Could Artest fit in Denver?

[pillwenney]

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http://www.nba.com/playerfile/ron_artes ... stats.html

His career high aside from those tiny little injured spurts (the one in CHI and the one in IND, 27 and 7 games respectively) is .358 and his career average (including those spurts, as well as a bad spurt) is .324 from downtown. He's .347 so far this season. That's okay for a SF but not too hot for a SG in my books, especially if the attention-drawing factor of AI/Melo is to be used to its fullest extent. Not saying he wouldn't be good there, he'd be good anywhere by virtue of his defence alone, but imo Denver's main target should be a shooter.

Keep in mind that not a whole lot of those are catch-and-shoot opportunities. They are often times when Ron is asked to create, and is either better off shooting or is forced to due to the shotclock running out.

[crackjack]

Every sports writer on the planet would love to see Artest and Martin on the same team.

That's just a story waiting to happen.

[black06eclipse]

Denver is already the most hated team in basketball somehow......i can't imagine what Artest would do to their reputation.

Melo and Iverson......16 combined seasons.....1 fight total between them (Melo's punch and run). One gives the most to charity out of the entire league. But yet they're the top thugs of the league. This basically tells you that cornrows and tattoos are still as offensive as ever.

but back on topic......
Artest fills a definite need for Denver---perimeter defense. Having him and Camby in the lineup makes them a much better defensive squad. They'd have 2 of the top 5 scorers in the league and 2 former DPOYs. Artest could put them in the "elite" category.

Delonte West is probably a decent fit too. They need a big guard.

[That Nicka]

I think that Artest in Denver would completely ruin the entire teams chemistry.

What chemistry?



btw... Artest can play the 2

[black06eclipse]

assuming the deal is Najera, JR Smith, and a 1st......

their lineup could possibly be....

PG- Iverson
SG- Artest
SF- Carmelo
F- KMart
C - Camby

or

PG- Carter
SG- Iverson
SF- Melo
PF- Artest or Kmart
C- Camby

scary offensive and defensive lineup on paper

[GSWhoopfan]

AI, Melo, Artest, Camby = Contenders

[black06eclipse]

AI, Melo, Artest, Camby = Contenders

assuming Artest is happy and doesn't mind having games where he only gets 8 or 9 shots. If he concentrates just on defense and taking advantage of Melo and AI's double teams then Denver could easily contend. Denver is 1 perimeter defender away from being dominant.

didn't he make a statement last year that he really wants to play with Iverson?

i can't imagine how scary the West would be if this trade went through and worked. Spurs, Suns, Mavs, Lakers, and Nuggets would all be legit threats for the title....not to mention New Orleans. Terrifying conference.

[Rooster]

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Keep in mind that not a whole lot of those are catch-and-shoot opportunities. They are often times when Ron is asked to create, and is either better off shooting or is forced to due to the shotclock running out.

On a 61-win Pacer team on which Tinsley and JO held the ball most of the time, he still couldn't shoot them. Besides, being a catch-and-shoot guy would be a compelte waste of Artest - his offence is more Melo-like, and therein lies the problem. That .358 I posted was a career high, remember. There is literally no solid proof of Artest being able to hit threes all that consistently with the big-time shooters of the league, and that's a category of player the Nuggets need.

If I'm Denver, Anthony Parker is target #1 for me. I doubt the Raptors would move him but the Nuggets do have assets... (there was someone else I thought they should want too but I forget)

[pillwenney]

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On a 61-win Pacer team on which Tinsley and JO held the ball most of the time, he still couldn't shoot them. Besides, being a catch-and-shoot guy would be a compelte waste of Artest - his offence is more Melo-like, and therein lies the problem. That .358 I posted was a career high, remember. There is literally no solid proof of Artest being able to hit threes all that consistently with the big-time shooters of the league, and that's a category of player the Nuggets need.

If I'm Denver, Anthony Parker is target #1 for me. I doubt the Raptors would move him but the Nuggets do have assets... (there was someone else I thought they should want too but I forget)

Yes, but he has improved his shooting since then.

And I basically agree that it would be kind of waste of Ron. But on the other hand, I think if rotated correctly, he could also get plenty of opportunities for himself (i.e. playing him with the bench a lot, and setting up some plays for him when only one of AI/Melo is in).

But you're right in that it's not a perfect fit. The perfect place for Ron is Dallas.

[RRFB]

assuming the deal is Najera, JR Smith, and a 1st......

And that's the most I'd be willing to give up for Artest unless he's commited to staying and won't opt out. I would think Sac would ask for Kleiza or make us take Thomas, neither of which our FO would agree to, so I don't think anything could happen.

I still dream of an AI/Artest/Melo/Kmart/Camby lineup. There's not a team in the league we couldn't defend.

[Rooster]

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Yes, but he has improved his shooting since then.

And I basically agree that it would be kind of waste of Ron. But on the other hand, I think if rotated correctly, he could also get plenty of opportunities for himself (i.e. playing him with the bench a lot, and setting up some plays for him when only one of AI/Melo is in).

But you're right in that it's not a perfect fit. The perfect place for Ron is Dallas.

Dallas needs a SG too though, not a SF. Howard is their SF.

The perfect place for Ron, strangely enough, is Phoenix, SA or Toronto.

[pillwenney]

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Dallas needs a SG too though, not a SF. Howard is their SF.

The perfect place for Ron, strangely enough, is Phoenix, SA or Toronto.

Howard can guard SG's and in their offense, that's really what's important. But other than the minor positional conflict, Ron is a picture perfect fit in Dallas. He gives them the mental and physical toughness that they sorely need, he gives them a post option which they also need, he helps their D even more, and along with bringing exactly what they need, he also happens to fit perfectly into their offensive system, so he wouldn't disrupt anything on the court and given that he hasn't been much of a disruption in the last few years and would be in a big time winning situation, he wouldn't be a disruption off the court either.

[Rooster]

It'd be better than in Denver but if you're starting Harris/Howard/Artest/Nowitzki/Dampier, who the hell takes the outside jumpers? Sticking Dirk out there as solely a perimeter shooter would be an egregious waste of his talents. Besides, Dampier's 5PPG is a clear indication that post players don't get the ball in Dallas. Seriously, who was the last post player to actually get touches there, Roy Tarpley?

[IggyTheBEaST]

For Najera and JR it would be worth it to find out. Too much of a risk to give up Kleiza tho