Me and a fellow Laker fan at work were trying to figure out if this was a good move, and to tell the truth, I still don't know. I really liked Ariza--I liked how long he was on defense, and his 3-point shooting was really handy. I doubt Artest will be able play the role of knock-down 3-point shooter as well as Ariza had, especially during the playoffs (although Ariza isn't proven; last year could have been a fluke. Inconsistent 3-point accuracy happens. I mean, look at Sasha--he was terrible last year).
One thing I will say, though, is that I think people may have it wrong when they cite Artest's combustability as a negative. I haven't followed Artest's career very closely, so this may be wrong, but: for all that's happened with him, he doesn't seem like a team-wrecker. He's crazy, sure, and gets in fights all the time, but they tend to be fights with other teams (or their fans, as the case may be). His teammates in Houston seemed to like him. So I think he could actually be good in the "enforcer" role for the Lakers (a role that had to be played last year by Derek Fisher of all people). He can be the guy that "sends a message" to other teams when they, say, foul Kobe just a little too hard.
Think of it this way: if you're the Lakers on the road in the finals against a tough Celtics team and a raucous crowd, the fact that there's a guy on your team who just might take a swing at Garnett has got to make you feel more confident. I think Kobe and the Lakers are still scarred from being out-toughed by the Celtics two years ago, and that this move is meant to make sure nothing like that happens again.
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