The Artesticle

They get better because Nelson will be healthy. I'm not sure about the VC trade, I don't really think they get better, or worse, just stay status quo.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/07/hedo_turkoglu_rejects_blazers.html#preview wow. Toronto I guess?

Lamar Odom is most likely coming back. Same with Shannon. The bench will essentially be the same as last year, except Shannon will probably take the majority of Jordan's minutes, which is a definite upgrade. Ron will be taking Trevor's place in the starting lineup, that's all. Here's our second unit: C: Bynum/Gasol PF: Odom SF: Walton SG: Vujacic PG: Brown If the minutes are managed correctly, we will have one (Drew or Pau) on the court at all times. LO is one of the best bench players in the league, and I assume he'll be better next year, because he'll be more comfortable coming off the bench. But who knows, this is Lamar we're talking about, maybe he'll be worse (???). Luke isn't a bad option off the bench if he can play like the way he did in the 2nd half of the season / Finals. Overpaid, but he still gets the job done. He's the glue guy for the second unit and gets everyone involved. Sasha was straight up garbage last year. But he's a player who relies on confidence and never had things going for him at all. He was injured, missed all of training camp, just completely out of rhythm the entire year. This summer, he's going to be playing for his National Team, so hopefully that loosens him up for the regular season. I don't expect him to play as well as he did in his contract year, but I expect (hope) him to bounce back and at least be serviceable. Brown will most likely take the majority of Jordan's minutes. Jordan is probably on the way out anyways. The coaches don't like him, and we basically tried to trade him away for free to Houston, but got rejected. I think one of the reasons why Shannon didn't play as much last year was because of his inexperience in the triangle. With training camp under his belt, he'll most likely beat out Jordan for the backup spot. And like most have already said, he could be the breakout player for us next year.

My biggest issue with Trevor is that he cannot create his own shot, and he can barely dribble. Not to mention doctors have warned about foot problems, which may lead to further health issues in the future. He is also only a role player, he's not gonna look as good without Kobe/Pau when he signs with Houston. Also, after watching Luke and Sasha, I'm extremely weary about these contract year players. I'm gonna miss him, honestly I've enjoyed everything he gave us, but with teams like the Cavs adding Shaq, Magic adding Vince, Boston getting back KG and probably adding Sheed, this was the right move to make.

He's not gonna be as good without Kobe/Pau, especially since the Rockets have no #1 option. He cannot create his own shot and is a very poor ball handler. But he can shoot when left open, and is extremely athletic, and young. Good luck with him.

alex, wut you do foo

I think he was good before signing his big contract. He won MIP and the Blazers organization were campaigning for him to play in the Allstar Game. But after the contract, it all went down hill. Everybody already summed up his game perfectly. He's a perfect example of why stats don't tell the whole story.

wut...

Mason, you are right. Artest > Ariza

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/11838893/15861966 Seems legit.

The most you can offer is MLE. If so, Lakers will match. You really think Trevor is going to bolt for cold town Cleveland, with Lebron James's future in question, when he can stay with the guys and the team he won a championship for, the city he grew up in, and the city his family lives in? Real genius right there. Only way Trevor leaves is if another team with cap space offers him the 8-9 million dollar deal his agent keeps crying about, or if the Lakers decide they rather sign someone like Ron Artest or Shawn Marion to the same contract. If we want him back, most likely he will be back. If we don't want him back, most likely we upgrade anyways.

Let's see... Ron adores Kobe, and they're great friends off the court. Ron respects Phil Jackson. Ron and Lamar Odom are pretty much BFF. If Lakers resign LO soon, and it comes between these two teams, he's going to LA. We'll see what happens. But apparently Orlando is now the hotspot of NBA free agents. And according to Alex, they will be getting everyone from Rasheed Wallace to Chris Bosh to Ron Artest. So who knows.

LMAO!!! Talk about overpaying if true. I love Trev, but he wasn't much before Kobe/Pau. Now he's getting borderline allstar money? Somebody can overpay, not us. He could end up being a contract year player anyways, when it's all said and done. He has foot problems, he cannot create his own shot, and he can barely dribble the ball. I fully expect Mitch to move on and use the MLE on Ron Ron, or Shawn Marion, since he won't be back in Toronto. Thanks for the ring Trev! We'll get better without ya!

wow... I'mm kill myself now.

lol Magic fans must be digging this. Laker fans usually go through the same crap every year.

Hopefully. Then I can make fun of you.

He's going to Cleveland. Ron Ron - LBJ - Shaq - Mo Williams Damn. Winning one for Cleveland before he moves to NY I guess.

http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/23/233376.jpg really?

Doesn't matter. Nobody will offer more than MLE, when it's all said and done, his agent will come wagging his tail back to us.

You aren't the boss of him.

lol epic fail They trade Pau for cap space. GM tries to use the cap space to sign David Lee. Owner turns him down. GM trades for Zach Randolph. ROFL I really liked the young talent they acquired, but this trade just kills the team IMO. You don't get someone like Zach Randolph to play around youngsters like Gay Mayo. Somebody's gonna end up [expletive]ing about touches.

It's either Ron or Trevor. We're not getting both.