Artest To Play In The City of Angels!

Well the rich just got richer, as the Los Angeles Lakers announced today that Ron Artest will become a member of the team! Artest has verbally agreed to a three-year contract worth $18 million, although he cannot officially sign with the team until July 8th. Artest is taking a pay cut in an attempt to win an NBA Championship for the first time in his somewhat troubled career. The 2004 Defensive Player of the Year averaged 17.4 points, and 5 rebounds with the Houston Rockets last season.

This is a fantastic move for the Lakers since Artest comes at a very cheap price. The Lakers are basically paying Artest what they were willing to pay for Trevor Ariza, and I think we can all agree that Artest is the much better player at this point. Artest gives the Lakers another presence in the post, to go along with Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, and Kobe Bryant. Those are all big guys that can post up on smaller guys which will be a tough matchup. He is a great three point shooter, as he shot 40% last season, however his biggest contribution to the Lakers will be on the defensive side. He will be an excellent perimeter guard on the two's and the three's, and he will all but put an end to the thought that the Lakers are a "soft" team. 

Now all the Lakers need to do is re-sign Lamar Odom, and if everything goes according to plan, they should all but seal AT LEAST a return to the NBA Finals. The Lakers window of opportunity is now, and General Manager Mitch Kupchak realized that as he essentially picked Artest over Trevor Ariza. If the Lakers re-sign Odom, then it will be hard for me to see any other team in the NBA winning it all.

The one downside to Ron Artest coming to the Lakers is that Trevor Ariza will not be returning. Ariza verbally agreed to a five-year deal with the Houston Rockets, that is reportedly worth $32 million. So in essence, Ariza and Artest swapped spots. I feel bad for Ariza since Los Angeles is his hometown. He became a fan favorite and people started to love him as a player. I'm sad to see him go, but the NBA is a business and sacrifices have to be made. I was going to buy an Ariza jersey if he re-signed with the team, but it looks like I saved myself some money. 

This is the start to a great off-season for the World Champions. Now they just need to re-sign Lamar Odom, and everything will be put in place for a REPEAT! (And dare I say dynasty?)

This a great way to kick off what should be a great sports weekend for the city of Los Angeles. Ron Artest is a Laker, and Manny Ramirez returns to the Dodgers tomorrow night! I love LA!