After watching Kobe Bryant torch the Denver Nuggets in the second half of Game One of their first round matchup, I realized Kenyon Martin on Kobe just ain't cuttin it.
Then I went back to the possible acquisitions Denver Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke should've and could've made, and one name stuck in my mind—Ron Artest.
When Ron Artest was asked about possibly being traded up North to the Mile High city, he replied,
"It has nice scenery."
“(If) God put me in Denver, it’s no question they would be a better team,’’
Of course the trade fell through because of the regret to part with Linas Kleiza. As a result, Denver has been lackluster this season, especially after the All Star break.
What has Ron Artest been up to since the All-Star break?
Artest’s points per game, rebounding, field goal percentage, steals, and free throw percentage all have been on the rise. Ron has shot an incredible 60.4% (FG) since the All-Star break and over 42% from behind the arc; talk about re-establishing your game.
Ron has had an All-Star worthy year; 20.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 2.33 SPG. Also, Artest has held Kobe under 30 points in 3 out of the 4 games between Sacramento and L.A.
Not many can say that.
Artest holding Bryant to under 30, and Ron’s 20+ per game, is a 50 point swing, which would’ve been the difference in Game One at the Staples Center.
Can you imagine this lineup?
Allen Iverson 26.4 PPG, 7.1 APG, 3 RPG
Ron Artest 20.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.5 APG
Carmelo Anthony 25.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.4 APG
Kenyon Martin 12.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.2 BPG
Marcus Camby 9.1 PPG, 13.1 RPG 3.6 BPG
Three 20+ scorers in a starting lineup; no team could boast this - not even the Boston Celtics Paul Pierce 19.6PPG, Kevin Garnett 18.8, and Ray Allen 17.4 PPG.
If the Nuggets would’ve had this lineup, they would’ve surely taken the Northwest Division from the Jazz, and around the 4-5th seed. Also the automatic favorites of the West and the modern day Bad Boys of the league.
Another fact he would've been a big help, on Sundays he plays his best basketball of the season, averaging 21 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, and 2.6 SPG.
Team chemistry?
Artest would have to learn his new role in becoming the team’s third scoring option, but when there’s the NBA Finals to talk about, trust me, he wouldn’t mind. After the infamous Pistons-Pacers brawl which suspended him for a year, his short-lived rap career, and allegations of domestic abuse in Sacramento, Ron is attempting to turn over a new leaf in the eyes of the public, going from a laughingstock to a fan favorite.
Bottom line, Ron Artest is still a Top five defender in the NBA; lets not forget he was the NBA 2004 Defensive Player of the Year, a good scorer, but can be tempermental at times. Believe me, George Karl and Stan Kroenke: Ron Artest would have been worth it!
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5 months ago
nice article, I was about to write one similar, but we love Ron in Sacramento!
from 5 months ago
You're lucky to have a player like that; passionate and not afraid to bump a few heads in the process of winning.
5 months ago
That lineup still wouldn't pass, still wouldn't have any concept of team defense, and still wouldn't be tough enough in the paint to stop teams from running over them.
Plus, how many shots are there for that starting lineup? Unlike KG and Allen, none of those players has ever been known to sacrifice before.
If you want Denver to sacrifice their depth in order to become the Golden State Warriors, that's fine, but don't forget, Golden State couldn't even make the playoffs this year.
from 5 months ago
Not tough enough Blasco? What other lineup in the league that was actually close to happening or that is a current one, that is as tough as this one?
None. You have two defensive player of the years, 2 players with 2+ steals per game, and intensity shown on the floor every night.
Iverson has been known to sacrifice he's averaged over 7 assists per game each of the last 5 seasons.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/stats?playerId=366
P.S. Obviously, the Nuggets are better than the Warriors or they would be facing the Lakers.
from 5 months ago
Marcus Camby isn't tough. Even Pau Gasol was shoving him around yesterday. Was Camby's defense ever a factor against the Lakers? Has it ever been in a big game?
Kenyon Martin is always a coward on the road. He actually gave in a good effort yesterday but that's a rare outing for him.
The only tough guys on that proposed team would be Artest and Najera.
Getting for steals doesn't equate to playing defense. Denver was so busy gambling for steals that the Lakers systematically picked them apart for layup after layup after layup. Not Kobe, but everyone else on the Lakers.
It was a layup line because nobody could stop penetration, nobody could stop the Lakers in the paint, and nobody rotated down when the Lakers passed inside.
Iverson, by default, will average assists because he has the ball so much. He's never been a part of any complex offense. Everything Denver runs is an isolation, iso's are easy to stop with a physical and alert defense.
Even with Artest, the Nuggets defensive IQ would still be deplorable because to a man, they don't give a damn about technique defense.
I respect Artest as being the best mano-y-mano defender of the last five years, but a diamond covered in garbage won't make a garbage bin look any nicer.
You want the Nuggets to be a good defensive team with Artest? Get rid of Iverson, Carmelo, and Martin, sign a tough rugged power forward who can guard the post and rotate, keep Camby for his shot-blocking and overreacting help defense, and sign a backcourt that's committed to playing smart and disciplined, like Jarrett Jack and Brandon Roy.
Here are all the more physical defenses in the league than an Artest-led Denver squad: Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington, Cleveland, San Antonio, Phoenix, Dallas, New Orleans, Utah, Houston, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland, New Jersey.
from 5 months ago
Iverson was a distributor nonetheless, and the last time I checked steals were a part of the defensive category in the NBA, and Camby isn't A noodle or he wouldn't have been the first player since Shawn Bradley to lead the league in blocks 3 years straight.
I'll give you Utah, San Antonio
Obviously Washington isn't tough with each of their 3 superstars missing significant time
New Jersey give me a break, who's the menacing figure Nenad Krstic
Cleveland is anything but physical with Lebron grabbing his back every 5 minutes, and the last time I checked Ben Wallace hasn't returned to his Detroit Form
Chris Paul gambles in passing lanes all the time hurting the Hornets rather than helping
Dallas loses all respect when talking about defense, every since the embarassing display agaisnt Golden State
Phoenix loses the vote too with Amare Stoudemire picking up, cheap and meaningless fouls, fouling out everytime there's a big game
from 5 months ago
But steals and blocks are overrated! Don't look at statistical figures, look at game impact! Players aren't great in box scores, they're great in basketball games.
For every steal Iverson gets, there are 10 times when he gambles and is left completely out of position to play defense. Congratulations Denver, you're now playing 4 on 5.
For every block Camby gets, there are 10 occasions when he's so far out of the play chasing the ball that his man slips wide open underneath for a layup. And if a player takes the ball straight into Camby, he gets knocked back. And awareness on defense is just as important as athleticism. How many times is Camby unaware of his man cutting to the hoop for a layup?
For every point Carmelo scores, his man on defense will just drive right around Carmelo and put pressure on a defense.
Josh Smith doesn't close out well, Chris Paul doesn't fight through screens, etc, etc.
Stop looking at stats and look at how players play. Besides Ginobli, Finley, Bowen, and Kurt Thomas, nobody on the Spurs is more than an average man-to-man defender. Yet they constantly shut down opponents. Why? Because they stay in position and they help beautifully. Bruce Bowen is widely conisdered one of the premier defenders in the league, how many blocks or steals does he average? Certainly not more than Josh Smith!
New Jersey doesn't have the talent but they all hustle and rotate admirably, especially Jefferson, Boone, and Diop. Plus Sean Williams has big time athletic talent even though he needs to get stronger and smarter.
Injuries and toughness are different things. Daniels, Stevenson, Butler, and Haywood are a solid defensive core.
I'll give you Paul. New Orleans is a smart defensive team and Chandler and West can make up for Paul when he gambles and misses. It was the same way in Philly when Iverson had 11 defensive-minded teammates. Paul can afford to use his wonderful instincts to make plays.
Dallas and Phoenix aren't elite defensive teams but they played better defense this year than Denver did.
from 5 months ago
But steals and blocks are still key stats
from 5 months ago
In terms of production and scoring wise, Carmelo and Allen are the deadliest tandem.
from 5 months ago
if scoring was the most important stat the finals would go through golden state and denver. isn't it ironic that the teams who allow the fewest points are favored, boston and spurs
from 5 months ago
Where's these guys at
Gerald Wallace and Emeka
Ben Gordon and Tyrus Thomas
Kevin Martin and Ron Artest
Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson
T.J. Ford and Chris Bosh
from 5 months ago
you list some good players who aren't as good in real basketball as they're stats show. tony campbell rule, even the in the worst team in the league is going to score 80 points a game and someone will have to lead that team in scoring.
i'll love to tear you apart in fantasy basketball on a side note.
from 5 months ago
I hate to break it to you but Allen Iverson and Carmelo are not Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis and all the other underachiveing players gathered together in New York.
They would have to great defenders in Artest and Camby which would cut down on their opponents scoring production by at least 5 points per game. With all the the games they lost by 5 points or less they could be facing the Hornets right now and be more evenly matched.
Also even with Ron in Sacramento they weren't last in the league or next to last int terms of opponent scoring, so it would be a major improvement if Artest hooked with Camby and Co.
5 months ago
Not enough balls to go around on offense. Plus you still have the problem of Iverson being a defensive liability on bigger guards, and the fact that 'Melo can't spell defense. They made the right move not trading Kleiza but they should have traded A.I.
from 5 months ago
I didn't catch that? You trade the 4th best scorer in the league, tear up the deadliest tandem, and disrupt team chemistry for who? Tell me who send Allen Iverson too, give me 5 teams or scenarios.
2nd of all you must take the good with the bad in terms of one-sided production. Lebron James isn't exactly good on defense either, but you're probably a fan and you applaud him right? Other examples, Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash
from 5 months ago
Deadlier tandems than Iverson and Melo:
Kobe and Gasol
Kobe and Odom
Gasol and Odom
Parker and Duncan
Parker and Ginobli
Ginobli and Duncan
Paul and Chandler (okay, more like Paul to chandler)
Paul and West
Williams and Boozer
Williams and any physical Jazz player that loves to cut and post
Pierce and Garnett
Pierce and Allen
Allen and Garnett
Billups and Hamilton
Miller and Iguodala
LeBron and Ilgauskas
Turkoglu and Howard
Nash and Stoudemire
Battier and Mutombo (defense is a part of the game too)
Bowen and Duncan
Thomas and Duncan
Wallace and Prince
Posey and Perkins
LeBron has evolved into a very physical and reliable defender this season. No player has improved his defense since the middle of last season than LeBron James.
When was the last time Iverson and Melo cared about defense?
5 months ago
In the scenario that they could have traded for Ron Artest I would absolutely (if I am the Nuggets) rather have Artest as to Iverson straight up. The Nuggets are a great offensive team without Iverson and Artest isn't exactly a poor offensive player himself they need defense. Yes I would split up a deadly combo of Iverson and Anthony because it only kills the Nuggets.
I concur that Lebron and Stoudemire are not great defensive players but they arent going to get posted up by Luke Walton either.
Nash is a point guard in the truest sense and for the most part guards point guards who usually dont score enough points to kill you (the major exception is chris paul) the problem with Iverson is that either you have him at point guard which greatly reduces his usefulness because he is not a guy that facilitates an offense very well or you have to have two 6 footers running around. Yesterday they had to put a power forward on Kobe that left one 6 footer on derek fisher and that works fine but then Iverson was guarding a much bigger player (specifically an average at best Luke Walton who happened to score 16 points yesterday) who simply posts him up and shoots over him.
In the NBA you don't have to have 4 or 5 defensive stoppers to be a good team you just need a good perimeter defender (Artest is certainly one of those) and a good interior defender (Camby) to beat most teams, but instead the Nuggets feel they need 2 30 point a game guys who won't guard anyone, and this is the biggest reason they will never see the second round of the playoffs with this lineup.
from 5 months ago
That is why I said they need Ron Artest!
5 months ago
Kobe wasn't the problem for the Nuggets yesterday. It was their horrendous defense on Gasol. Nothing sums up the Nuggets better than the game where AI scored 51 and they still lost to the Lakers. They have an 8-man rotation and they can't play defense. Whether they win or lose comes down to how many 15-5 runs they get and how few they give up. If it weren't for the mile-high air they'd be 22-60.
I think they should trade Melo before the rest of the league realizes he'll never reach his full potential. I don't know what they could get but they cap space won't help them. They could definitely get Eddy Curry, Jamal Crawford and Malik Rose's expiring contract. Maybe even the Knicks top pick if it's not in the top-3.
from 5 months ago
I disagree, Kobe delivered several backbreakers, including the three point play on Kenyon Martin in the 3rd when Denver chipped the lead down to ten. Bryant will continue to be a hassle throughout the series, Gasol may have stole the sunshine for game 1, but believe me Kobe will find a way to get honored.
They should keep Carmelo and trade J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza, plenty of teams will bite on that bait.
from 5 months ago
They can't trade Smith or Kleiza because a) Smith is a free agent and b) Kleiza is one of the few guys on the team making little money. For a team so over the cap, they can't afford to go even higher over the cap. The only players with trade value are Melo, Camby and Kleiza. Najera is a free agent, Martin has the worst contract in the NBA, AI is one year away from being a 33-year-old free agent wanting another huge contract and they won't get anything for Atkins or Steven Hunter. I'm sure they'd prefer to trade Camby but can they afford to?
I'm guessing they will at least explore trading Melo to gauge what's out there. The only teams that will take a risk on him are teams like the Knicks, Kings, possibly the Bucks, the Bobcats, and the Bulls. The Pacers won't. The Nets don't have anything to offer and they want cap space for LeBron. Maybe a sign and trade of Deng, along with Noah, Hinrich and the 9th pick for Melo and Camby does the trick.
I'm not denying that Kobe won't be the X-Factor in the series. But Game 1 was all Gasol. Kobe shot under 35% and got 14 of his points on free throws. Gasol shot 70% to go with the assists and rebounds.
Even when the lead was ten nobody really thought the Nuggets had a chance. Kobe might have been the closer but it was Gasol that gave them 8 innings and 12 Ks while only allowing 3 hits and one walk.
Did you really believe the Nuggets would win the series?
from 5 months ago
They can trade J.R. Smith by way of a sign and trade, and its already fact that Linas Kleiza may be expendable from all the talk at the deadline. If the Nuggets don't get far in the postseason, players and management will be eyeing Linas as the guy that possibly held them back from the next round, or a higher seed in the Western Conference.
Yes I did and I still believe the Denver Nuggets will knock off the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
from 5 months ago
Sure they can sign and trade Smith but that would be on the assumption that there's another team that feels like they can't sign him for part of their mid-level exemption. Do you really think he's going to get more than $6 million per season?
You're right that Kleiza was mentioned at the deadline but he was mentioned as someone that Stan Kroenke didn't want to trade because his son and Kleiza were friends at Missouri and he's grown very fond of him. He's only being paid a million dollars so he's not going to get them back anyone significant. After Game 1, he definitely won't be looked at someone that held them back. He'll be looked at someone who should have started.
The Lakers have only lost 5 games with Gasol in their lineup. Your prediction that they'll lose the series in 6 would mean that they would lose one fewer game in the next 5 than they've lost in 34 total games with him in their lineup.
Good luck with that.
5 months ago
I understand that blocks and steals are part of the defensive side of the game but Baron Davis, Caron Bulter and AI all average more steals than Kobe Bryant (if you answered yes to that, you need to watch more basketball). Does that make them a better defender than Bryant. Defensive player of the year award basically goes to anyone leading the blocks or the steals column for the year. Someone who plays good defense is someone like Bruce Bowen, Raja Bell, Shane Battier, the other AI in philly. Just because someone gets lots of blocks or steals doesn't make them a great defender. If getting steals and blocking few shots a game was the real defense, then CP3 and Josh Smith should be front runner in DPOY. (oh wait...isn't media already pushing for that?)
from 5 months ago
When Marcus Camby won the Defensive Player of the Year award last year he led the league in Blocks and in Rebounds not just in one category. It was also the 2nd consecutive year he led the league in Blocked shots, Marcus was worthy.
5 months ago
What if...what if they traded for Artest they might of won, what if I was 9 feet tall? I might make the NBA
5 months ago
Oh and also, if artest was in there lineup, they all wouldnt be 20+ scorers cuz they wud have to share the rock more, look at the celtics, before they were together, they were all 20+ scorers, not to mention that if rajon rondo was on a team with less scorers he could prolly average 20 a game
from 5 months ago
Disagreements. Ron Artest always finds someway to score and to get into the action, and their would be blowouts galore! With the ability of those scorers, no single team except the Celtics, and the Spurs will have a chance to so stop Denver.
Rajon Rondo is a little offensively challenged. Yes he is an excellent ball handler and penetrator; makes layups, but is jumpshot isn't worth the linen used to make his jersey.
from 5 months ago
There wouldn't be blowouts galore, there'd be a bunch of 120-118 losses. Even with Artest, does anybody on the Nuggets have any clue as to how to stop the Lakers triangle?
No cutters were bumped, no rotations were made, and there were four guys on defense above the three-point line while Gasol and Odom played 2-1 at the basket.
To be blunt, Denver is a stupid, brainless, impulsive team. Adding all the scorers in the world won't change that fact. They played as well as they could to make the playoffs but they have no chance to stop anything complex. That's why the Spurs have been mopping them up the last two years and why Los Angeles' offense looked FLAWLESS against Denver.
It's very immature to think that overloading on scorers wins basketball games, and its very immature to think that simply throwing a good individual defender onto a team will morph them into a good defensive team. I mean the Kings were a mediocre defensive team this year with Artest.
You assemble rosters like Isiah Thomas, you don't look at harmony and chemistry and you try to assemble a collection of players based on scoring potential. And then you expect to throw a defensive guy in there, say Jared Jeffries or Renaldo Balkman, in there and you expect your problems to be solved.
5 months ago
you saying that artest is a better scorer then Allen, Pierce or Garnett?
from 5 months ago
Stats wise yes. Artetst does average more points per game than all of the trio, and have a better field goal percentage than Ray Allen.
5 months ago
artest is the nba's #1 lockdown defender.
Solid article, great.
Yea, but George Karl didn't wanna trade Kleiza. bad choice :/
should've traded kleiza because artest and do everything.
from 5 months ago
I agree. Artest would've given them a huge lift and a higher seed in the Western Conference. As a result, they would've had a much easier opponent like Dallas, Houston. Also, I think it took a lot out of the team battling for the final spot in the playoffs, and them clinching the seed on the eve of the regular season's end.
5 months ago
Yes, Ron Artest would have changed Denver's mentality defensively and a defensive front line of Camby, Martin, and Artest would have been monstrous, but their ball-movement problem on offense still wouldn't have been solved. I also don't see them being the modern day "Bad Boys" of the NBA, unless you're talking about bad as in combustible. The Bad Boys of Detroit were a defense-first team, something Denver's current roster could never imagine. I agree, they should have made the trade, and may have made it to the finals if they did, but long-term it would not have helped them.
5 months ago
And it him holding Kobe under 30 points, and him scoring 20, is not a 50-point swing. If he held kobe to 0 points, and we assume Artest never scores any points, and he scores 20 points, THAT is a 50 point swing.
5 months ago
Maybe if you were compiling the "Aggrevated Assault All-Star Team"...
5 months ago
Good points Erick, it is stupid to think that overloading a team with scorers would win constantly, if that were true, the Suns would be undefeated
from 5 months ago
T.J. read my comment up above in responding to that.
5 months ago
Game One would have been different because there would have been a brawl. ;)
from 5 months ago
A strategic brawl I'm sure. Brawls aren't bad when they're planned right. Look what happened last year with Robert Horry and Steve Nash.
from 5 months ago
Haha, good point.
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