I wrote an article yesterday concerning Kobe Bryant and his selection to his eighth NBA All-Defensive team, and many of the commentators voiced their opinion that Bryant was not even the best defensive player on his own team.
Most felt Ron Artest deserved that honor, and to be fair, I couldn't agree more, although the reason Bryant was selected over Artest had more to do with the respective positions of each player, rather than worthiness.
It took Artest a while to get accustomed to the Los Angeles Lakers' style of play, but once he assimilated Artest became all that the Lakers could have ever hoped for, and then some.
The main reason the Lakers coveted Artest was for his defensive reputation and the physical edge he brings as an enforcer, and the more Artest has fit that billing, the less Lakers' fans remember the departed Trevor Ariza.
Ariza was an integral piece of the Lakers' championship of 2009, and many observers felt Los Angeles was getting the short end of the deal in what was basically a swap between the Houston Rockets and Lakers for each player.
Ariza was considered more athletic, quicker and younger than Arte ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Hadarii Jones
Trevor Who? Ron Artest’s Defense Makes Ariza a Distant Memory
May 6th, 2010 by Hadarii Jones Leave a reply »
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