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Defense- the key to WINNING championships
I think this will show to be the best off-season pick up in the NBA

He can defend, so whichever position the Rockets play him at they and Ron-Ron will be fine.

artest is a gun defender and can handle anyone at the 1-3 and some PFs
at some stage though 7.0ft PF/Cs i dont think so more rubbish reporting

artest and battier now thats defense

QUOTE(#1):

Originally posted 08:57 AM ET  10.06 by jgb

Defense- the key to WINNING championshipsI think this will show to be the best off-season pick up in the NBA

This WILL be the best pickup this season. A lot of teams are afraid of Artest because of his antics. I'd rather deal with that and gain a guy with some heart than have some Mr. Softee ice cream player with a nice attitude. You can't win a championship being nice!

Artest can defend three positions well, maybe four, but not the five spot. That's asking too much of him.

This is a great pick-up though.

QUOTE(#4):

Originally posted 09:39 AM ET  10.06 by cruse1

This WILL be the best pickup this season. A lot of teams are afraid of Artest because of his antics. I'd rather deal with that and gain a guy with some heart than have some Mr. Softee ice cream player with a nice attitude. You can't win a championship being nice!

hmmm really? don't you have that in your "franchise player" Yao Ming?? LOL
So I guess you'r conceding that Rockets can't win inspite of Artest

What the reporter meant was that Artest could and already has defended everyone currently on the Rockets roster at training camp except the 7ft6 Yao.
The Rockets havnt signed a genuine backup centre such as Deke Mutombo, so the next 'biggest' players after Yao are 6ft9 rookie Joey Dorsey and Luis Scola.
Artest has even guarded the smallest Rocket, 6ft Aaron Brooks in one on one drills.

QUOTE(#4):

Originally posted 09:39 AM ET  10.06 by cruse1

This WILL be the best pickup this season. A lot of teams are afraid of Artest because of his antics. I'd rather deal with that and gain a guy with some heart than have some Mr. Softee ice cream player with a nice attitude. You can't win a championship being nice!

Kinda like Dirk huh

Yeah, well, if they can work a way to have him on the court while Shane's still out there, yeah... they'll lock people down. But taking minutes from Shane with how he plays is a little crazy, so he better work well at the 2 or 4... but Scola came into his own last year too. Maybe T-Mac loses minutes.... he's a piece of glass anyway.

Kobe playing the 3, and Artest playing the 2. What the heck is going on.

yeah but is artest or battier going to guard....duncan/k.thomas.....bynum/gasol.....shaq/amare
boozer/okur......get the point....they only get six fouls and when they start calling those ticky tack fouls the time bomb will erupt....remember.....@ Detroit.....

QUOTE(#10):

Originally posted 01:30 PM ET  10.06 by Joe Dew

Kobe playing the 3, and Artest playing the 2. What the heck is going on.

Preseason Joe, preseason.

Rokets have loads of potential but if either McGrady or Yao goes out for an extended period of time this season (rather when) I look for Artest to then step up and start demanding the ball as the 1 or 2 option. Thats when things will get interesting

QUOTE(#11):

Originally posted 04:49 PM ET  10.06 by mic'

yeah but is artest or battier going to guard....duncan/k.thomas.....bynum/gasol.....shaq/amareboozer/okur......ge t the point....they only get six fouls and when they start calling those ticky tack fouls the time bomb will erupt....remember.....@ Detroit.....

No, but Artest and Battier are going to guard all the outside shooters and slashers in their typical lockdown fashion. The Rockets will likely have the Cookie Monster back to guard the big men, they'd be stupid not to... and Yao may get abused by Shaq on the strength front, he can surely guard Wild Eyes Thomas.

That defense will be absolutely brutal when Battier returns.