Ron Artest to Houston

[Ballings7]

The Houston Rockets have reached an agreement to acquire forward Ron Artest from the Sacramento Kings, the Houston Chronicle is reporting.

The Rockets will give up guard Bobby Jackson, a No. 1 draft pick next season and another player that the individual with knowledge of the trade could not name.

It is believed that rookie Donte Greene is included in the deal, which will prevent the deal from going through until August 14, when Greene is able to be dealt.

There could also be other players involved to make the money match but none that the Rockets would plan to keep. The Rockets will also send the Kings cash in excess of $1 million.

http://basketball.realgm.com/src_wireta ... on_artest/

Wow

Good deal for both teams

Houston at least well increases their chances of making it out of the 1st round - but still, until they prove themselves enough to me (health), I'm not going to label them title contenders yet. Probably will turn out to be so, eventually, though. At least with getting out of R1. T-Mac/Yao can't get hurt significantly, as usual.

Ron will be a great fit in Houston, and will complement T-Mac tremendously. Houston finally has that third offensive guy, in legitimate and diverse fashion. I'll definitely root for and watch the Rockets some more, being a Ron Artest guy. I'd be so estatic right now if I was a Houston fan, especially after he kicked their ass basically every time in the last couple seasons - I'm glad for Ron, though.

I definitely like the Kings getting Greene, questionable at best if he can be a starting 3 in the NBA, but regardless, he's a quality athletic foward prospect. Intrigued to see him develop, and manage his shot selection. I think right now, he'll be a unique combo foward off the bench, or an undersized (mass) 4.

Clears up things at SF so there isn't any log-jam, for Sac. B-Jax and the R1 pick are solid assets for the Kings.

Just wish the Kings could of put a better team, better defensive team around Ron (past the inital 06 time). Damn shame that couldn't be built off of the 06 season.

This also obviously takes the Lakers out of the Artest picture, for at least this season. May well be even forever, too, since Ron's on a quality team that will be around for 3-4 years.

West continues to get tougher and stronger

[lukeridenour]

WOW..

[Ballings7]

T-Mac can be contained (everybody has seen this), so can Yao, but Artest is going to be tough to stop, as usual.

[lukeridenour]

they have one hell of a line up now. they really didnt give up that much either..

[Ballings7]

While he's on a team with T-Mac/Yao now, Ron was defended well by us with Udoka on him, in the 2nd half of the game at SA this past season. Ron going off before that in the 1st half for like 20+.

On the other side, Ron will continue to give Manu significant trouble, especially with the defense he'll have around him now.

Going to be interesting to see how we do defensively against them, I think we have the team to do it pretty well, though.

[Blame Rasho]

DAmn...

We have not been proactive and this happens for us settling.

[bmw42690]

Yeah they finally get something they have been lacking, a 3rd scoring option. If they stay healthy they have a pretty good team, however, thats a big if.

This also knocks Brent Barry's playing time down too with T-Mac, Artest, and Battier all likely to get quite a bit of time, plus they have Luther Head.

[Blame Rasho]

Yeah they finally get something they have been lacking, a 3rd scoring option. If they stay healthy they have a pretty good team, however, thats a big if.

This also knocks Brent Barry's playing time down too with T-Mac, Artest, and Battier all likely to get quite a bit of time, plus they have Luther Head.

Barry has a role player mentality, and we all know that team is very prone to being gimpy so he will get some PT at key points of the season.

[tosweet68]

Yeah they finally get something they have been lacking, a 3rd scoring option. If they stay healthy they have a pretty good team, however, thats a big if.

This also knocks Brent Barry's playing time down too with T-Mac, Artest, and Battier all likely to get quite a bit of time, plus they have Luther Head.

I would not be at all surprised to see Head get traded sometime this season.....he disappears in the playoffs and is a turnover machine when it comes to his ball handling.

[McGrady2Head]

Yeah they finally get something they have been lacking, a 3rd scoring option. If they stay healthy they have a pretty good team, however, thats a big if.

This also knocks Brent Barry's playing time down too with T-Mac, Artest, and Battier all likely to get quite a bit of time, plus they have Luther Head.

Trust me on this, Luther Head will not play before Brent Barry. Luther Head is the worst player in the nba

[UDRIH14]

while teams continue to get better on there roster

we stay put and do **** all...fukn spurs fo sucks

[johnnyjohnnyjohnny]

Awww, don't be like that Udrih. We got George Hill and some guy Wizards fans seemed to like (no, not Arenas, Butler or Jamison... the other guy).

I find it funny that so many players who's names are tied to the Spurs at any point over the last 2 years ends up a rocket.

[franchise73]

The Houston Rockets have reached an agreement to acquire forward Ron Artest from the Sacramento Kings, the Houston Chronicle is reporting.

The Rockets will give up guard Bobby Jackson, a No. 1 draft pick next season and another player that the individual with knowledge of the trade could not name.

It is believed that rookie Donte Greene is included in the deal, which will prevent the deal from going through until August 14, when Greene is able to be dealt.

There could also be other players involved to make the money match but none that the Rockets would plan to keep. The Rockets will also send the Kings cash in excess of $1 million.

http://basketball.realgm.com/src_wireta ... on_artest/

Wow

Good deal for both teams

Houston at least well increases their chances of making it out of the 1st round - but still, until they prove themselves enough to me (health), I'm not going to label them title contenders yet. Probably will turn out to be so, eventually, though. At least with getting out of R1. T-Mac/Yao can't get hurt significantly, as usual.

Ron will be a great fit in Houston, and will complement T-Mac tremendously. Houston finally has that third offensive guy, in legitimate and diverse fashion. I'll definitely root for and watch the Rockets some more, being a Ron Artest guy. I'd be so estatic right now if I was a Houston fan, especially after he kicked their ass basically every time in the last couple seasons - I'm glad for Ron, though.

I definitely like the Kings getting Greene, questionable at best if he can be a starting 3 in the NBA, but regardless, he's a quality athletic foward prospect. Intrigued to see him develop, and manage his shot selection. I think right now, he'll be a unique combo foward off the bench, or an undersized (mass) 4.

Clears up things at SF so there isn't any log-jam, for Sac. B-Jax and the R1 pick are solid assets for the Kings.

Just wish the Kings could of put a better team, better defensive team around Ron (past the inital 06 time). Damn shame that couldn't be built off of the 06 season.

This also obviously takes the Lakers out of the Artest picture, for at least this season. May well be even forever, too, since Ron's on a quality team that will be around for 3-4 years.

West continues to get tougher and stronger

So your telling me that a team proves them selves only when they are healthy?

If you dont see the Houston Rockets as one of the top two teams in the league theirs something wrong!!!

They won 55 games not healthy!!! So i can only imagine what the Rockets will do being healthy. Good luck for bother teams (rockets and spurs)

[Ballings7]

No, I don't see them as one of the top two teams in the league - yet. Also, that's really not being fair to a few other teams with such a small number of two.

If the Rockets stay healthy, they could well be, if not top two, top 3/4 for sure. If they run into issues, naturally, things get iffy with how good they'll be. Also as good as they could be, have to take into account they are in a super stacked conference.

Houston's always looked like a deep playoff team on paper before the season since 04-05, but has always had things go on where they just haven't lived up to general expectations.

The two main factors that have always been there with them is health, and lacking an above-average 3rd offensive guy after T-Mac/Yao. Obviously they got that now very good and more with Ron Artest.
As well as T-Mac playing mixed bag playoff 'ball, and ultimately not quite coming up as expected (different situation this past season though).

The 3rd option deal is eliminated for them.

And, the health concern mainly relates to T-Mac and Yao, always has. And actually now, to a lesser extent Ron Artest (don't take that as relating to his mind, because it's not). Ron will probably miss a bunch of games due to an injury. If it's just a smaller amount, that's fine obviously.

We'll see how that goes as a whole.

In the regular season they'll get a lot of wins.

But, It's all about the playoffs with Houston, and how they are set up as a team now with that level of play, I already said how I feel about them there now.

Unless they get significant injury(ies), there really are no excuses for Houston in the playoffs now. If they're fine health-wise, then they really should move on to the next round, good chance for WCF, too.

[franchise73]

No, I don't see them as one of the top two teams in the league - yet. Also, that's really not being fair to a few other teams with such a small number of two.

If the Rockets stay healthy, they could well be, if not top two, top 3/4 for sure. If they run into issues, naturally, things get iffy with how good they'll be. Also as good as they could be, have to take into account they are in a super stacked conference.

Houston's always looked like a deep playoff team on paper before the season since 04-05, but has always had things go on where they just haven't lived up to general expectations.

The two main factors that have always been there with them is health, and lacking an above-average 3rd offensive guy after T-Mac/Yao. Obviously they got that now very good and more with Ron Artest.
As well as T-Mac playing mixed bag playoff 'ball, and ultimately not quite coming up as expected (different situation this past season though).

The 3rd option deal is eliminated for them.

And, the health concern mainly relates to T-Mac and Yao, always has. And actually now, to a lesser extent Ron Artest (don't take that as relating to his mind, because it's not). Ron will probably miss a bunch of games due to an injury. If it's just a smaller amount, that's fine obviously.

We'll see how that goes as a whole.

In the regular season they'll get a lot of wins.

But, It's all about the playoffs with Houston, and how they are set up as a team now with that level of play, I already said how I feel about them there now.

Unless they get significant injury(ies), there really are no excuses for Houston in the playoffs now. If they're fine health-wise, then they really should move on to the next round, good chance for WCF, too.

On paper no team can match them other then the celtics. Not the aging spurs or dallas. Other then health and maybe New Orleans theirs nothing that wouldnt stop them from winning the west. If the Rockets resign Landry its a matter of health. But you cant controll health, you never know when and who. God willing it wont be the Rockets this year.

[Gutter92]

They won 55 games not healthy!!! So i can only imagine what the Rockets will do being healthy. Good luck for bother teams (rockets and spurs)

Im sure it was on realgm, somewhere in the General Discussion, where we saw the statistics of the Rockets with both Stars, and with 1 or both of them missing. The record was nearly identical if I remember right...so I dont completely buy the argument that some Rockets fans put up about health.

But it certainly looks like a good team right now. Good luck to you guys.

[SMRattler]

On paper no team can match them other then the celtics. Not the aging spurs or dallas. Other then health and maybe New Orleans theirs nothing that wouldnt stop them from winning the west. If the Rockets resign Landry its a matter of health. But you cant controll health, you never know when and who. God willing it wont be the Rockets this year.

Spurs, Dallas and NO? Win the West?

What about Lakers?

Personally, I will believe the Rockets can stay healthy when I see it. Yao was beaten down right into the off-season, again. He had surgery and got well enough to go join his friends in China this summer. Now he's already limping again and it's still August! TMac is another question mark every year anyway. But Yao, I don't see how he will do anything but keep breaking down without extensive off-season rest. I mean real rest, followed by a light load during the off-season. Guy that size needs more than most would probably. I feel bad for him, he sounds like he's a nice guy. His off-season participation in international play is looking like it won't ever allow him to have a real healthy PRIME season in the NBA.

A healthy, strong Yao in rythm with a bounce in his step and moves with growing confidence going into the post-season next year would be fun to watch. It will also be miraculous to me.

[Ballings7]

New Orleans wouldn't be able to beat Houston in a series.

They still aren't diverse enough offensively, and their bench isn't respectable, as a whole. It will actually be partially worse if Mike James doesn't return to his 04 Piston, 05 Rocket form. Pargo's not coming back. They have no veteran big man, and are questionable at back-up PG. Hilton Armstrong should emerge some more and be better.

Offensively, outside of Paul, West (who, with his game and on their team, is more of a third option), they're limited offensively. Unless they get it externally, Julian Wright has to become an all-star caliber scorer for them to take that next step, his set-up and off-ball scoring ability is going to be there of note. But they lack that extra, real offensive guy after Paul and West.

They also don't have a well-rounded wing-defender. They have Posey now, but the thing with him is he's not that good at defending perimeter guys where there's a lot of movement (quicker players), this is because he doesn't have the lateral quickness. Everywhere else he's good.

Julian Wright I think can be this guy defensively for them, but he probably won't play late in games this year, so whatever impact he has, will be limited. Until he enters the main line-up, as will go for his impact in general.

I also don't think your sole source for legit offense up front, can be a big man like David West. He's a good player, but the anchor there? I don't buy it. On a side note, he better become more composed mentally with his emotions, or else that's going to continue to be a problem.

I just don't see them as a title contender until they improve on their multiple weaker aspects. Until then, they're built more for the regular season, but don't have that offensive depth and versatility you need in the playoffs.