Artest info please

[Dexmor]

Ron Artest had an off yeaar in Houston so I figured maybe Kings fans might have good info.

Was Ron able to drive to the basket and finish? Was he a decent finisher or did he really lose a step?

Any and all info would help please.

[boffacheerios]

offensively, he probably has oneof the most annoying, boring games there is. he's extremely undecisive and is somewhat of a chucker. when he decides to drive, you'll find yourself shaking your head because he simply does not have the quick first step to get around most SF's (the guy's built like a tank). usually he'll throw up a shotonce he's near the basket and hope to get fouled. that being said, ertest has always been an energy guy. on the defensive end there are few who can better him, and on offense IF he gets going it can be dangerous. the advantage of his build is that he can post on other forwards with ease and actually does this farely well. Obviously what i'm saying is what he did on the kings, where he was the number 1 option. obviously with the lakers he'll probably be 3 or 4, so his role will change. overall i think he should be a great fit for the lakers.

[Nicky Nix Nook]

Ron is one of my favorite players still. He is somewhat streaky, but when he gets going it's really fun to watch. He can play the 1-4 which only Lebron is capable of.

[Dexmor]

So he can't really drive to the cup and finish? That is disapointing. Thank you for the info though. That seems to be what everybody says. He only had 6 dunks last year.

[sd_kingsfan]

So he can't really drive to the cup and finish? That is disapointing. Thank you for the info though. That seems to be what everybody says. He only had 6 dunks last year.

He will post up though. He seems to be just stronger than everyone that tries to defend him. His game is very stagnant, but will be of little issue to a team like the lakers that have so many options.

[SacKingZZZ]

Ron has really lost a lot of quickness to his game, and I somewhat agree with that report a couple of weeks ago stating he isn't the top defensive player he once was. As for driving to the basket, he's OK, but that's not his strong suit.

He really shot the 3 ball better in Houston, but he still is much better off the dribble which is kind of odd and yes, can be annoying. I really think he and Kobe will make a great combo, but with Pau and Odom I think things are going to get sticky. Some compare this situation to the Rodman/Jackson one, but Rodman knew how to stay out of the way, Ron's going to really destroy that teams offense at times IMO.

[pillwenney]

He's actually good at driving in a way. It's just somewhat unconventional. He tends to kind of barrel through people on his way to the basket, whereas most players use quickness. And his strength allows him to be great at making tough shots, but he also takes many more tough shots than he should because of it.

[sd_kingsfan]

He's actually good at driving in a way. It's just somewhat unconventional. He tends to kind of barrel through people on his way to the basket, whereas most players use quickness. And his strength allows him to be great at making tough shots, but he also takes many more tough shots than he should because of it.

Totally agreed. That drive and fall away shot thing he does is based so much on his strength.

[KF10]

He was actually a good driver to the basket in certain scenarios. But that shows you his testament of his strength though. He just bulldozer anything in his way, oddly enough, it was successful. Very successful at times. Still, he has the quickness to get to the rim if he is matched up with a power forward. (He usually attacks them off the dribble or post them up too! haha)

[King Baller]

If Artest is on the floor with Kobe, Gasol and Odom and any PG who can hit a jump shot......how are you going to defend that?

Artest barrels right thru any single defender in the league fast enough to stay with him. Cover him with a Big and he can go around them......pick your poison.

Unless the injury bug visits the lakers, or they implode, its deep into the playoffs again.

Artest also hits the 3 with pretty good regularity and gets to the line quite a bit.

KB

[cdt3]

I think Artest has similar game to Hedo. He is a high points/ok rebounder/really good defender. Ron is a super competitor but not quite clutch enough to get anyone over the hump.

He has to be involved though I think the Lakers messed up bringing in 4 stars this year like the Shaq/Kobe/Payton/Malone team that was just too loaded and just had too much talent to keep everyone happy.

[SacKingZZZ]

If Artest is on the floor with Kobe, Gasol and Odom and any PG who can hit a jump shot......how are you going to defend that?

Artest barrels right thru any single defender in the league fast enough to stay with him. Cover him with a Big and he can go around them......pick your poison.

Unless the injury bug visits the lakers, or they implode, its deep into the playoffs again.

Artest also hits the 3 with pretty good regularity and gets to the line quite a bit.

KB

Easy, you wait for Ron to get the ball, dribble it down to 3 seconds on the shot clock and hoist up a fading 23 footer.

No, they are without question the favorite this year, but if Boston is healthy, they match up far too well with the lakeshow. Ron is pretty good on Pierce but there are times when Pierce just creams him and with the addition of Sheed they have two elite defensive bigs to put on Gasol both of whom happen to be excellent jumpshooters. Their window is probably closed after this year, but Boston, while not as impressive as the Lakers on paper, might be one of the toughest and most dynamic teams in years. They will just physically beat the hell out of teams with Perkins, Big Baby, and Shelden up front, that's 18 of the hardest fouls in the league!

[King Baller]

If Artest is on the floor with Kobe, Gasol and Odom and any PG who can hit a jump shot......how are you going to defend that?



KB

Easy, you wait for Ron to get the ball, dribble it down to 3 seconds on the shot clock and hoist up a fading 23 footer.

Oh the Memories How many times when Ron was a King did we see that exact thing!

KB

[Dexmor]

I know he has lost a little speed from his Pacer days when he could guard a Wade and Iverson but do you think his speed is at least above average for a sf?

Would you consider him a slow sf?

[KF10]

He wasn't that slow as a small forward when he played for us. He was respectable for his position, even though he is built like a tank. But I think it is about his hands more than anything(he has one of the most incredible hands I seen as a defender for a while). He has the capacity to slow defenders down with his hands alone.

[SacKingZZZ]

I know he has lost a little speed from his Pacer days when he could guard a Wade and Iverson but do you think his speed is at least above average for a sf?

Would you consider him a slow sf?

A slow SF? No, I wouldn't. He's just not the multi-positional defender he was. As said, what makes him so unique is his hands. Some of the best hands and quickest hands I've ever seen.

[Draino]

Ron Artest had an off yeaar in Houston so I figured maybe Kings fans might have good info.

Was Ron able to drive to the basket and finish? Was he a decent finisher or did he really lose a step?

Any and all info would help please.

Maybe if you actually WATCH basketball you wouldn't need "info" or whatever, Ron Artest isn't just any scrub or whatever that rarely would be seen playing, he is a good player who played on good teams. The Rockets made it deep in the playoffs last year and the whole world got to see that so... yea watch some games before you start something like this, and why is this on a Kings thread anyways? You gonna go on a Bulls and Pacers thread as well?? he played for them too....

[down_el_road]

Artest is a warrior. Sometimes warrriors complete thier objective in an ugly fashion but in the end they get it done.