Rockets take a good risk on bad boy Artest
Here are the particulars:
Sacramento will get Bobby Jackson, a 35-year-old warhorse whose career is in marked decline. Since he's also increasingly susceptible to injuries, Jackson figures to be more of a sparsely used backup and a positive force in the locker room than a vital cog in the Kings game plan.
Also coming to the Kings will be Donte' Greene, a 6-11, 226-pound small forward who was the 28th selection in the most recent draft -- a shooter and a finesse guy. At best, the rookie might turn out to be Kevin Durant-lite. At worst, he could be the second coming of Brad Sellers.
Sacramento will also receive the Rockets' first-round pick in next spring's draft, which will most likely be a late selection. In other words, another crapshoot.
Net gain for the Kings: Not much right now, but grounds for at least a modicum of hope in the future.
Artest will likewise bring plenty of uncertainty to Houston.
The bet here is that Elston Turner, the Rockets chief assistant, will have the task of trying to control Do-Ron-Ron. And given Turner's NBA experience (505 games from 1981-89 with Dallas, Denver, and Chicago), as well as ET's inherent toughness, savvy, and dignity, the odds are that Artest will behave himself -- at least for a while.
If Artest can indeed toe the line, what exactly will the Rockets be getting?
An accomplished, and extremely physical, defender who can hound small forwards, many power forwards, as well as an occasional center and shooting guard.
In other words, someone who can battle on even terms with many of the high-powered scorers in the West. For example, expect Artest to give Dirk Nowitzki a recurring headache and to also intimidate Lamar Odom. Artest won't yield much ground to Tim Duncan either.
Artest is also an effective post-up scorer, a powerful driver, an adequate passer, and an erratic, but dangerous, 3-point shooter.
To close out games, Rick Adelman will probably have Artest on the floor along with Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier, and Rafer Alston. This would be a formidable lineup at both ends of the court.
However, even if Artest can learn to mind his manners, the Rockets will still face some problems. Since Yao and McGrady are volume scorers, and Alston tends to be shot-happy, how will Artest get sufficient ball-time to scratch his itchy hands?
Moreover, Battier is the ultimate team player who will stay out of the spotlight and do more than his share of off-the-ball dirty work. Yao is a mite tougher than he used to be yet is still a gentle giant. Alston, who only shot 39 percent last year, is Houston's Mister Bad Shot. And T-Mac is not-so-secretly plagued by self-doubts -- rightly so since there's not enough starch in his game.
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All of which indicates that Artest could easily impose his fractious, impulsive, and confrontational personality on the team.
Also, who might be the Rockets go-to scorer with a game on the line?
Historically, Artest has been unreliable in the clutch, T-Mac tends toward invisibility, and Alston can be shaky. That leaves Yao, a wonderful gut-time point-maker with an unfortunate penchant for committing turnovers.
Net gain for the Rockets: Potentially a very high upside, but plenty of important concerns that will not be so easily resolved. Still, bringing in the NBA's resident Bad Boy is a risk well worth taking.
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