July 10th, 2008 – Dr. Browntorious
The NBA moratorium on officially signing free agents or completing any trades is over. The Raptors-Pacers blockbuster swap of TJ Ford for Jermaine O’Neal has been finalized, Baron Davis followed through on his commitment and inked a $65 million contract with the Clippers, Elton Brand signed with the Philadelphia 76ers as previously rumored, and Ronny Turiaf has signed an offer sheet with the Golden State Warriors (although the Lakers have the opportunity to match as Turiaf is restricted).
Sure there are lots of good free agents not inked yet like Emeka Okafor, Josh Smith, Ben Gordon, Monta Ellis, James Posey etc. etc. But after the flurry of moves we have already seen and the passage of the July 9th moratorium date, I suspect the trade rumors will start to once again pick up into full swing as teams start scrambling to either sign free agents or pull off a sign and trade to better their teams outlook heading into next season.
Tracy McGrady to the Detroit Pistons?
Everyone loves some good gossip right? Hoopsworld has become known in many circles these days for some absolutely ludicrous trade rumors being pulled out of thin air. Sort of like the basketball journalism/blogging version of “The National Inquirer.” Talking NBA trades is always entertaining news and it can produce some fairly intelligent and productive conversations among stakeholders and fans, but what I read this morning is just too far fetched to even get in to. C’mon man, Tracy McGrady to the Detroit Pistons trade talk for Rip Hamilton? Please.
Ron Artest to the LA Lakers?
What was possibly a bit more interesting and feasible trade talk this morning, was a rumor in the Sacramento Bee that the Lakers have contacted the Kings with a proposal to send them forward Lamar Odom in exchange for Ron Artest. Although Kings President Geoff Petrie declined comment, I wouldn’t find it that hard to believe that Petrie would be considering such a move to replace the unpredictable Artest with a character guy with versatile skills such as Lamar Odom. Heck, how long will it be before the ‘Tru Warrior’ decides to have another incident with his dogs, or punch a fan, or another trade demand? Do you want that headache in your rebuilding process Petrie?
On the Lakers end the move would make perfect sense. Ever since the Boston Celtics took it to the Lakers with their lock down defense in this year’s NBA Finals, it is clear that the Lakers future title hopes are going to depend on their ability to improve defensively. To use the over stated cliché, the NBA Finals this year showed that ‘defense wins championships’. Odom is a solid defender, but there are very few players in the league that can play on the ball and team defense like Ron Artest. This defensive improvement strategy of the Lakers can also be seen through their free agency discussions with James Posey of the Celtics.
I’m sure there are a lot of Lakers fans that would be nervous about making a move for the up and down rollercoaster ride that comes with having a person like Ron Artest on your squad. He can be a lot to handle off the court with his antics; some may call him simply neurotic whereas others would just call him completely loco. I view it in a similar fashion to when the Chicago Bulls made a move for Dennis Rodman. A lot of teams in the league wouldn’t go near Rodman with a ten foot pole, even though no one could deny his obvious on the court talents. The Bulls were confident that if there was one guy that Rodman would respect and listen to it was Michael Jordan. We all saw how well that worked out for the Bulls. Probably one of the greatest teams of all time, certainly as the 72 win season stands it can’t be argued. Could the star and fame of the Lakers Kobe Bryant be enough to get the unconditional respect of Ron Artest? Could Kobe keep Ron Ron in line with promises of greatness, rings, and glory? I think yes.
Although it’s just rumors and speculation at this point, I think it would be a good move for both teams. Maybe that Kobe interview with Ron Artest last month was the start of a dynamic duo on the court?
