GO FOR 2

So with all the power moves by Eastern Conference contenders Cleveland, Orlando, and Boston, it seems like people have forgotten that teams in the West aren’t going to roll over and surrender next year’s crown.

Various outlets are now reporting that Ron Artest will join the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. Artest sent a text message to ESPN confirming that he is just working out the details before officially signing. Artest was one of the best free agents available this off-season, and any team planning on competing for the title next year needs to be seriously worried about this move.

Artest is a solid scorer, averaging over 18 points each of his last 3 seasons, but his biggest strength is his massive defensive presence. Artest has led his team in steals for 8 of the last 9 years, he’s averaged almost 5 defensive rebounds each of the last 3 seasons, and he was voted the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2004. Artest is a nightmarish defender because at 6′7″ and 246 he has the length and size to defend in the paint, but he’s quick and fluid enough to defend out on the perimeter.

Artest will join a championship roster which ranked 8th in the NBA in total defense last year. Teams already had trouble scoring on L.A., and a lot of people don’t realize that Kobe has been named to the NBA all-defensive first team 7 times. With Odom and Gasol both playing great ball inside, and Kobe and Artest able to lock down the perimeter, don’t expect teams to put up many point on the Lakers in 2009-2010. Of course, the Lakers will have almost all of their offensive pieces back (Ariza might be out the door), and with the addition of Artest that number is likely to only go up.

Sure, teams in the East will still be able to battle for a ring, but this is going to make a repeat a hell of a lot more likely. If I’m LeBron James, I’m hiring somebody to head to Staples Center for the Lakers home opener and throw a nice, cold beer in Ron-Ron’s direction.

Ok, so if you watched even a second of the NBA playoffs you couldn’t get away from the commercials for Spike Lee’s ‘Kobe Doin’ Work’ documentary. IMDB says that the documentary follows Kobe through a day of the NBA playoffs when the Lakers were playing the Spurs (I dont hate myself enough to actually watch this – Just kidding, mostly).

So, immediately after that I hear about LeBron James’ documentary ‘More Than a Game’ (And yes, I know this was actually made before Spike Lee’s Kobe joint). Now, I haven’t watched James’ movie either, but according to IMDB it’s at least 2 whole stars out of 10 better than Kobe’s.

Well, now Dwight Howard has decided he’s feeling left out (Why, Dwight? At least you were in the finals). The Big Lead has turned me on to a Page 6 story which states Howard is gonna be the next one to hit the big screen. Apparently the movie is called “Switch”  and the basic synopsis is that “a white, unathletic, unpopular high-school freshman . . . swaps basketball skills with Howard.”

Dwight Howard. Photo Courtesy of Keith Allison. Flickr.com/keithallison (Creative Commons Licensed)

How do you burn an hour or two showing an unathletic, unpopular white kid turning it over in the paint and missing free throws? Thats the director’s problem.

Kobe Bryant. Photo Courtesy of Aaron Frutman, Flickr.com/34495711@N06

So, while the world is all wrapped up in how wonderful Kobe’s fourth ring is, and how much weight is now off his shoulders, the fact that his contract has an opt out clause this summer provided a sobering reminder of where he was little more than two years ago.

It was May two years ago that Kobe told Stephen A. Smith on ESPN Radio that he wanted a trade, and there was nothing the Lakers could do to change that. Now, in fairness Kobe backtracked on that a little and used his website to point out the obvious: he wanted to win, and he didn’t particularly care where he did it.

“When you love something as much as I love the Lakers its [sic] hard to even imagine thinking about being elsewhere, but, the ONE THING I will never sacrifice when it comes to basketball is WINNING.”

Ok, so the Lakers brought in Pau Gasol and suddenly they were in the finals. Despite the absolute thrashing that the Celtics gave them, the progress was apparently enough to keep Kobe quiet. Now, with another ring and his post-Shaq legacy safely sealed, Kobe is ready to re-commit to the Lakers.

The AP reported today that Bryant has said he has no intention of opting out of his current contract with the Lakers this summer. Specifically, Bryant said:

“I’m not going anywhere. I know I ain’t going nowhere, so it’s just a waste of our breaths just talking about it.”

Of course, Kobe had a similar sentiment when he re-signed with the Lakers in 2004. Now, that was only 2 years after the Lakers last championship that he re-signed, and then it was only 2 more years until the trade demands started coming. So, If I were a Lakers fan (Don’t kid yourself, I’m not) I wouldn’t be resting too easy. Assume the lakers don’t resign Odom, and Andrew Bynum continues his membership in the Greg Oden club for constantly injured young players, the Lakers could easily fall apart over the next three years. And such a collapse could upset the peace and restart the Kobe trade demands all over again. Now, in 3 years Bryant will be 34 and keeping him might not seem like such an important issue. Of course, I don’t think anyone in LA wants to go through any more Kobe Bryant drama regardless.

Either way, if the Lakers manage to re-sign Odom and Ariza, and repeat next season, I doubt Bryant will ever be an issue again. Then again, a few key injuries and departed players here or there could start this whole saga all over again. Maybe its a small price to pay for the best player since MJ, maybe its not. But Jerry Buss is the only one who really has an opinion that matters, and he is clearly committed to Bryant until the end.