Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest: Exuding Dominance on Both Sides of the Ball

When the Los Angeles Lakers were blown out in Game Six of the 2008 NBA Finals by the Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest made his way to the visitor's locker room to console long time friend Lamar Odom.

While Artest was in the Lakers' locker room he reportedly told Kobe Bryant that he would love the opportunity to help Bryant and the Lakers attempt to win a championship the following season.

Artest had just witnessed the Lakers completely taken out of their element by the Celtics, who forced Los Angeles to abandon the safe confines of their precision-based game.

The Lakers were a very good team in 2007-08, but they had several weaknesses and none was more glaring than the lack of a strong, physical presence.

The acquisition of Pau Gasol earlier in the season had made the Lakers prime contenders to win the NBA championship, but the Celtics sniffed out their biggest flaw and ruthlessly exposed it.

In 2008 Los Angeles was battered, bruised, and beaten on the way to an embarrassing 40 point loss in the last game of the Finals, and their main focus in the offseason was to get mentally and physically tougher.

The paths of Bryant and Artest would cross again in the 2009 playoffs when Artest's Houston Rockets pushed the Lakers to the brink of elimination, losing in seven games to the eventual champion Lakers.

During that series Bryant and Artest had a memorable confrontation which began with Bryant swinging a wild elbow in Artest's direction, and ended with Artest the beneficiary of a technical foul.

From both players' body language during the exchange it would seem that a little bad blood existed between them, but actually the incident may have just been a sign of mutual respect.

When Artest joined the Lakers in the 2009 offseason the move was lauded by Bryant, and considering the importance Artest played in the Lakers' subsequent championship, Bryant's enthusiasm was well-merited.

Even though the Lakers were able to win the title in 2009 they could still not escape the label of being a soft team, and Artest immediately began to change that perception.

Artest brought a dose of toughness and a rough edge to the Lakers' finesse-based game, and he assumed the role of the defensive enforcer that was previously missing from the team.

Artest's presence meant Bryant would no longer be forced to defend bigger players such as Denver's Carmelo Anthony, and he could divert more of his energy to the offensive end.

A broken finger and problems with his knee slowed Bryant during the season and the playoffs, but in a 2010 Finals' rematch of the Lakers' 2008 nightmare with the Celtics, Artest proved his worth.

Artest virtually took 2008 Finals' MVP Paul Pierce out of the series with his intense physical style, and when Pierce and the Celtics pushed the Lakers, Artest pushed back.

The series had the same physical style and pace as the 2008 Finals, but this time the Lakers were able to hold their own when the game devolved into a battle of wills.

There were many heroes for the Lakers in last season's championship march, and none were more important than Artest. But how good can the Lakers be on both sides of the ball with an offseason of rest for Bryant?

Bryant still managed to average 27 points per game last season, but it was obvious that his shooting stroke was bothered by his finger, and it was clear that his knee issues diminished the lift in his legs.

A healthy Bryant gives the Lakers the most versatile, and arguably the most dominant scoring presence in the game, and Artest should be even better with a full season in the Lakers' system under his belt.

Bryant said recently in an interview given by teammate Derek Fisher who was standing in on ESPN's show Jim Rome Is Burning, that his batteries are re-charged and he is looking forward to next season.

Many observers felt Bryant had lost a step last season, and although age may be a factor now in his career, it's not really a fair assessment considering Bryant's multiple injuries last season.

If Bryant enters next season with an attitude that he has something to prove, then the rest of the NBA could be in for an even scarier, more focused version of Bryant than in seasons past.

Likewise, Artest should benefit from the fact he has seen his career come full circle.

After the brawl in Detroit threatened to end his career and garnered a reputation that has followed him ever since, Artest has finally found peace with the Lakers.

On BET's series Life After, Artest said as much, and he also mentioned that he had never been as comfortable in his career as he is right now.

Many people thought the marriage of Artest and the Lakers was a union destined for failure, but under the tutelage of coach Phil Jackson and the watchful eye of Bryant, it has become one of the NBA's most impressive dynamics.

The 2010-11 Lakers will be one of the deepest, talented, and most balanced teams of the Jackson era, and in the mind of Lakers' owner Jerry Buss it has the potential to be one of the greatest of all time.

Los Angeles has dominant post players in Gasol and Andrew Bynum, a deep reserves corps which is led by Odom, and a defense that rivals the offense for attention.

Reaching the NBA Finals for a fourth consecutive season will be no easy task for the Lakers, but it helps when you have the game's top scorer in Bryant, and arguably the game's best individual defender in Artest leading the way.