Artest on the Cannons

[rpa]

i highly doubt hed get anywhere near that amount in free agency, this year definately and not next year

lakers could just give him a 2 yr deal and resign him using early bird rights

1) It's not about free agency. It's about a team getting his Bird rights and giving him an extension. If Artest does NOT opt out there's a [good] chance the Kings would move him in a trade. The only teams that would want Artest are contenders now or teams that would contend with Artest on the team. That team, that traded for Artest, would then have his Bird rights and would be able to give Artest an extension of much more than the MLE (which both sides would likely agree to). That's how Artest gets the money he wants AND plays for a winner

2) Bird rights take 3 years to blossom. As I already stated: Artest would be on the bad side of 30 (nearing 32 to be precise) and taking that chance could prove to be suicidal. The mere idea of it borders on absolute delusion in my opinion. At that point there's a chance that:
a) Artest is no longer WORTH a big contract like he is now.
b) He sustains a big time injury to the point where a team DOESN'T want to resign him--therebye losing all that money

Again, him signing a 3 year deal with the hope that he gets a big deal after it's done (when he'll be nearly 32) is just NOT realistic.

[Dr Aki]

then if artest doesnt opt

i honestly dont see a trade to the lakers ever happening

sacramento would rather see artest expire then s&t him to the lakers

[dockingsched]

i highly doubt hed get anywhere near that amount in free agency, this year definately and not next year

lakers could just give him a 2 yr deal and resign him using early bird rights

2) Bird rights take 3 years to blossom. As I already stated: Artest would be on the bad side of 30 (nearing 32 to be precise) and taking that chance could prove to be suicidal. The mere idea of it borders on absolute delusion in my opinion. At that point there's a chance that:
a) Artest is no longer WORTH a big contract like he is now.
b) He sustains a big time injury to the point where a team DOESN'T want to resign him--therebye losing all that money

Again, him signing a 3 year deal with the hope that he gets a big deal after it's done (when he'll be nearly 32) is just NOT realistic.

Akiho said early bird rights, not bird rights. early bird rights only take two yrs and allows the team to sign their player to 175% of their previous salary. with a full mle salary, ron artest would be eligible for deal over 10 mil per yr in 2 yrs.

[rpa]

Akiho said early bird rights, not bird rights. early bird rights only take two yrs and allows the team to sign their player to 175% of their previous salary. with a full mle salary, ron artest would be eligible for deal over 10 mil per yr in 2 yrs.

My mistake--totally missed the 'early' part. However, be it 2 or 3 years the point is still there to a large extent: putting off a contract for X # of years is still a suicidal risk when a player is getting up their in age.

[KObe Bryant]

is he a free agent? wow. that's good. mitch should do it.

[RIPskaterdude]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&page=steinsixquestions-080620

Sorry to kill your dreams but...

But there are basketball issues involved -- does Artest fit in offensively in Jackson's triangle? -- and bigger obstacles than the X's and O's to making that move. Artest told ESPN.com earlier this week that he's "99 percent sure" he won't be opting out of the final year of his contract by the June 30 deadline. Assuming he doesn't change his mind, Artest would thus be available to the Lakers only via trade, which would then require two old rivals to come together on a deal … with Sacramento likely to insist on holding out for Odom's expiring contract in exchange for Artest and Kenny Thomas.

Artest followed up our Tuesday interview with an e-mail Thursday in which he said: "Even if I was to opt out, which probably won't happen, I will never accept a mid-level exception. So people trying to figure out possibilities should get that out of their heads."

Translation: Artest is strongly against opting out largely because he knows that the Lakers (and any other interested party) likely would offer him a free-agent contract starting at no higher than the mid-level, which was $5.4 million this season. He'd rather play next season at $7.4 million for Sacramento or whomever -- knowing that the Kings are virtually certain to get various trade offers if he elects to play out the final year of his contract -- then see what kind of deal he can command on the 2009 free-agent market.

"Next summer can be a bigger [free-agent] summer for me if the Kings win big," Artest said, "which is … anything else is a failure."

[milesfides]

^Still doesn't rule out a trade.

[hermes]

my dreams will never be dashed!

hit it!