Graycap23 said:

But he was part of a title team. That's all that counts in mrket terms.

MuthaFunka said:

.....I hear u but it makes no sense. Playing a few minutes a game is much different than performing at a hight level 4 an entire season at starters minutes.

More free agent stuff:

http://bleacherreport.com...rsen-in-la

We lose Artest, and gain Ariza. OK.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

We upgraded and y'all downgraded.

Portland's looking like they're going to get Hedo Turkoglu. Our offense will be awesome, but the defense is quite suspect. We have a glut of wing players, as well. One trade rumor I've heard is that Portland may ship Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw or Martell Webster to Chicago for Kirk Hinrich. That would make sense and address the need for a strong defender on the perimeter with PG skills.

Hinrich/Bayless/Mills
Roy/Rudy
Hedo/Batum
Aldridge/Pendegraph
Oden/Przybilla

Not a bad lineup!

Moonbeam said:

P L E A S E.....take Hinrich. PLEASE!

Graycap23 said:

I can say the same about Blake and Outlaw.

MuthaFunka said:

The Lakres got Artest? Repeat.....Phil gets 11.

Graycap23 said:

Is Phil definitely coming back? I think it's a bit early to anoint them champs, although they should be the favorites. A lot can happen between now and then, and as combustible as Ron Ron is, you never know...

Moonbeam said:

If Phil returns and Artest checks himself, no way they lose.

Graycap23 said:

Well, San Antonio will be a force if they stay healthy, with Richard Jefferson on board. Portland will improve, and Denver is still quite good. Cleveland and Orlando made some moves that may pay off for them, and Boston can still make noise as well. I'd say the Lakers are rightfully the favorites, but there aren't any guarantees in the NBA. What if Kobe gets injured?

Moonbeam said:

They are a lot of what ifs.....the Spurs will be dangerous. I 4got abot them picking up Jeffereson but G Nobly has injury issues.

Graycap23 said:

Scary, ain't it?...On a BUNCH of levels .

Moonbeam said:

What if _____ gets injured?:

KG
Melo
Bron
Roy
Duncan

...That pretty much goes for ANY team's best player.

MuthaFunka said:

Definitely true. But we can't crown the Lakers just yet!

Moonbeam said:

SOME can't...I WILL.

MuthaFunka said:

See...real teams get better. Teams like the Bulls like their BEST player walk 4 nothing.

Graycap23 said:

Well, BG was 1-dimensional, so he wasn't as huge loss.

MuthaFunka said:

21 points a game is a LOSS when u are they ONLY player on the team that can shoot.

Graycap23 said:

But he has no D. And he's a tweener. In fact, he's Iverson minus the quicks.

MuthaFunka said:

Humm...career 46% shooter, 42% from 3. Iverson wish he had that stat.

Graycap23 said:

But inarguably Iverson's the better all around player. Stats don't tell the whole story.

MuthaFunka said:

I'll leave it at this: I'd take Ben on my team all day long. I would not let Iverson in any gym that I owned let alone put on a team uniform.

Graycap23 said:

Your choice of course. I wouldn't take either of them as a cornerstone for my team though, Too hard to win with 6'2- tweener Guards that you have to build around.

Source: Jackson intent on returnComment Email Print Share By Marc Stein
ESPN.com news services
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The Los Angeles Lakers' commitment to sign the mercurial Ron Artest would appear to make retaining Phil Jackson even more imperative than the team believed when the NBA's free-agent period began.



Jackson

It shouldn't be a topic of discussion much longer.


Jackson's presence on the bench next season, according to one NBA coaching source, is "99.9 percent" assured, with another source indicating that Jackson's return will be publicly confirmed by the Lakers by early next week at the latest.


Sources said Jackson returned to his offseason home in Montana on Wednesday after completing a positive series of medical check-ups following the Game 5 victory in Orlando on June 14 that clinched the 15th NBA title in franchise history.

In a recent radio interview with 710 ESPN Los Angeles, Jackson said his 2009-10 status would be made official by "early July" and insisted that health concerns would be the only factor that could keep him from completing the final season of his contract in 2009-10, worth an estimated $12 million.


Since originally joining the Lakers for the 1999-2000 season, Jackson, 63, has endured an angioplasty and gout in addition to two hip surgeries and occasional back and leg problems.


In the radio interview, Jackson acknowledged the Lakers have "toyed around" with the idea of letting assistant coach Kurt Rambis coach the Lakers in more road games to ease the wear and tear on Jackson, as seen in April when Rambis stepped in for Jackson in a road loss at Portland on the second night of a back-to-back set.


Phil Jackson: 6/23
Lakers head coach Phil Jackson talks to John Ireland and Mychal Thompson about his future with the team, and the value of Lamar Odom, Trevor Ariza and Shannon Brown.

More Podcasts »


But Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak subsequently announced that Jackson would "come back and coach both home and away games" if he indeed returns.


"During my discussion with him," Kupchak said, "it was pretty clear that that type of scenario doesn't work. And that's his opinion as well."


One theory already in circulation holds that Lakers owner Jerry Buss wanted to sign Artest in part to entice Jackson with a challenge to come back after winning his record-setting 10th championship ring as a coach, breaking his longstanding tie with Boston Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach.

The ability to keep Dennis Rodman plugged in with the Chicago Bulls, something only Jackson and Michael Jordan managed after Rodman's early days with the Detroit Pistons, helped him win two of those rings.


Asked during a SportsCenter appearance Thursday if he believes he'll be playing for Jackson when he reports to Lakers training camp in October, Artest said flatly, "He's my coach."


Artest also told the Los Angeles Times: "I had a great talk [Thursday] with Phil. I'm a huge fan of his and I can't wait to show him what I can do."