Desperate Or Drastic: Should Miami Heat & N.Y. Knicks Acquire Ron Artest?
January 02 08
Pretend you’re Pat Riley, the Miami Heat’s coach and front office guru. Penny Hardaway, Smush Parker, and Ricky Davis have fizzled like three-week old, flat Pepsi, so how do you improve your team?
Hold that thought. One more scenario …
Pretend you’re Isiah Thomas, the New York Knicks’ coach and GM. All your trades, draft picks, and free agent signings have backfired, so how do you improve your team?
The answer to both questions: Ron Artest.
That’s right. Miami and New York are eyeing the infamous Ron-Ron. Try not to laugh. After all, Artest’s history includes smashing television cameras, requesting vacation time to promote mediocre music albums, assaulting fans who believe beer-tossing is a viable sport, and quitting on past teams.
Not exactly a glowing record. Desperate times, desperate measures, right? Not so fast. Artest, if focused and healthy, could help the Heat and Knicks. Here’s why:
- Artest, after last year’s brushes with the law, has steered clear of trouble. He’s worked with charities on a local and global level. Also, his daughter’s health scare has changed his outlook.
- So, if Artest’s mind is somewhat right, then trading for him becomes a no-brainer. The forward is one of the few players capable of dominating both ends of the floor.
- Best of all, his presence would energize the lethargic Heat and Knicks. The days of South Beach coping excuses and Madison Square Garden putting out a half-ass effort ends. Immediately.
- Artest’s contract doesn’t break the bank, either. This year’s 8 million dollar salary would be pro-rated over the season’s final months. The forward has a player’s option for next year at 8.5 million dollars.
Little risk. Lots of reward. What are Pat Riley and Isiah Thomas waiting for?
Should the Heat and Knicks trade for Artest? Get at us in the comment box below or hit us up in our fan forum. Click here to read and subscribe to Oly Sandor’s NBA blog.
