Per Broussard: Lakers wanted Artest over Ariza all along

[dingclancy]

Please merge if you think it does not worth a thread.

The divide between Trevor Ariza and the Los Angeles Lakers stemmed not merely from the notion that the Lakers were unwilling to pay him more than midlevel exception (which will be approximately $5.8 million for the first season), but also from the fact that the Lakers did not make him an offer of any kind. When Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak spoke with Ariza's agent, David Lee, on Wednesday, Kupchak essentially told Lee to go get the best offer he could and then bring it back to him, and perhaps the Lakers would match it.

The Lakers' decision to treat Ariza like a restricted free agent disappointed and angered him greatly. He was expecting them to offer him something around $7 million, and their unwillingness to even make him an offer made him feel unwanted and as though he was not a priority to the team.

Some suggest the Lakers wanted to see if they could land Ron Artest with the midlevel exception and that's why they were reluctant to commit to Ariza. And indeed, it appears that Artest will be Ariza's replacement.

The Lakers are not expected to play the same type of hardball with Lamar Odom, even though Odom's leverage is shrinking by the day. They believe he should be rewarded for being a good soldier and going to the bench without causing a distraction, so they'll probably offer him a three-year deal worth about $8 million a year. Odom wants about $10 million, but he's not likely to get that anywhere else, so he'll probably settle for what the Lakers give him.

[Tommy Trojan]

Good find, If you have a chance to pick up Artest then I don't think anyone is that stupid to commit to Ariza

[Gek]

Especially if the cost of Artest= the cost of Ariza - Odom for 8 million a year is cheap. Especially since we got that 4-6 million in traded draft picks

[LAKESHOW]

awesome find. however, it shows that the agent messed up. he shouldve fully cooperated with mitch and placed his offers on the table to get matched. i.e. mitch called his bluff. im sure the LAKERs wouldve loved to have ariza back, but his agent was blowing smoke all along. and when mitch tells lee to essentially "go ahead, get out there . . . bring in the "supposed" best offer you can get and bring it back to me and we'll match it" when mitch told him that, and lee could not produce? he then looked like an ass when mitch called him on it, and all he did get out there was another MLE.

mitch, some ride you around here, but YOU ARE THE MAN! mitch played it correctly. called his bluff. and lee got caught. unfortunately, so did his client. but hey, weve got artest, while ariza is stuck down in texas.

[dingclancy]

Reading this article, I guess Ariza has a point of him not getting appreciated, but I think it is overplayed. IMO, Kupchak made the right stance of telling Ariza to go look for a team that will pay him then decide whether to match or not.

Kupcake made an S.O.P. move. That is what Cuban did to Nash and it so happens that Phoenix appreciated him more. Lee was running amok without an offer from another team. Lee/Ariza came out whiny here.

Still I do not get it what Ariza is thinking. Lakers appreciate him and gave him love, but that does not mean he is not appreciated just because we are not willing to give him $7mill. Did the Rockets give him a lot of love for the MLE? lol!

I think this is how it went:

Lee: Give me my $7 million!
Kupcake: Calm down. Explore your options, come back to me when you have an offer
Lee: I want my $7 million!
Kupcake: Calm down. Explore your options, come back to me when you have an offer
Lee: You don't appreciate Ariza
Kupcake: Of course we do... Calm down. Explore your options, come back to me when you have an offer
Lee: I want my $7 million!
Kupcake: brb, talking to Artest
Lee: --------

We do not know what will happen three years down the line, but Ariza got served. He could be winning championships in his hometown and I am sure the Lakers want to have him back. IT'S NOT LIKE MITCH GAVE A HARD STANCE.

[Minhee]

Lee tried to act like he is Scott Boras by making stuff up, making up offers and tried to be slick by acting "insulted" thinking we would go running back with a higher offer like Boras usually get. What Lee needs to know is he is a guppy in the Ocean and he better swim away.

Case in point Lee is no Boras.

[Tommy Trojan]

Well screw Ariza, that punk wanted to go and play for Houston. Lakers had offered him the same money as Houston and he did not want to return to LA. Here is the article from LA Times

"Ariza agreed to a five-year deal with the Rockets for about $33 million, roughly the same that the Lakers had offered in their effort to retain him."

"I had to do what was best for me and family," Ariza said. "I am happy with my decision. I'm glad this all worked out. The Rockets are going to give me a chance to improve my game and that's all you can ask for."


Lee said "It was never about the money. It was about going someplace where you felt appreciated."


http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lak ... 2019.story

[Asianiac_24]

I think Ariza would look terrible in Houston without Kobe setting him up. Who's going to create for him? Aaron Brooks?

[Luffy]

I think Ariza wanted to stay in Los Angeles all along. Too bad his agent David Lee is a douchebag who wanted to extort as much money possible from the Lakers. It took Bynum to tell David Lee to "get it done" for him to sign for less than the maximum.

[The Laker Kid]

I wonder how does Ariza get his ring? Do they Fedex it to him, since he's not part of the team anymore during the season opener or what?

[Anklebreaker702]

This is the result of getting a blown up head. Tht was a fair offer I don't understand why players who have been basically a journeyman in their short careers find a good place for 2 seasons then feel like the team can't win without them. He needs to eat some humble pie, come back & get another ring

[TNBT]

I was a fan of Ariza from the day the Knicks drafted him in the 2nd round. He's a nice athlete and he can play some good defense. With that said, however, I think the Lakers made a great move here. Just like many players have done in Phoenix with Steve Nash, playing in the Lakers system last season would make any halfway decent player look good. With another team, I think Ariza is going to struggle to produce as much and look as good as he did last season in LA. On the other hand, you're bringing in Artest who has shown throughout the years that he can be a really good player on any team. He isn't a guy who looks good because of the system he plays in. I think it's pretty fair to say that Artest is the best perimeter defender in the league, and he has the strength to defend much bigger players as well. Considering that you got Artest for basically the same price as Ariza, I think you guys should be crazy happy at the moment. I'm not sure what's happening with Odom, but if you guys can lock him up too, you are going to have a great squad come next season. Good luck from a Bulls fan.

[Mamba Venom]

Its hard to like anybody after agent David Lee gets a hold.

He is the dark side.

Publicly bashing the world champs... what an idiot

David Lee should represent David Lee.