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• Wallace to Celtics Makes Artest to Lakers Even Better - Silver Screen and Roll
  We've already discussed the Lakers' acquisition of Ron Artest (3 years @ the Mid-Level Exception), and the odds are we're not done with it. For my money, it was a great move. Two of the Eastern Conference's three best teams, Cleveland and Orlando, made significant roster upgrades (though I admittedly don't think Cleveland's will be enough to win the East next year), as did San Antonio. Boston was rumored to be trying to do the same. It was therefore a good thing, in general, for the Lakers to also improve their roster, rather than being complacent while their biggest challengers made moves aimed directly at taking Los Angeles down.
• Forum Blue And Gold " The Art (and Artest) of Being A Fan
  A fan’s relationship with a sports team is something like his or her relationship with their family — there are times it is strained, times of anger, times of frustration, but ultimately you almost always come back to them because, well, they are your family. The bond there is strong, built up over years and decades, one too strong to be broken for anything but the worst of offenses. The signing of Ron Artest has had me thinking about all that this past weekend. Any regular visitor to this blog in the last couple years will tell you I have been ardently opposed to the Lakers getting Ron Artest. I am rarely someone who thinks in terms of absolutes — that something is all good or all bad. But on this blog, Artest was about as absolute as I got, I didn’t want him here. In the past few days I have had to step back, look at myself and that stance, compromise in my mind and move forward. There are things that are very different than when I ranted against Artest in the past. First, the talk at the time was trading Odom for Artest, something I would still oppose. But that is not what has happened here — this essentially turned out to be a swap of Artest for Trevor Ariza. And Artest is coming in here at what only can be described as a fantastic price for the talent. It’s hard to be unhappy at a good deal.
  
  (Kurt pretty much sums what how I feel.)
• SHELBURNE: Lakers coach Jackson ready to take this ride with Artest - LA Daily News
  Officially, it was answered Friday as the Lakers released a statement from Jackson indicating that three weeks of looking under the hood had uncovered no red flags regarding his health, enabling him to come back for his 19 thNBA season next year. But the second the Lakers agreed in principle with free agent forward Ron Artest Thursday afternoon, it was an absolute certainty Jackson would return as coach. Not because the idea of the voluble, volatile Artest joining a championship club without Jackson around to massage the transition sounds borderline irrational, but because Jackson has always thrived on challenges on the highest order. In the twilight of his career, with perhaps just another season or two before he retires for good, and a team whose goal would be to defend a championship, not avenge a championship loss, Jackson needed something more. A new challenge, a new enigma to unlock. One last talented, troubled soul to cajole into a champion.

More links after the jump.  Click on through...

Forum Blue And Gold " The Gift and the Curse
There are so many variables to the Lakers’ acquisition of Ron Artest that my head is spinning. I am excited and terrified at the same time. The only comparison I can make is being at the top of a climb on a roller coaster and we are about to start the dashing descent that is both exhilarating and fear inducing at the same time. As Kurt said so simply (and yet aptly) Ron Artest will be a Laker. Six simple words and suddenly a swell of thoughts, emotions, gut reactions, and rationalizations hit these boards and media outlets all at once.

20 Second Timeout: Artest versus Ariza

Lakers hero Ariza had meteoric rise - FOX Sports on MSN
Outhouse to penthouse? Skid Row to Easy Street? Hell's ditch to God's celestial shore? The metaphors fail to convey the impossible distance Trevor Ariza has covered in the last year.

Sports Radio Interviews " Phil Jackson: Ron Artest Jumped In The Shower With Kobe
Phil Jackson: Ron Artest Jumped In The Shower With Kobe

(Hat tip to The Baseline's Bethlehem Shoals)

Ron Artest Talking to His Agent, on Video - TrueHoop By Henry Abbott - ESPN
People get all fired up about athletes tweeting, but most of the time it doesn't seem like that massive a step to me. This however ... wow. This one feels like we're getting close to a point where one day there might not be any secrets at all. This is video Ron Artest posted. It eventually gets into the conversation Artest had last week when his agent, David Bauman, told him that Mitch Kupchak was interested in Ron's services.

Basketball-Reference.com Blog " Blog Archive " Will Artest Love L.A.? And Will They Love Him Back?
The main potential problem I can see is the chemistry issue, just in terms of having to divvy up a small % of possessions among a group of players who are used to seeing more.

(Hat tip BDL)

Artest: From St. John's to Houston - OCRegister.com
Artest: From St. John's to Houston

Gasol to Play for Spain - Lakers.com BasketBlog
According to the Associated Press, Lakers big man Pau Gasol will represent his home country of Spain in this summer’s European Basketball Championship.

Gasol is statuesque in Spain - Lakers blog - OCRegister.com
Pau Gasol will play for Spain in the European Basketball Championship this September He better. Especially since the country is putting up a statue of him in his hometown of Sant Boi de Llobregat.

Los Angeles Lakers re-sign backup PG Shannon Brown for two years - ESPN

• Rasheed Wallace to Boston as the arms race continues | Lakers Blog | Los Angeles Times
  Bottom line? Teams believing they have a shot to contend next season are pulling out the stops, and seem ready to keep the pedal down as the summer rolls on. When it's all said and done, the 2009-2010 season could be one with a pretty stark caste system, where the have-nots are particularly sad (and unusually plentiful), but the haves could be fantastic. It's good to be a have.
• Celtics No Better With Rasheed Wallace -- NBA FanHouse
  Not only do the Celtics have a long way to go with their roster just to catch up to teams like the Cavaliers and the Lakers, but I would argue that replacing Kendrick Perkins in the starting lineup with Wallace actually makes Boston worse, not better. And it definitely doesn't put them any closer to winning a championship. We know what Sheed brings to the table; his output has been fairly consistent over the last three seasons. If Wallace plays in the neighborhood of 32 minutes per night, he's going to give you around 12 points and seven rebounds per game, while shooting 42 percent from the field, and a little over 35 percent from three-point land. As the Celtics' starting center last season, Perkins averaged just under 30 minutes per game, and averaged 8.5 points and 8.1 rebounds. He also shot almost 58 percent from the field. Perkins also took 242 fewer shots than Wallace did last season. You see what I'm getting at?
• Rasheed Wallace's Stats - Detroit Pistons - ESPN
  
  (Make sure you check out Rasheed's stats from last year before you read the article below.  Not that great.  I like 'Sheed.  I do.  But he's at the end of his line.  He is not the missing piece of the Celtics.  Especially if they let Big Baby walk.)
• Wallace Makes Celtics NBA's Best Team -- NBA FanHouse
  And then there's the Lakers, the current residing best team in the NBA. But are they? Who says they're better off with Ron Artest and without Trevor Ariza? Nobody knows how Artest will fit in. Wallace, on the other hand, is almost a guaranteed plus on the chemistry-meter for Boston, a true glue guy and as unselfish as they come. What we know is that Wallace is going to play for the Celtics next season. Which makes them the team to beat heading into next season.
• How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Sheed - CelticsBlog
  I was more than a little hesitant to embrace Rasheed Wallace. Ok, I'll go a step further. I openly lobbied to keep him out of Celtic green. I don't remember doing that for any other free agent. Here's what I had to say (in case you missed it). I'm not a Rasheed Wallace fan. I don't like him. I respect what he's done in his career and I'm sure he'll be playing for someone next year, but I just hope it isn't the Celtics. That was a month ago. Now I'm all for it. I'm on board. I'm excited about the Rasheed Wallace era. What happened? What changed my mind? Here are a few reasons, in no particular order.
• Rasheed Wallace on the Celtics? Not bad - Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sports
  We've had a while to adjust to the idea of Rasheed Wallace(notes) on the current version of the Boston Celtics. And, if we're honest, we've gone back and forth on this quite a bit since attempting to put pen to paper on the idea sometime this weekend. It's just damned tough to try and assume anything with Rasheed Wallace. We have no idea how he'll play. We know how he could play. We know that he could come out inspired, guarding three positions, taking on all comers defensively, setting great screens, nailing open jumpers while heading to the post every so often. He has the talent, even at his advanced age, to turn a year better than Robert Horry(notes) could even in Horry's prime. But you never know with Sheed. Actually, you did know last year. And that's what made his act so distasteful. He dogged it. He waltzed through the entire season, not caring if his team won or lost.
• Rasheed Wallace may be missing link for Boston Celtics - Chris Mannix - SI.com
• Glen Davis in San Antonio? Fine by me - Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sports
  Glen Davis in San Antonio? Fine by me.
• SportingNews.com - The Baseline
  I'd suggest 2010 might end up being, in fact, about the consolidation of empire. But so far this summer, we've seen top teams load up through bargains, upgrades, and a host of other moves that have made both conferences distinctly top-heavy.About that "consolidation of empire" catchphrase: Shaq is a short-term investment, but like I said, the future of the Cavs, and LeBron as a Cav, probably rests on there being some semblance of a strong team going forward.
• Kidd Rejects Knicks to Stay With Mavericks - NYTimes.com
  The Knicks’ pursuit of Jason Kidd came to an abrupt end Sunday, when Kidd sent word that he would stay with the Dallas Mavericks, who were able to offer him more money and a greater chance of winning.
• Wade Watches as East Loads up on Talent - SportingNews.com - The Baseline
  So you're Dwyane Wade. During the playoffs, it became abundantly clear that you were a one-man team and that Miami's in no position to break the East's glass ceiling.
• SportingNews.com - The Baseline
  I'd suggest 2010 might end up being, in fact, about the consolidation of empire. But so far this summer, we've seen top teams load up through bargains, upgrades, and a host of other moves that have made both conferences distinctly top-heavy.About that "consolidation of empire" catchphrase: Shaq is a short-term investment, but like I said, the future of the Cavs, and LeBron as a Cav, probably rests on there being some semblance of a strong team going forward.