question to lakers fans

teamsteven01 · Post #1 » by **teamsteven01** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:48 am

ok i have a question..i dont watch many lakers games (i live in phoenix and im a suns fan) but i was wondering if you guys are happy with Artest? is an upgrade from Ariza, downgrade or equal?

seems its kind of a wash to me, but i personally like ariza better..

im not here to talk crap or anything, i already know the lakers are better then the suns blah blah, im just curious what you guys think.

CowsMoo · Post #2 » by **CowsMoo** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:10 am

Happy.

That's one laker fan.

laduane1 · Post #3 » by **laduane1** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:31 am

Ron brings a little more defense to the table. He is a win now player. Trevor was more of a fan favorite. He could have been here for years. He just wanted more money now than we seemed to be offering. It comes out to they both got about the same. 5 plus million over 5 years.

Trevor has less baggage than Ron. Might be better at running the floor. I would say it is a wash in some areeas. Trevor might be a better player in the long run and without Kobe taking his shots, Trevor has a chance to be a 15-20 point scorer per night. Might not win another ring in Houston.

Tekkenlaw · Post #4 » by **Tekkenlaw** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:47 am

I'd take Ariza because of his youth and athleticism, I love Ron and he's one of my favorite players in the league but I wish we could have held onto Ariza.

Dr Aki · Post #5 » by **Dr Aki** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 8:46 am

trevor's agent **** things up royally for him...

ron is a definite upgrade defensively and brings other offensive qualities such as playmaking and overwhelming strength that helps a heck of a lot more than trevor's wiry frame... now, we can leave ron alone on an island, and he'll still do a very admirable job.

ariza was so much better at hitting that open trey, sharper cuts in the half court and flying in the open floor. trevor wasnt all that great at moving his feet either, which put all that SOS, SSZ scheming rambis did a lot more relevant.

overall, the lakers have turned from an elite offense with above average defense into an above offensive team with elite defense. good thing is, the lakers reached their capabilities as just an above average defensive team. we still know that the current lakers can get better tuned on offense.

Sofa King · Post #6 » by **Sofa King** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:08 am

Artest is the better player, but Ariza just fit so well. Ariza provided that spark and his energy to get steals and on the break was exciting to see.

Can't blame the management on taking Artest, because I would too. But Ariza had been around the Lakers longer while Artest is only been here for a few months.

****Also, I think the drive for the whole Laker team was higher last year so I am going to account the Lakers on that more than on the shoulders of Artest.

Post #7 » by **Slava** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:47 am

Artest has been very good. He's been defensively dominant over most swing men not named Lebron or Melo. He also has the ability to step up in Kobe's absence which makes him a much more valuable asset.

His discipline has been commendable too.

Mamba Venom · Post #8 » by **Mamba Venom** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:36 am

I like Ron because it was weird that Fish was our enforcer.

Its good to have a little bit of crazy on a Phil Jackson team. Artest is a player you love to havve on your team but you know at any moment you may have to ship his ass out if he falls out of line. The Lakers are his pimp.

Post #9 » by **dockingsched** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 5:34 pm

they asked phil before last night's game about how the lakers won without kobe. to make it quick, he said the reason was that the defense picked up. when asked why its ranked 2nd in the league despite losing defensive coach rambis, phil said its because of ron. according to phil, the 35 mpg physical presence that ron brings is something that ariza just couldn't provide.

The Skyhook · Post #10 » by **The Skyhook** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:51 pm

Whether Ron is the actual reason or if it is simply because our guys decided to play defense, Ron is still going to get credit because of his rep. I think the Lakers are creating more turnovers this season and a lot of them start out with Ron so I do think he has made an impact defensively when it comes to turning defense into offense.

I'm sure we all miss the spark that Ariza brought to the Lakers but one thing that I have learned is that those kinds of players are easily replace. We had Ronnie back in 2007 - 2008, then we had Ariza in 2008 - 2009 and now we have Shannon Brown for 2009 - 2010. Shanon Brown has the option to opt and whether or not he does that is entirely up to him. I'm sure if he does we will be able to find someone to replace him also.

stunnar0b · Post #11 » by **stunnar0b** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 8:31 pm

teamsteven01 wrote:ok i have a question..i dont watch many lakers games (i live in phoenix and im a suns fan) but i was wondering if you guys are happy with Artest? is an upgrade from Ariza, downgrade or equal?

seems its kind of a wash to me, but i personally like ariza better..

im not here to talk crap or anything, i already know the lakers are better then the suns blah blah, im just curious what you guys think.

best offseason trade
artest better defender
ariza thrives in open court

stunnar0b · Post #12 » by **stunnar0b** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 8:32 pm

forgot to add artest better shooter OVERALL

Sedale Threatt · Post #13 » by **Sedale Threatt** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 8:35 pm

Ron. Better defender, better shooter. The end.

LAKESHOW · Post #14 » by **LAKESHOW** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:09 pm

RON, because he wants to be here. and ariza did not.

Quincy · Post #15 » by **Quincy** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 10:05 pm

Artest is much better actually. He's a better low-post scorer, defender, shooter, and brings muscle and an attitude that LA didn't have.

DubaLakers · Post #16 » by **DubaLakers** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 10:29 pm

I LOVED Ariza I'm probably top 5 in these forums on my love for that dude as a player, I love defensive players; bonus he was all effort from tip to buzzer, but considering the circumstances the LAL couldn't have done better with a plan B than Run Run (as LO calls him). Plus he was younger and sickly athletic. Run Run has no hops, I didn't know that either, but his skill and strength make up for it. I also had no idea Run Run was such a pretty shooter from three, that step to the side three he takes Sasha tries to do but fails Run Run has down pa,t it's sick. The LAL won the title last year in LARGE part due to Ariza, according to John Ireland a LAL exec (source not revealed) said the LAL would have lost that DEN series if it wasn't for Ariza. I still miss Trevor, his 24/7 effort was refreshing for a NBA pro.

Post #17 » by **Danny Darko** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:22 pm

Well, I'm pretty sure other teams would say we're better with Ron. I'm also pretty sure that KG's antics have been almost completely non existent in the face of getting crazy train wrecked which always makes me smile.

Ron disappears on O alot, but he is always barking and coordinating the D and he's played great D at the right moments, though Trevor did too.

It's true he has zero hops though. I think it's between him and walton for least hops on the team. If he lost about 10lbs he'd be more effective, but he's plenty effective.

LakerZombie · Post #18 » by **LakerZombie** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:42 pm

Ariza was great and racked up the steals but so does Ron. Ariza had more athleticism but Ron can bang down low where Ariza would get knocked on his behind unless slashing to the rim.

As for shooting, Ariza just barely started knocking 3's consistently at the tail end of his Laker career while Rons been doing it since he was in the league or shortly after.

Its close but overall Ron is the better all around player and a much needed veteran presence on a squad as young as the Lakers

So as a Laker fan I def saw the swap as an upgrade

Post #19 » by **Danny Darko** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:43 pm

Here's the numbers per RotoTimes (keep in mind Trevor gets to be the focus, ron is a role player)

PPG: Ron 11.6 < Trevor 15.4
FG%: Ron .417 > Trevor .383
FT%: Ron .686 > Trevor .657
3pt% Ron .384 > Trevor .318
Rbpg Ron 4.5 < Trevor 5.6
Asst: Ron 3.2 < Trevor 3.7
SPG: Ron 1.1 < Trevor 1.7
BPG: Ron .3 < Trevor .5
TO: Ron 87 > Trevor 123
PF: Ron 115 > Trevor 120

Basically very close, but the intangible grit Ron brings is worth it to me.

The Skyhook · Post #20 » by **The Skyhook** » Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:47 pm

Danny Darko wrote:Well, I'm pretty sure other teams would say we're better with Ron. I'm also pretty sure that KG's antics have been almost completely non existent in the face of getting crazy train wrecked which always makes me smile.

Ron disappears on O alot, but he is always barking and coordinating the D and he's played great D at the right moments, though Trevor did too.

It's true he has zero hops though. I think it's between him and walton for least hops on the team. If he lost about 10lbs he'd be more effective, but he's plenty effective.

No hops eh?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98-O-gmRPz8

I'm kidding that is like a one time thing. I know how you feel about his hops.