Entries tagged as ‘Ron Artest’
Being an NBA GM is tough. Unlike the rest of us, who have studied at university or (at least) high school to achieve the requisite qualifications for our job, NBA GMs inevitably come from backgrounds as former sharp-shooters, low-post threats or dotcom billionaires. It must be tough to be so ill-qualified to run a basketball team/business — which is why the Count has provided the Cliff notes for the 2009-2010 off-season:
Sometimes flowcharts speak louder than words (click to enlarge).
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Categories: Sport Count Guide
Tagged: Allen Iverson, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, LA Lakers, LeBron James, Mark Cuban, Orlando Magic, Rasheed Wallace, Ron Artest, Shaquille O'Neal, Vince Carter
So, the silly season is upon us, and the Count is ready to weigh in with opinions left, right, and centre on Ron, Trev, Charlie and Ben — who sound like a 1960s mod rock band but are, in fact, all basketball players.
What will he do? Get it?
Where should Turkoglu end up? Where is he likely to?
Anton: Let’s do the second part first. I see him signing with the Raptors, a poorly-run franchise desperate to surround Chris Bosh with known entities. Toronto want name players, guys with ‘championship experience,’ and they’ll pay for it. Being the league’s only non-US franchise, the Raptors seem to pride themselves on their international flavour, so securing the Turkish Jordan will blow minds north of the border.
Never mind that he’s yet another long three-point man who doesn’t rebound, sliding in next to Bargnani, who is carving out a semi-successful career without ever setting foot in the paint on either end. Never mind that he’ll be overpaid.
You know where he should end up? Orlando. He’s perfect for them. He can run the offense when Jameer Nelson isn’t on the court, and he can nail open bombs off kick-outs and screens. His sporadic defensive failures and lack of rebounding are offset by the brute interior strength of The Manchild.
Yes, he should stay in Orlando. But they can’t offer him enough money, so he won’t.
James: Turkoglu will get overpaid. Let’s be frank: he’s playing in a set up that suits him perfectly, and he’s the third-best player on his team. Without a solid, shooting 4 like Rashard Lewis, he has a lot less space to operate, and he flourished in a situation where he’s the go-to guy in the clutch.
Ideally, you’d like to see him as the final piece on a contender… but he’ll take a pay day. If Portland offer him the bucks now — and it would be a horrible move if they do — that’s where he’ll be; they’re an exciting team and probably good enough for the WCFs next year, taking a game or two off the Lakers.
I’d actually love Turkoglu at the Mavericks. Think about it. He’s a much better fit for that team than Howard is at the 3, as he can camp on the perimeter and get kick-outs from Dirk. Likewise, he’s a guy who revels on good looks (otherwise shooting woefully from the field) so he’d be fit if Kidd is feeding him the rock.
Having said that, I see him taking a pay day from the Blazers or Raptors.
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Categories: Count Q&A · Signings & Firings
Tagged: Allen Iverson, Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, Detroit Pistons, Hedo Turkoglu, Houston Rockets, Jameer Nelson, Joe Dumars, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson, Portland Trail Blazers, Rashard Lewis, Ron Artest, Toronto Raptors, Tracy McGrady, Trevor Ariza, Yao Ming
Perhaps Daryl Morey has been spending too much time at Marcin Gortat’s house.
With Morey looking for tall men to man the middle with Yao Ming potentially facing a career-ending injury, the signing of Ron Artest appears to have been neglected. Artest looks to be leaving Houston for greener pastures, and a shot at a championship.
In an apparent farewell message, Ron thanks the city of Houston.
His brother, Daniel Artest, also seems sure Ron won’t be re-signing with the Rockets, urging him to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers:
Regardless of how much sway Daniel has with Ron, it appears the short-lived Artest era is over in Houston.
Most pundits expected Artest to re-sign with Houston, citing the weak economy and the perception of Artest as a locker room liability as the key factors weakening interest in the defensively talented forward.
Both the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers have their full mid-level exceptions on offer. Other teams with more cap space on offer, like the Grizzlies or Thunder, are not expected to make offers to Artest.
Posted By: Anton
Update: Ron has signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Categories: Signings & Firings
Tagged: Cleveland Cavaliers, Daniel Artest, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma Thunder, Ron Artest
Ryan Anderson, about to miss another fucking shot.
Ryan Anderson is a terrible shooter.
Not technically, of course. If he lacked the magic ability to cock his elbow just right, and float the ball off his fingertips with finesse, he sure wouldn’t be in the National Basketball Assocation. After all, he’s a terrible defender; a pick-and-roll liability, a hustle-free zone, a man who’ll consistently put in work on only one end of the court.
Indeed, Ryan Anderson is capable of easing the ball into the bucket. It’s just that he has absolutely no idea how to go about it. On offense, Anderson seems to be emulating Ron Artest at his absolute worst, constantly jacking up preposterous long-range shots, ill-advised jumpers, and forced threes. On the rare nights he shoots 50% from the field — he’s managed it 13 times in his first 45 games — Anderson still looks abhorrent, consistently out of rhythm with the rest of the offense, contributing nothing but stagnation to the young Nets. Those rare nights of relative shooting success look the same as the more common abominations. The only difference is that occasionally Anderson hits a hot streak.
He’s a white Ricky Davis. A taller version of John Starks, without the talent.
How can you be 6′10″ and still shoot 38.9% for the season? Easy… even when you’re clearly having an off night, just keep jacking them up, even if you’re taking awful shots and hurting your team. That way, you’ll end up with the kind of line Ryan Anderson produces most nights: 1-5 (last night, against Orlando), 1-9 (against the 76ers last week), 3-14 against the Thunder (in early January). In one spectacularly sub-par series, over seven games from December 19th to the 29th, Anderson managed to shoot a grotesque 6-39.
This man has no conscience. There’s a reason he was selected 21st overall, despite scoring more points in college than his conference counterparts OJ Mayo, Kevin Love and Brook Lopez. Anderson represents everything wrong with basketball: a complete lack of engagement with your team, a desperation to fill your own stat sheet, and a stunning inability to contribute anything away from the ball.
And so, I request just one thing of the New Jersey rookie: Ryan Anderson, stop fucking shooting.
Posted By: Anton
Categories: Desperate Pleas · On The Court
Tagged: Brook Lopez, John Starks, Kevin Love, New Jersey Nets, O.J. Mayo, Ricky Davis, Ron Artest, Ryan Anderson
"Street crime to me is like tenacious defence. It always has a weakness, and you can beat it.
NBA.com reports that tomorrow, former All-Star Kevin Johnson steps into his role as Mayor of Sacramento. As the article explains, there are many challenges facing KJ, including how to deal with unemployment rates at a 10-year high and record levels of crime. Fortunately, being a premier NBA point-guard was just the right preparation, as Johnson explains:
[Y]ou have teammates, they’re like different constituents, you have to work with different people, they have different personalities, you have to figure out how to play to everybody’s strengths and get the most out of everyone’s potential. Those things are very helpful.
Knowing how to find an open 3-man in the lane? That’s like spotting an opportunity to cut inefficient spending on public waste projects. Lobbing the perfect alley-oop? Not dissimilar to increasing spending on law and order, then opening a new mall. But perhaps the most exciting part of the article is this statement:
Yes, I know Barack Obama. I consider him a friend … we’ve never talked about playing basketball and I think that shows you how smart he is. He doesn’t want to mix it up with me. He doesn’t want to be the second best or third best elected official when it comes to basketball.
Who wouldn’t want to see that? It won’t be all balling with Presidents though: the coming few years will not be easy for KJ, who must tackle significant problems as he guides the Californian capitol out of its downward spiral. As always, the civic-minded Sport Count has its own questions to ask of the incoming mayor.
- John Salmons: is he having an All-Star year – and if so, wtf? Props.
- Is there a secret agreement that only Sacramento residents know about in which Kevin Martin isn’t required to play defence? If not, why doesn’t anyone call him out on it?
- Sacramento’s jersey colours: seriously? Surely you have the power to change them now, KJ? And can they be called the Royals again, please?
- What are you going to do about Spencer Hawes being such a giant douchebag?
- Brad Miller is definitely going to get injured: should fantasy owners just stay away from him?
- Does Ron Artest’s current field goal clip vindicate the decision to trade him? We kinda think so.
We await the solutions to these pressing problems in Sactown, and wish Kevin Johnson luck. Meanwhile, the Sport Count will continue throwing its efforts into the long-held belief that another famous point guard named Johnson should run for Mayor of another Californian city: do it for Los Angeles, Magic.
Posted by: Alex
Categories: Don't Call It A Comeback · Off The Court
Tagged: Barack Obama, Brad Miller, John Salmons, Kevin Johnson, Kevin Martin, Magic Johnson, Ron Artest, Sacramento Kings, Spencer Hawes
