremely offended in your satire, spoof about me.
Let me set the record straight.

First, I am paid to do what I do and your not.
I am on TV, and your not.
So my credentials are impeccable, and yours? A LA Times commenter? Don't make me and Simers laugh.

As an expert, recognized in his field as the best at what he does, let me give you some advice.

When you write and make up stories like I do for the Times, the story and the facts are not important, its the writer, Its all about me. This is what my readers or fans want to see.

When the Lakers ignored me as you said and gave the scoop to others, (that really hurt my feelings) we reporters, do the next best thing, we trash the source.

I learned this lesson from watching the movie, 'The Natural.' Robert Duvall, my mentor, because of that film, taught me many lessons.

Dig hard for that inside scoop, and when people don't co-operate, you vilify them whenever you get a chance. (see all Kobe, Lakers articles)

In closing, now that I have thoroughly humiliated you. Remember, the only thing bigger than my belly, is my ego, and my belly is pretty big, I might add. hahaha

To review, its all about me, 24/7, not the story or the facts.

Signed,

Bill P.

READ AND REACT…

Man, so many great posts. Artest has the blog hopping. Here we go:

- - - - -

Edwin,

>>> Dude, that is the change you have do - You gotta to be a winner.

Ron would be well served to listen to Edwin’s sage advice. I have to say that I am jazzed by Ron’s desire and reaction to joining the Lakers. You gotta love it!

- - - - -

jimjoyce,

>>> Doesn't he understand he's the fifth option at this point?

That is dissing Ron. He actually is our fourth option. And just saying it tells you off the bat just how strong and deep this Lakers team is going to be. Our fourth option. LOL!

- - - - -

LAKER TRUTH,

>>> If what they are reporting is true, the case is closed.
>>> Management wanted Artest from the get go.

You are absolutely correct. There was never an offer. The Lakers had decided to go with Artest BEFORE they ever met with Ariza and Lee. I feel bad for Trevor AND for Lee because they really had no chance. They walked into an unexpected ambush.

- - - - -

DJ,

>>> Sorry to see Trevor leave. I do think that is a major mistake on his part.

NO! The point everybody needs to understand is that neither Trevor or David Lee had anything to do with this decision. The Lakers had already made up their mind to trade up to Artest the instant that it became obvious that he would accept the MLE. That is why they did NOT even make an offer to Trevor. They did not want him to even have that chance. In a way, Trevor and Lee were correct in that the Lakers did disrespect Trevor in that they valued Artest more and chose him. It was just business.

- - - - -

LTLF,

>>> But it sounds
>>> to me as if the Lakers offered the MLE, Lee asked for more,
>>> and they told him if he wanted more he needed to go out
>>> and get more from another team.

NO! Read the reports closely. The Lakers did NOT even make an offer. They just told Ariza that they were not willing to pay more than the MLE but did not make an offer since they had already decided to sign Artest and had no budget to keep Ariza. There was nothing that Trevor or Lee could do. It was decided before they ever met with Mitch.

- - - - -

Mikefloss,

>>> Artest makes us ferocious. He can guard all the big 3's we don't want Kobe
>>> to have to deal with and he gives us toughness and scoring both inside and out.

The 3 main reasons we signed Ron were LeBron, Melo, and Paul Pierce.

- - - - -

#4,

>>> We went from a youthful, smart squad to a veteran squad in one fell swoop.

Great points in your post also about Ron adding depth at the 4. Damn, those point guard posters are smart. hehe.

- - - - -

WINSTON WALLACE,

>>> Again all you people saying that this was a bad move must be
>>> smoking the crack that david falk is putting in your pipe.
>>> Ron artest is better the trevor ariza period.

Excellent post but see how much easier it is to read when not all in caps.

- - - - -

Benjamin,

>>> Best post was the one to KL beast of course.

That WAS pretty sweet. We’ll probably never see KL around here any more. TGFMF.

- - - - -

TOM