Is Ron Ron really serious?
By Alex of NBAtipoff
Ron Artest is out to prove to everyone that he is serious about winning.
In an interview he did with ESPN, Artest talked about how he’s changed since the brawl and how much he wants to win.
While this is all talk and the Houston Rockets are only good on paper, I like what I’m hearing from him. He doesn’t care that he lost seven million, embarrassed the league and sent a chill through the sports world. It’s about winning and being the best. That’s what any sport is about.
Artest needs to get the entire team thinking the way he is. We know Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are all about winning, but this needs to be contagious (like Kevin Garnett’s intensity that set the Boston Celtics up for title).
When training camp rolls around, we’ll hear how serious TMac and company are and we’ll start expecting big things from this club. They won 22 in a row last season, what’s there to live up to? They won 55 games last season, I would set the bar at 60.
They’re also becoming a deep squad. At the small forward, they have Artest, Shane Battier, Chuck Hayes, and Brent Barry (he’s listed as a guard, but at 6-7, he could slide over to the three). Those are just the guys likely to get minutes (also, Steve Novak, Mike Harris, and some free agents that probably aren’t coming back). It’s great that they have a lot of guys there, but they should move one of them. I would like to see a deal for a pure point guard, or a nice third option at the center position (behind Yao and Dikembe Mutombo).
Anyway, they’re not better than the Los Angeles Lakers and would be in a fight for second with the New Orleans Hornets. And don’t forget the Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks. The West is even better now than it was last year.
