NBA Trade Rumor: Lamar Odom for Ron Artest (and a bad contract)
Lamar Odom (photo. Tim Tadder)Lamar Odom isn’t too popular with Lakers fans coming off of that dismal NBA Finals performance, but ever since the Finals ended all we’ve heard is GM Mitch Kupchak going to bat for his power forward, saying the Lakers want to keep him and weren’t looking for a trade.
This morning, however, the Sacramento Bee is reporting that the Lakers contacted the Kings about Ron Artest, offering Odom in a proposed trade. If the Kings get on board with that, though, they’ll almost definitely ask the Lakers to take back Kenny Thomas and his painful contract ($18 million over two years).
This could give L.A. a lineup of Andrew Bynum at the five, Pau Gasol at PF, Artest at the three (his natural position, unlike L.O.), and Kobe and Fish in the backcourt. That’s a championship-contending squad.
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July 10th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
mike says:
they already were a championship contending squad…
July 10th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
whats in it for sacto?
July 10th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
doc says:
That makes LA better and Sactown worse.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Damon says:
yeah, right. getting to the finals is a contender to me.
but im not sure ron fits in with the lakers. he isn’t the ballhandler or passer LO is and is disruptive offensively.
defensively, well, he is just a monster. that would definitely help the lakers.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Celts Fan, "Kobe, Tell me how my @$$ tastes" says:
he’s a perfect fit there. we’ve all been speculating about this since the end of the Finals. Too obvious not to at least come up.
@YAll, Sacto gives up a guy that was DEFINITELY leaving after next year and gets to shed a garbage contract in exchange for a guy they may actually be able to keep (and if not, they still dump a terrible contract.)
July 10th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Willis says:
mmm getting rid of Ron-Ron and Kenny Thomas contract for a delightful 14 million dollar expiring? Tasty.
My Kings look like this.
Udrih/Singletary
Martin/Cisco
Salmons/Cisco/Ewing Jr (wont make team)
Odom/Thompson/SAR/Williams
Miller/Hawes/Moore
The Kings will probably trade Brad Miller to Miami or Cleveland or Orlando.
God, no opposing 2-3 combo would be able to score on Kobe and Ron. But Ron will ruin their team chemistry, so its double golden for the Kings. You pair Kobe with a guy who pretends he is Kobe. Sweet.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
doc says:
@willis Keep repping Sean Singletary dog.Thats my old next door neighbor.His grandmom and my grandmom grew up next door to eachother,i put the ball in his hand and he gonna be a problem for yall.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
ERIC says:
Gotta agree with Damon. While Artest is a superior defender and strikes fear in opposing 1-4′s, Artest is known to deviate from offensive schemes which would KILL the triangle offense. Artest also isn’t the ball handler or passer Odom is. I’d wait to make this deal until the Feb trading deadline depending on how the team is doing.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Kobeef says:
Does this screw-up the lakers plan to extend Bynum? My thought is no since he will be a restricted free agent even if they don’t extend him next year. That would be the only downside of this deal.
I am not worried about Artest in LA – Kobe and Jackson will keep him in line (Jackson handled Rodman who is in a different nutcase league than Artest)
July 10th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Ross says:
How will LA resign Artest next season if they’re taking such a high, non-expiring contract with him?
July 10th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Raps FAN says:
The Lakers should keep Odom if his contract is expiring and see what’s out there come the trade deadline in february…
I’m sure there will be teams in february wanting an expiring contract
July 10th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Meica says:
While not the best deal for the Kings, this proposed trade sorta makes sense for both teams: Ron will be playing his natural position and will only be the second or third option, which usually equals better production from Ron Ron and he can’t complain about not being top-dog because even LeBron is a second option behind Kobe, whereas the Kings can start to move forward from the Artest/Bibby/Peja era and onto rebuilding themselves into a new team much like the Nets are currently doing right now. Remember, the future looks golden for teams heading into the next few years with a lot of cap space.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Sac gets a 14 million salary expiring at the end of the year..
Then Shaq can tell me how my ass tastes.. As we sweep the Phoenixs Sons in the regular season and if god allows, we sweep him out of the playoffs..
July 10th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Buffalo Brave says:
Artest would be a great pick up for the lakers and they could buy out or trade thomas contract after next season.
What happened to that dude btw?
Unless they commit to having Odom drop about 20lbs and play him at the 3 (where he should’ve been all these years anyway) i wouldnt be looking to keep him around.
Good for both sides outside of the fact they’re in the same division
July 10th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Brandon Hoffman says:
The Lakers should pursue Artest through a trade or free agency because:
Artest is a defensive force. He’s one of a handful of players (Kobe, Duncan, KG) that can dominate a game on both ends. Four seasons ago, he was Defensive Player of the Year. During that season, Artest held his offensive targets, including some of the league’s top players, to 8.1 points per game on 9.3 shots per game and 42.6 percent shooting. This can’t be emphasized enough. I know four seasons have passed, but Artest is only 28 years old — a year younger than Kobe Bryant. At 6-7, 250 pounds he can guard four of the five positions in basketball.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
E-ROC says:
The Lakers should try to trade for Shane Battier instead of Ron Artest. Shane Battier is a positive influence in the locker room, leader, can shoot the three, and plays excellent defense. Artest doesn’t move the ball once he has it. I think Shane Battier would be a better fit, but maybe Phil Jackson and Kobe can control his game.
July 10th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
JHov says:
I hate this deal for my LakeShow..if we were just talking about the playoffs then I would take Artest in a heartbeat..but the fact that he has to go thru a 82 gm season with Zen Master and Kobe..I don’t think it would work! I don’t trust TruWarrior to stay focused for an entire season and along with the fact that he has recently fallen in love with the three ball and is not a willing passer like L.O. Bad mix..
July 10th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
shake&bake says:
Artest would be a big help for the Lakers. Kobe and Fish/Farmar can handle the ball well enough to make up for the loss of Odom. Nobody is going to accuse Artest of playing soft. He can score as needed, rebound, and of course defend. Also, Artest has run the triangle before in Chicago so that wouldn’t be a major issue.
Battier would be nice too, but will he be available?
July 10th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
dh says:
http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2008/07/05/lamar-odom-ron-artest/
Forum Blue and Gold breaks it down like this:
1) He is a worse shooter than Odom.
2) Artest is not someone who has played well inside an offensive system.
3) Lamar Odom is a much better rebounder than Artest.
He uses statistics to back these claims up.
Artest’s positives were:
“1) Artest is a better defender. He is. But not by as much as you think. Last year opposing threes guarded by Ron Artest shot 51.5% (eFG%) and had a PER of 16.4 — those are not great numbers. Odom spent far less time matched up against threes, but he held them to 45.5% and a PER of 14.6. I don’t think those numbers would bear out if Odom spent more time guarding threes, like I said I’ll grant Artest is a better defender. But the gap is not as big as most think, Odom’s length creates problems for opposing threes.”
“2) Artest is a better three point shooter. Artest shot 38% and 35% from three the last two years, Odom shot 29% and 27%. Artest would be better at stretching the defense in the half court. That said, Artest is not the three point shooter many think he is. Go look at Artest’s hot zone shot chart at NBA.com — Artest shot 47% from three from the top of the arc, but no higher than 30% anywhere else on the arc. He can shoot the three from “his spot” but is not a classic three-point shooter. (If you look at Odom’s Hot Zones chart you’ll see he was 11 of 22 on corner threes this season — if he works on that this offseason could he keep up that pace over more attempts?)”
July 10th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Jim says:
I think saying Artest is different than Rodman is right, because Ron appears to actually be crazy.
Rodman was 95% act, and just needed someone to channel him. He was integral to 5 championship teams spread out over an entire decade and was a major factor on a pseudo-contender in between. I, like $, love Ron Artest, but I don’t think saying Phil handled Rodman proves that this would work.
Having said that, if you are the Lakers you go with it. And Sacro probably likes their young guys and wants to rebuild without having a big personality who demands the ball. Odom is neither of those things and won’t mess up what they are trying to do, along with bringing some financial flexibility.
PS-Like everyone else said, “That’s a championship-contending squad.”? AB, you’re better than that.
July 10th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
LakeShow84 says:
The only reason i agree it would work is because Artest will admit he is in awe of Kobe’s skills.. He wont use those words but he acknowledges that much.. I think the fact his ego would be in check would make it work..
He had ego problems on all his teams.. there wasnt a line drawn in the sand for him.. if someone else is the #1 guy and your even CLOSE to being better than that player, if your ego has its way you will cause a stink.. and thats been Ron Ron’s problems.. but if he signs with us our DEF PPG drops 5-7 points off the bat.. it would be beautiful
July 10th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Beautiful i tell you
July 10th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
LakeShow84 says:
AND hes a better post player than LO
July 10th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
David Brandon says:
OH HEEEEEELLLL NO!!!
i dont want Lamar “The Invisible Man” Odom. nah, son…that’s not how we rock out here.
damn it man…is this even happening.
as a kings fan (i really need to start all my posts like this from now on…), are we really trying to help out a rival with as much bad blood as the lakers?? nah man, i’m not havin alla that… if it were golden state, or the spurs or dallas or some other team we’re not really cool with entirely, maybe. but the lakers? yo, look, if anything else, the bad blood there should just make the maloofs and our boy geoff toss the laptop outta the window ahora! lol! and if you are gonna try to talk to us, then at LEAST come correct. we dont want odom’s ass, maaaaannn!! hell no. we were supposed to have kobe years ago before charlotte took him. just like how we were sposed to get my man jerryd bayless before he got snatched up too. i like jason thompson b/c he’s a king an we’re just tight w/ our boys like that, but if we dont start makin some serious noise like everyone else……….sigh, i’ma have to boycott the kings til december or january. i’ma just be wizards fan. or a hornets fan instead. you know we gotta keep it in the west.
aiight, i’m off my soap box and out like jacque vaughn’s jumper. dude’s terrible…
July 10th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Three Stacks says:
It’s not production that is the problem w/ the Lakers. With Kobe and the team running an effective triangle, they’re gonna put up points. So it doesn’t matter what kinda production Artest will bring.
Anyone will tell you Odom is a far more gifted offensive talent than Ron. They seem to be the opposite, actually, cause Odom looks like he could do so much more, while Ron gets his 20 points even w/ his stilted handle and what most people would call bad shot selection.
Still, this is about toughness. Almost every single championship team has a clear enforcer, and that’s what the Lakers were lacking in the Finals.
July 10th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
ali says:
david brandon,
did you ever watch jacque vaughn play in college at Kansas and throughout his pro career? you can say that money has no jumper. but to carve out a ten year career in the league as a supporting player who’s barely 6-foot? he’s gotten paid because of his floor generalship, crisp decision making at warp speed, vision and ability to run an offense. you cannot say, as an educated basketball person, that dude is terrible. he just can’t shoot the rock. the game has many other facets than scoring and if you really saw him running the point for roy williams in college, and understood what you were seeing, you would have to understand that he was a unique and special player. he could run an offense like a well oiled machine and be a defensive pest. yinka dare was terrible. jacque vaughn is a specialist.
July 10th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
K Dizzle says:
@ Austin – LO’s natural position is not power forward. Dude’s a natural 3, who if he had a solid jumpshot, wouldn’t have had the problems in the finals this past season.
@ 3 Stacks
I’m beginnin to think we should just be sittin pat cuz now that the Celts got their ring, that hunger is gone. As soon as they lose Posey and House and we get back Bynum, there won’t need to be no changes. We own the west, only team that worries me is N’Awlins. Otherwise, I put a healthy Lakeshow into the Finals against anybody, as is
July 10th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Mike says:
Hehe, I read the title of the blog post and assumed the “bad contract” was a reference to Beno Udrih’s new deal. How bad does a signing have to be where it isn’t even a week old and it is already considered a bad contract?
July 10th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
DaPro says:
LO is a naturally a 3. Whoever said LO needs to lose 20 lbs should stop watching bball.
If I’m the Lakers I’d hold of on this move. I don’t think they need to move LO wait til Bynum returns and she what you have.
July 10th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
bballinca says:
I’ve heard alot of guys, even on the radio, knocking jacque Vaughan lately. The guys has carved a great career out from himself by being a great floor general. I expect him to be an NBA coach one day if he chooses as he has a great accumen for the game. And for you guys knocking his jumper I guarantee you that he’d hit more shots than you and probably dunk on you too. (Actually I don’t know if he can still jump but back in high school I’ve seen him bang on a 7footer named Richard Mandeville who ended up going to Indiana for college ball.)
July 10th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Willis says:
@ David Brandon
get over it that rivalry is nothing more than SoCal v NorCal right now. When the Kings are close to contending, then you worry about it.
@ Doc
I could see Singletary starting for us eventually. That boy has vision.
@ Blue and Gold forum. Artest is a better shooter than Odom. He just doesn’t have better selection. He kills the offense because he dribbles a ten count then fires a fadeaway over three guys. And that is something he MAKES 40% of the time. Is stupid, but he can do it.
July 11th, 2008 at 1:56 am
Dareh says:
ive beeen a laker fan for a really long time… and every time the lakers wind up doing something great they find a way to fuck it up after. they made it to the finals with this unit not counting bynum… now you distract the chemistry by bringing in ron artest who is a great player. but you will never know which ron artest you get. the absolute great defender who dedicates his playing time to harassing defenders or the one that decides to skip practice or jump into the stands. the lakers would also get kenny thomas whos not a very powerfull player and is getting payed way to much. might as well resign turiaf. the lakers should stay with their unit they have…. let turiaf sign w/ G.S. and then bring in a veteran whos willing to get minimum salary like james posey.
and to everyone that says lamars natural position is a power forward. thats true but if u havn’t noticed lamar played all 5 spots while out there. he can do it all. mix him in with pau and andrew in the frontcourt and we will see how some1 such as leon powe or glen davis can change a game against a powerful and exteremly talented frontcourt. Put that all together with a experienced pg in fisher and the true king of the court (not lebron) KOBE and you cant be messed with. pick up someone like posey keep ariza farmar vlad, luke and try to find another lowpost veteran to help out and your set to be in or win the finals for the next several years.
July 11th, 2008 at 2:46 am
Bruce says:
What rivalry? As I recall, the Kings didn’t win a freaking series. That is not a rivalry, that is a whupping!
It is not a rivalry until you win one series!
July 11th, 2008 at 4:06 am
Cammy Z says:
Good trade for both teams. The Lakers NEED Artest who is sort of like a Pippen (a reliable scorer, top-notch defender, though Artest’s defense is a little better though his offense might be slightly worse) and, as mentioned above, he will provide grit and competitiveness.
Meanwhile, Odom is multi-faceted, and can be that big-man who scores for the Kings and if not, they’ve cleared some room for next year.
July 11th, 2008 at 5:49 am
macramento4lyfe says:
i gotta admit, sactown is building a friggin army
im really bumed about this trade up in the air…
plus, you cant team up Ron and Kobe together :/
they would really cancel each other out. ego wise!!
the draft went as well as it should have for the kings
and resinging Beno Udrih was a big relief,
i just hope Ron Artest stays!!!!!!
if he does, look out
Sac Kings will have a 2010playoff team for sure.
July 11th, 2008 at 8:01 am
Garcia Vega says:
Heres a pretty good breakdown on why the Lakers need to make this move
http://www.layupdrill.com/2008/07/10/the-lakers-need-ron-artest/
July 11th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Willis says:
@ Bruce
talk to me when game six is proven not to be fixed, and then you can say it was a whuppin all you want. 1 intense seven game series that finished in overtime on the seventh game should not be called a whuppin by anybody.
its a NorCal – SoCal thing. Think Raiders-Chargers style or A’s-Angels. Not a big deal.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Emon says:
Lakers are not going to be the same team next year. with Andrew and Gasol, they will be in the paint much more and need that extra player to be able to hit the outside shot. Artest can not only hit the outside shot, but he can hit the 3 and is one of the best defenders the league has. if the Lakers make this trade, it’s every other team that going to be “Contending” with them for years to come.
and the guy who was talking about Artest’s ego, i don’t know if you know this but Artest kisses Kobe’s _SS. i saw an interview where Artest was interviewing kobe, and he couldn’t stop smiling and telling Kobe he’s a big fan. (WHAT)
July 12th, 2008 at 1:29 am
Andrew says:
I really dont like the move for the Lakers. I rather take Shawn Marion from the heat since they’re trying to move him. Another thing is that we dont need scoring from Artest, we already have bynum, gasol, and kobe.
Artest will disrupt the flow of lakers crisp triangle offense. He also cant pass as well as odom, which was laker’s strong point in the playoffs. His 3′s are only good at his hot spots like stated eariler. His D isnt that much better then odoms either.
Odom brings passing and rebounds over Artest. One HUGE factor you should consider is that since Turiaf is gone, you probably need Lamar to move down to PF once in a while. This also gives Sasha, Luke, and Radmonovic more playing time.
July 12th, 2008 at 1:39 am
Andrew says:
Also to add on, Lakers cant take Kenny THomas’s contract, they need the money for signing Bynum.
If only the kings will give only Ron Artest and just pay the luxury tax. I think the lakers will also add someone else’s contract like Chris Mihm, Luke Walton, or Valdamir Radmonivic.
July 25th, 2008 at 2:07 am
Lady Luck says:
The Lakers can wait until the trade deadline to try to make this deal. It is definitely a trade that both sides must seriously consider. It sounds good for both teams. But the Lakers have something special right now. We need to pickup another big man to replace Turiaf off the bench. Ariza will be back for a full season so that helps the bench. Odom will move to the three so LA will be HUGE but still fast.
If they do decide to make this deal. I think Kenny Thomas will get minutes off the bench. He can hit the jumper but he is slow. Ron will be a great second or third scoring option. Teams will not be able to double off of him. Defensively, Kobe, Artest and Fisher will wreak havoc on other teams. Not to mention Sasha, Farmar and Ariza off the bench…more great defenders. Bynum guarding the center position. All of this will help Pau Gasol.
Either way the Lakers will be a great team next season and I can’t wait.