Los Angeles Lakers Should Trade Ron Artest for Mo Williams
The season just started today, but it’s not too early to think of improvements for teams.
If Mo Williams and Ron Artest were to swap places, it would be an improvement for both Los Angeles-based franchises.
Ron Artest to the Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers have received a little too much hype this year because of the arrival of superstar point guard Chris Paul. The team might not be legitimate contenders just yet, but they are on the rise.
They’re in that position right now where they can make it over the top if they can find the right pieces to finish off their roster. Ron Artest is a potential piece.
While Artest hasn’t been playing like the guy that won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2004, he’s still a solid player. If he can be motivated again, he definitely can be someone that plays a key role on a title contender. Strong leaders like Paul and Chauncey Billups can help make that happen.
Artest can be slotted as the first forward off the bench. He can provide quality minutes behind recently acquired Caron Butler (who can also move over to guard). At 6’7″ 260 pounds, he can also provide some minutes behind Blake Griffin, the highly-hyped youngster who struggles defensively at times.
Losing Mo Williams shouldn’t be a big deal for the Clippers. Paul and Billups are going to occupy a lot of minutes, while youngster Eric Bledsoe deserves time on the court to develop.
Mo Williams to the Los Angeles Lakers
Since their fanbase are usually accustomed to the team making a big splash during the offseason, the Lakers are now in a position where they’re being doubted. After failing to acquire Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, the team knows that they need to make a move (even a minor one) to keep the excitement in the air.
At one point in time, the NBA had three guys averaging over 25 points, five assists and five rebounds a game. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were two of them. The third guy, though, was harder to guess. That guy was Mo Williams.
Williams has a knack for scoring. While he might never again average over 20 points a game, he can still help the Lakers by providing a spark off the bench and filling a void that was left when Lamar Odom was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
Lakers fans aren’t exactly enamored with the point guard duo of Derek Fisher and Steve Blake. Williams would certainly be viewed as an upgrade at the position. He can even take whatever little minutes that Bryant leaves behind at the shooting guard spot.
The franchise can afford to lose Ron Artest. They still have Jason Kapono, Devin Ebanks, Matt Barnes and Luke Walton on the roster.
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Ron Artest Challenges Michael Jordan To A 1-ON-1 Game To End NBA Lockout
Los Angeles Lakers star Ron Artest has sent out a challenge, via his twitter, to NBA legend Michael Jordan.In the tweet, Ron Artest called out the 6-time NBA champion to a 1-on-1 game, and also added that “IF HE WINS” then the NBA lockout would end. Going to guess that if he doesn’t win, then the NBA lockout will continue?Also, a few tweets later, Ron Artest took a shot at NBA commissioner David Stern.HIGHLY UNLIKELY, Jordan will accept the challenge, but it’s pretty funny though.
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Ron Artest Challenges Michael Jordan in Brilliant Plan to End NBA Lockout
Ron Artest, known now as Metta World Peace, is not nuts. He is simply a mad genius, and rather hilarious as well.
What we have here is thinking taking place nowhere near the box. With no hope in sight regarding the NBA lockout, it’s time to get creative, and that’s where my favorite NBA baller comes in.
Metta World Peace took to Twitter to offer a challenge to one of the greatest hoopsters to ever lace up sneakers. Here is the tweet heard round the world.
There you have a current NBA superstar asking for a one-on-one with the Jumpman himself. This is the point that we break down what would happen if the two met on the court. But before, a little more smack talk from the king of such things.
Here is this gem of a tweet.
So what we got here is an ultimatum that Jordan can hardly pass up on. How can the greatest of all time back own when Peace makes war? You have the delicious Cheetos to consider and the fact that Peace spelled Michael incorrectly.
Dude is just piling on the insults. Now comes the hard part, Peace would lose. I am going to go with the assumption that the game goes to 21, with the obvious note that you need to win by two.
This may not be Air Jordan, and it would be evident when his creaky knees fail to captures a 40-inch vertical. But I would bet my Xbox 360 collection that he can still shoot the lights out of the building, though.
The man loves to workout with the teams and would be able to hit at least a jumper from the outside to take this one for the owners.
Now are we playing “winner takes ball?” If so, I would put more confidence in Peace getting to at least 15 before his tight shorts get the best of him and he dribbles the ball off his tiny little shoes.
As a Lakers fan, I have seen this before and would guarantee this would go down at least once. However, this is the only way this lockout ends.
Expecting the players and owners to work it out…now that’s ridiculous.
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Metta World Peace might be funnier than Ron Artest
Metta World Peace seems to have found a Twitter humor that Ron Artest may not have possessed.
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Ron Artest: Tracking Twitter Response to World Peace’s Bizarre NBA Lockout Tweet
Metta World Peace, aka Ron Artest, since the Twitterverse and sports world buzzing Tuesday. Mr. Peace has become an avid tweeter, and while his tweets are rarely mundane, he took it to new heights on Tuesday.
This was the tweet that got everyone buzzing:
People had no idea what to do with this. Was Ron-Ron really on the inside that he got an inside scoop. After all, he could have hear from Derek Fisher.
@I_Am_Durty was obviously hoping this was the case.
The public was perplexed. They couldn’t find this news anywhere else. @JoeBudden summed up that feeling well with this response:
Of course, there were legitimate amounts of skepticism. And for various reasons. Like the one expressed by @FJiandan:
NBA experts like @AlexKennedyNBA knew better than to get too excited.
After about an hour of questions and buzz, Metta let everyone in on the gag in a way only he could.
And that tweet earned my favorite response of the day from @purpyellow4life:
You just can’t toy with people’s basketball emotions like that and expect your bunions to escape pain free.
And after the dust settled, we are right back where we started: locked out from NBA action. But let this Twiitter adventure to David Stern and the negotiating powers of the NBA. Things can get interesting in a hurry when people have a wealth of new found free time.
I’ve got a feeling this is just the tip of the iceburg for Ron Artest as he tries to cure his boredom, and I wouldn’t even begin to speculate at what that iceburg looks like below the surface of the water.
You also have to believe he isn’t the only NBA player that is starting to get “creative” while they sit idle when they are used to being in training camp.
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Ron Artest: Tracking Twitter Response to World Peace’s Bizarre NBA Lockout Tweet
Metta World Peace, aka Ron Artest, since the Twitterverse and sports world buzzing Tuesday. Mr. Peace has become an avid tweeter, and while his tweets are rarely mundane, he took it to new heights on Tuesday.
This was the tweet that got everyone buzzing:
People had no idea what to do with this. Was Ron-Ron really on the inside that he got an inside scoop. After all, he could have hear from Derek Fisher.
@I_Am_Durty was obviously hoping this was the case.
The public was perplexed. They couldn’t find this news anywhere else. @JoeBudden summed up that feeling well with this response:
Of course, there were legitimate amounts of skepticism. And for various reasons. Like the one expressed by @FJiandan:
NBA experts like @AlexKennedyNBA knew better than to get too excited.
After about an hour of questions and buzz, Metta let everyone in on the gag in a way only he could.
And that tweet earned my favorite response of the day from @purpyellow4life:
You just can’t toy with people’s basketball emotions like that and expect your bunions to escape pain free.
And after the dust settled, we are right back where we started: locked out from NBA action. But let this Twiitter adventure to David Stern and the negotiating powers of the NBA. Things can get interesting in a hurry when people have a wealth of new found free time.
I’ve got a feeling this is just the tip of the iceburg for Ron Artest as he tries to cure his boredom, and I wouldn’t even begin to speculate at what that iceburg looks like below the surface of the water.
You also have to believe he isn’t the only NBA player that is starting to get “creative” while they sit idle when they are used to being in training camp.
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Ron Artest: Metta World Peace Tweets Lockout Has Ended, Should We Believe It?
Ron Artest has our attention. Well, more than he usually does anyway.
Metta World Peace has tweeted some very important and tremendous news. I am not so sure I am ready to buy into it, though.
On Tuesday, all was calm on the NBA front. The usual pace of league lockout was in place. Meeting were scheduled and agents were advising. Then came a huge rumor wrapped in the tiniest of packages.
Metta World Peace, the Lakers forward that was previously known as Ron Artest, took to Twitter and delivered some exciting news.
His first tweet was the pinnacle of intriguing. It was vague and filled with optimism.
Then there was this tweet that got me out of my chair. I am a sucker for exclamation points after all.
The next tweet is where I had some trouble.
A look at ronartest.com delivers nothing in the way of lockout news. There is discussion on mental health and some ads for his sneakers. As far as the NBA lockout, nothing.
Alas, this seems like a very naughty marketing ploy. Or, knowing Metta World Peace, a very brief and ill-advised boost of optimism.
It seems that, for now, the NBA is still very much in lockout mode.
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Metta World Peace AKA Ron Artest vs. Rampage Jackson: Potential Charity Fight in the Works
Ron Artest AKA Metta World Peace is using the NBA lockout to spend some time in the boxing ring.
However, his next opponent may pose a greater challenge than what he’s been subjected to in previous sparring sessions.
According to Mr. World Peace’s official Twitter page, the Lakers’ forward and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson have agreed to go a few rounds in the boxing ring.
Rampage gonna test my chin for charity!! This will be the biggest heavyweight fight outside klits and haye!!
Obviously, there’s a bit of exaggeration done by Artest to make his point, but it’s clear that he’s taking an unorthodox approach to his extended time off.
It’s great that he’s going to raise money for charity with the effort, but what if he gets hurt?
Seriously.
The Lakers have a sizable chunk of change invested in the defender, and instead of playing in a charity basketball game or attending important labor negotiations, World Peace is making plans to have a professional fighter do work on his chin.
Awesome.
World Peace posted some of the worst numbers of his career despite playing all 82 games for the Lakers last season.
Averaging just 29 minutes per game to go along with 8.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals, the gritty forward needs to make a superlative effort to return to form and show a commitment to the team that showed a commitment to him.
Again, I understand that the intent here is nothing but good, and he should be commended for the tremendous work he’s done in the community that largely goes unnoticed by most fans.
However, this is the time training camp would’ve begun.
This is the time to focus on basketball.
I’m not mad that he’s attempting to be creative in an effort boost his public image and do some charitable work. That’s commendable.
He’s donated an immense amount of money toward charitable efforts, but as a basketball fan, I’d like to see the player previously known as Ron Artest return to the hardwood the way that I remember him most fondly.
As a feared defender.
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Artest challenges Durant in streetball
Ron Artest sees street ball becoming popular and wants to get involved. He wants to wager $300,000 that his ball team will beat Kevin Durant’s.
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LA Lakers: What Can We Expect from Metta World Peace aka Ron Artest in 2011-12?
The NBA player originally known as Ron Artest has officially and legally become Metta World Peace. A judge has ruled as such and the ESPN.com website that shows NBA players and their stats has made the change as well. So it must be official: Bye bye, Ron-Ron.
Metta has been very busy during the summer lockout but not with basketball. He’s tried stand-up comedy (not so much), Dancing With the Stars (not so much), the aforementioned name change and his charitable work through his nonprofit, Xcel University.
If there is one thing you can honestly say about Metta World Peace is that he’s entertaining. He also has a big heart and wants to help those less fortunate and those with mental health issues.
Metta sold his one and only World Championship ring in 2010 through an online raffle and raised well over $600,000 in the process to help support mental health awareness.
The question, though, is what can we expect from World Peace if and when the NBA season starts up? His production and minutes dropped dramatically last year for the Lakers, and there is no indication yet that this will change.
Metta’s minutes (29.4) were the least amount for him in a decade. He made less than 40 percent of his shots from the field, including 37 percent from beyond the arc.
Once a scoring threat (between 2003-09 Ron Artest averaged between 16.9-24.6 points per game), World Peace is now seen mostly as a defender whose outside shot has become near nonexistent.
World Peace averaged just 8.5 points last year for the Lakers, by far the lowest average of his career and the only time he’s been under 10 points. The year before, the team’s championship run, was not much better as he averaged 11 PPG in a scheme that called for him to shoot less and defend more.
Make no mistake, the Lakers signed World Peace for his defense, and he remains one of the best in the league when he is focused, even at 32 (November 13). But, they also need him to occasionally put the ball in the hole from outside as well as in the paint. In that department, Metta has been inconsistent his two years in L.A., and there is nothing to indicate that will change.
On a team where you have several players in front of Metta as the main offensive threats (Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum), it is increasingly difficult for him to get his touches, but when he does, World Peace needs to make shots.
One good thing in this whole scenario is that World Peace played under then assistant coach Mike Brown when he was in Indiana with the Pacers. Metta thrived as a defensive stalwart under Brown, and so, one would only assume he’s happy to be reunited with him as the new coach for the Lakers.
The key to Metta’s (too bad we can’t call him Ron-Ron anymore) season boils down to conditioning and passion. How hungry is he for another title run? When World Peace puts his mind to it, he is one tough player to play against. His energy can be infectious.
If Metta is not focused and lets his outside world infiltrate what he’s trying to accomplish on the court, then he and the Lakers may not be long for each other. Mike Brown is a no-nonsense type of guy and will want his troops ready to go by the start of a new season.
Metta World Peace will be pushed for playing time by Matt Barnes, Derrick Caracter and Devin Ebanks. Let’s see how much he really wants it.
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