Trevor Ariza out, Ron Artest in: What Will It Mean for the Lakers

(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Think back—way back—all the way to May.

It was the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, and animosity was growing between the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and Rockets’ Ron Artest.

The two players had an incident whenever they were near each other.

In Game Two, Artest claimed that Bryant elbowed him in the throat, and when he didn’t get the call, he confronted Bryant and was tossed from the game.

In Game Six, Artest drew a personal and technical foul on Bryant after an apparent collision at the top of the key.  

There was plenty of discussion after each physical game of the Rockets/Lakers series. One topic, however, that no one discussed was the possibility of Artest going to the Lakers and playoff hero Trevor Ariza signing with the Rockets.

This deal was shocking and, to some extent, disappointing for many reasons.

Losing Ariza was a blow to the Lakers despite Artest's potential contribution.  Ariza is a talented, spirited young athlete who loved playing in L.A.

But the way it happened was even more surprising. Going into free agency, the two Lakers players to watch were Odom and Ariza.

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