Ron Artest's Somewhat Amusing Ballad
The Lakers opened their title defense in October 2010 with almost their entire Championship roster still intact. There was, however, one glaring difference.
Gone was Trevor Ariza, the sinewy hero of the Western Conference Finals and humble yeoman. In his place stood the 6'7", 260-pound hulking frame of Ron Artest.
Yes, the instigator of one of the worst brawls in NBA history had found his way to the Purple and Gold. Lakers haters cackled in glee.
Nobody has ever questioned Artest's talent. From strictly a talent standpoint, he dwarfed the budding Ariza. But Ron was seen as a head-case.
Many in the media couldn't believe that the Lakers had gambled their championship chemistry on an enigma like Artest, and many expected the Artest experiment to go down in flames.
Surely Artest and a city like Los Angeles would be a combustible combination. What were the Lakers thinking? Shipping out Ariza—a quiet, humble, whatever-the-team needs guy—for a malcontent like Artest? It was a gamble of the highest stakes.
Clearly the Lakers had their eyes set on the likes of Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James when they brought in Artest.
For all of Ariza's strengths, and there are many, he struggled against stronger forwards that could match his speed. Artest wouldn't have that problem.
A former NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Artest was seen as somewhat of a pit bull on the perimeter. And on a team already filled with offensive weapons, all Artest would have to concentrate on was shutting down his man and hitting open shots.
Seven months later, the Lakers stand four victories away from acquiring their 16th NBA Championship.
Artest, while he has struggled with his shot (and shot selection) at times this year, has been a model teammate. Kobe Bryant, in the past, struggled with teammates who failed to pick up the Triangle offense quickly.
For Ron, it has been a hands-on learning experience, and at times, he has struggled mightily to find his role within the team. Kobe, however, absolutely loves Ron, and has called him one of his favorite teammates of all time.
Why? Because Ron never leaves anything on the court. He would walk through fire to taste championship gold and Kobe knows that. That's all he's ever asked from his teammates, and Ron has given it from day one.
After dispatching Kevin Durant and anybody else he's been matched up against, Artest will be lined up against the formidable Paul Pierce, one of the most underrated stars in NBA history.
The 2008 Finals MVP, Pierce was a matchup nightmare for the Lakers. The Lakers' only answer for him was Kobe Bryant, which created other matchups for the Celtics to exploit.
Artest, though, has owned Pierce this year, holding him five points below his scoring average in the teams' two meetings this year.
The Lakers will be able to use Bryant's diverse array of defense skills somewhere else on the perimeter. (That sound you just heard? It was the quaking soul of Rajon Rondo, who no doubt saw what Kobe was able to do to Rajon Rondo v2.0, Russell Westbrook, in Games Five and Six of the first round.)
This isn't to say that Artest has quieted the critics yet. Many still expect that, being on the biggest stage of his NBA career, Ron Artest will self-destruct in some glorious fashion during a crucial part of a crucial game and end up costing the Lakers big.
Certainly, Artest's errant three-pointer in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals almost gave the haters something to pound their chests about.
Thus far, it has been Artest pounding his chest.
Even after taking his errant three-pointer—a shot that could have changed the course of the series—there was Artest, ready to make a play when his team needed him the most. Artest has proven all of his critics wrong so far.
He stands a mere four victories away from being an NBA champion and silencing his critics forever.
The NBA has a motto: "Where Amazing Happens." And if Ron Artest were to go from NBA villain to finding redemption in the form of a championship ring, well, that would be nothing short of amazing.
