Ron Artest has wanted to be a Laker for years and finally told Phil Jackson about how he could help the team after last season’s Game 6 loss in the Finals.

He was so eager, in fact, Artest approached Jackson in the locker room shower.

“Ron said, ‘Coach, I can help your team. I can help you get that championship,’ � Jackson said.

Jackson told that story during an interview Friday on KLAC/570, shortly after he announced he was returning to coach the Lakers next season.

That awkward meeting could be the first of many unsettling moments between the sometimes volatile player and Zen-like coach. Jackson didn’t sound too sure about dealing with Artest on a daily basis.

“He’s an unknown. He’s a player that even I think his own teams don’t know exactly what he’s going to do that particular night,� Jackson said.

But Artest’s defense more than makes up his mercurial personality in Jackson’s eyes.

“He’s a strong defender that can play a variety of roles on defense, a shutdown guy, either on big or small. He can go to the two guards, he can go to the power forwards, depending upon what the challenge is, and he likes that,� Jackson said. “I think that’s his calling card for us. He does have an accurate three-point shot, and he’s a good post up player.�

Jackson said he wasn’t really consulted about whether the Lakers should sign Trevor Ariza or Artest.

“I wasn’t given the either/or,� Jackson said. “I knew we had Ron on our wish list for, what, three years now? And we needed a lockdown defender besides Kobe Bryant that would take on the chores.

“Trevor turned out to be that guy this year. So I was quite surprised, as was most of our fans, that negotiations did not go well with Trevor and his people. We think that we have a player that has probably a little more dimension to Trevor, but still Trevor has that youth and that speed that we’ll miss.

http://lakers.freedomblogging.com/2009/ ... -of/20059/

So Jackson wanted Artest to come here huh? So we being patient with Lamar and Shannon.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lak ... 8460.story

Not just Phil. Kobe wanted Ron here for years did many Laker fans. Myself included.

Good to hear from you I agree I wanted Artest to come here I believe he wanted to come to LA since coming to the NBA But I been reading forums they happy with Ariza some are mad that Artest left some are happy.

In the beginning I thought it was funny how Lebron would lead on the national (&NYC) media about him possibly leaving. They were all so obsessive about it and it seemed like he was having fun with the situation.

It has gone beyond funny now. There probably is no city in America that has as big of an inferiority complex as Cleveland. His lack of reassurance to the very loyal fans of the area is either extremely mean or indicative of his true intentions. Or maybe he just doesn't get it.

Ferry and Gilbert have proven beyond a doubt that they will do whatever it takes to make the Cavs perennial contenders. They have even forsaken acquiring young players to develop for the future in order to win now and please Lebron.

*Disclaimer* - The following is an opinion - There is no doubt that Lebron's lack of commitment is on the minds of free agents. Shaq mentioned before his trade that he would like Lebron to commit before accepting the trade. He accepted anyhow. Dan Artest....I know he is a scumbag..... also said that it factored in his brother's decision. He probably would have gone to LA anyways, but it is still there.

I love Lebron....but it is time to man-up and back up his team, city, and organization.

Speaking of mad people, there are some Cleveland fans that are pissed at LeBron James. They feel that it's his fault that free agents don't want to go there because he won't commit to Cleveland after this season.

This is from http://realcavsfans.com/showthread.php? ... post560451



It used to be that nobody wanted to play with Kobe. Now, the Lakers can't keep them away.

“Trevor turned out to be that guy this year. So I was quite surprised, as was most of our fans, that negotiations did not go well with Trevor and his people. We think that we have a player that has probably a little more dimension to Trevor, but still Trevor has that youth and that speed that we’ll miss.

Super,
Strangely, I don't share your fears, and I have never liked Ron Artest for our team. The reason being that I think Artest is now focused on winning a chip. He has never won one, and since he does have an ego, he is barely intelligent enough to realize that having a ring is an affermation of one's chosen line of work. He will sublimate himself to this end. He will also have the advantage of being surrounded by personality modifiers, that he already respects, in the persons of Bryant, Odom, and Fisher. Moreover, he knows that Phil Jackson is THE best Coach now in pro basketball. No, as dumb as he is, he will not be that dumb.

You are right probably cuckooroller & NJsBiggestLakerfanatic.
After thoughts, even if Ron is hot-blooded, the Lakers is doubtless one of the teams the best armed to manage him.
He played very well during his first years with the Pacers, because he understood he wasn't the first offensive option and he was surrounded with veterans he respected.
That's why in Los Angeles, he will be centered well with Kobe, Phil and Derek.

But how do you think the Lakers will manage the case of Lamar? He may not be agree to play luxury backups again.
Indeed if Ron is good and Andrew will continue his progression, don't you think his minutes on the floor could decrease?

Actually, last year I started thinking about the James situation, and his reluctance to even talk about contract extentions. I concluded that what the poster from the Cleveland fan site is saying, is doubtless true for the large part. The attractiveness to an affermed player of going to Cleveland would be that he play with James and push to win a Title. The fact that James has for these last three years played footsy with other Front Offices, in particular, with that located in the Wormy Pome, has certainly served to dampen any inclination for players of a certain caliber to go to Cleveland and sign long-term contracts. It begs the question, obviously, just how long will James stay in Cleveland, and this regardless of if he might manage to win a Title in Cleveland. The risk is for a good player, a player that has no interest in playing in the toilets of the League, to go to Cleveland, sign a long-term contract, and then have James fly the coop to more sunlit beaches moneywise (factoring in, obviously, all the ancillary money to be had outside of Swampland), elsewhere. Those players would then be hooked in by contract to playing for a team that will be almost certainly an automatic lottery team for the next two or three years. Who needs it! Much better to wait and see where James will go, than jump in now and get screwed when he leaves in a few months.

Super,
Strangely, I don't share your fears, and I have never liked Ron Artest for our team. The reason being that I think Artest is now focused on winning a chip. He has never won one, and since he does have an ego, he is barely intelligent enough to realize that having a ring is an affermation of one's chosen line of work. He will sublimate himself to this end. He will also have the advantage of being surrounded by personality modifiers, that he already respects, in the persons of Bryant, Odom, and Fisher. Moreover, he knows that Phil Jackson is THE best Coach now in pro basketball. No, as dumb as he is, he will not be that dumb.

Steve, I agree with you totally but if the Lakers do not get a ring this your, I fear that Artest will go nuts and disrupt the team for years to come.

Hi Marvin,
I take your word for it. I have never been to Cleveland myself, or for that matter any of the U.S. cities near the Great Lakes, such as Chicago that I have heard much good about. I have read that Cleveland is not a great place to live in however, but first hand knowledge, don't have it.