Artest says that Ariza is a better player than himself
The Los Angeles Times
Ron Artest is no Trevor Ariza. Though a bigger name and known for his defense, Artest has lagged behind his predecessor.
Ron Artest is barely raising an eyebrow. He hasn't figured out the flow of the Lakers offense this season, he has sometimes seemed a step slow on defense, and he's made little impact on the team's toughness.
In a move engineered by the Buss family last summer, Artest was signed here from the Houston Rockets to replace Ariza, who then signed with Houston, after balking at the Lakers' contract offer. It is a move that some Lakers folks would now take back. It was a move that many of us thought should never have happened in the first place.
I'm not too surprised that Ron Artest would admit that Ariza is better than him. Ron has always been out of touch with reality and impulsive but I would have never described him as boastful or cocky. But the truth is Ariza had a whole year out of the spotlight to learn the triangle and practice with Kobe & Co. Then he became a star. Artest was thrown into the starting lineup and Hollywood spotlite day one and has struggled to find his way. But he'll get better as the Lakers progress. And what's with all the nagtivity anyway? The Lakers are riding a 7-game winning streak into tonite's game with San Antone. This CNNSI poster said it best.
Party Marty wrote:
After the negative story about the Lakers yesterday and now this you would never guess that they have the second best record in the NBA. Good thing this guy doesn't cover the Nets.
P.S. - As long as Artest throws a few elbows and has a few antics like these I'll be a happy man.
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