Ron-Ron Really?

One thing that is great about sports is that a player can go from being the biggest goat of the game and somebody everybody will blame the defeat on, then hit the game-winning shot and be portrayed as this clutch player.  I nearly threw my drink at the TV when I saw SportsCenter headline of "Big Shot Ron."  I understand he hit the game winner but seriously, does a guy who goes 1 for 9 really deserve the credit?

A guy who deserves big time props is Derek Fisher, a guy I have ragged on during these playoffs came up huge once again in a big game dropping 22 points and hit a couple of big shots down the stretch.  Fisher should have been the guy that everybody talked about on Friday.  He was the reason the Lakers won on Thursday night picking up the slack for the 'supposed' twin towers of Andrew Bynum/Pau Gasol.  Fisher did his thing and I wonder if he factors into tonight's game. This one is an obvious but another guy who stepped his game up was the Black Mamba himself.

Remember about two weeks ago when we discussed how the great ones handled critical 2-2 Game 5s?  Once again, Kobe pulled it out with a ridiculous 30 pts 9 rbs 11 assts.  While the LeBron James fan club will tell me that's a normal night for LBJ, my counter is he is a monster inside and has great vision, two different styles relax.  For whatever reason in the playoffs, Kobe has figured out how to pass the ball to his teammates at a high rate and still get his points. I haven't seen this type of Kobe and it's really makes you wonder, is this guy unlike any other player?  I don't believe you can compare him to anyone because he played so many roles in his career, you could call him chameleon more so than a mamba.

I think the Lakers end the Suns run tonight, I just think the Ron Artest Queensbridge Knockout might be too much for them to come back from but I could see a very close battle to the very end. Not to be John Madden, but the key for the Suns really how good their bench plays.  When the bench is successful, it results in good things. 

-Charlie.

NBA Weekly: Ivo Back to Philly and Ron-Ron Loves Hennessy

Here is one of our favorite posts, which is the NBA Weekly.  We usually take two NBA topics make them into one column to get to my readers faster.  If you follow me on Twitter (/chuckscorner), a fan of Facebook (Chuck's Corner), or just like to read my stuff, thank you for it. 

The Return of the Answer: For some reason everyone seems to be excited that Allen Iverson is returning to Philadelphia 76ers to relive the glory days where he once screamed about practice!  We talkin' bout' practice!!! Sorry I had to do it one more time, always good to bring back.  This isn't a good move for the team chemistry and once again, the Sixers are overrated.  Elton Brand isn't playing well and the only real thing they have going for them is Andre Iguodala.  Iverson will disrupt team chemistry... why?  Because he always does, since Philly he hasn't gone to a team and not caused problems.  Coming back to the City of Brotherly Love will make no difference.  The Sixers realized they were losing money and decided they need more ticket money therefore bring back the hero of the early 2000s for the town.  After the honeymoon is over in a couple weeks, people will realize that he is a shell of his former self. 

Bless your Heart Ron: In my opinion, this tops the Tiger Woods scandal going on right now.  Ron Artest admitted to drinking Hennessey during halftime of games while playing for the Chicago Bulls.  Now most would be outraged but you know why I cannot?  It's Ron Artest!  Nothing this guy does surprises me anymore especially after the Michael Jackson Tribute and the Jimmy Kimmel Show. I probably should be more upset, but in all honesty, I think after the Malice in the Palace he truly turned his life around somewhat, still batshit crazy.  Although a couple things I wonder about is how the hell does he play basketball after taking sips of Hennessey at halftime? I would love to see the splits from those years. "Oh look at those second-half numbers, Ron must have drunk a half a bottle!"  It cannot be good and I do wonder if the drinking increases when the Bulls were getting blown out or winning big. Maybe Jamie Foxx was right.. Blame it on the Henny.   

-Charlie.

Ariza and Artest Trade Places

So earlier in the week I decided to blog the rumors that were going around the NBA and I myself thought that it was a sure thing that Ron Artest was going to Cleveland as did everyone else. I had a bunch of teams listed for Trevor Ariza but I loved the idea of him going to the Houston Rockets. Now we see Artest deciding to play in Los Angeles for the Lakers in where Ariza would play and Ariza will be playing in the place that Artest held court last year.

I think that Artest once again is a great fit for the Lakers because of the versatility that he brings to any team really. I said about Artest with LeBron James that because of his defense he will free up James to do a ton of things on offense and I feel the exact same way with Kobe Bryant. Artest will likely guard the top guy on the wing and Kobe will now guard the second best which would make Kobe's defense that much better. The Lakers have bolted back to the top of the charts with Artest/Kobe combination and now I feel that is inevitable that Lamar Odom will stay a Laker. The lineup of Fisher-Kobe-Artest-Odom-Gasol becomes the best lineup in the NBA right now. In addition, I think Los Angeles' chemistry will not be ruined by Artest because I think he is about right up there with intensity with Kobe which will bring a ton of fire to the Lakers. I really dont think Artest-Bryant will have in-house problems and think it will be a solid relationship.

Now on to Ariza, I said before that I was in favor of the Lakers keeping Ariza and letting Odom go play for someone else personally because of Ariza's young age. I also thought that Houston out of the five that were interested was the best spot for him. He will be the star of the show if Tracy McGrady isnt back in the beginning of the season (I think he should but who knows). The combo of T-Mac and Ariza on the wing isnt a bad 1-2 at all plus having Luis Scola in the middle will help out a ton. Not to forget that Aaron Brooks will be a year older where he is likely to have a break out year. I like the Rockets just as much as last year with those pieces.

-Charlie.

Ron Artest to Cleveland?

I am sorry that the creative juices are not following with creative titles but the last two articles I expect to hear news on by the time I am eating lunch. I also promise something on baseball this weekend because I have ignore it more than Lindsey Lohan with food. On to everyone's favorite sideshow Ron Artest (the link is to his Twitter, its awesome.)

The way I found about Artest bolting was according to "JT the Brick" on Fox Sports Radio claimed that Ronnie tweeted "Goodbye Houston" which is nowhere to be found although I could believe that he might have been told to take that down so who knows. We will keep you updated though.

I would like to begin saying that yours truly made the claim that Artest would be the "perfect fit" in Cleveland (see Lexington I am not a complete buffoon!) with the combination of Artest-LeBron James-Shaq that would any team weary to play the Cavs next season. The two teams they worry about the East would crumble with Shaq dealing with KG/Dwight Howard, Artest dealing with Pierce/Vince Carter would be lethal. This team would be good enough to let Mike Brown coach from a leather couch in the locker room. If Cleveland doesnt get a title in 09 then I really have to wonder if the curse of the city is much worse than we ever could have imagined.

The first thing you have to be impressed with is how good their perimeter defense will be and how much better it will make LeBron on the offense end. He puts in a lot on the defensive side of the ball and with a guy like Artest, he will not need to worry as much. I hate doing this but doesnt this somewhat remind of when the Bulls brought in Dennis Rodman? The multi-colored hair freak show had alot more issues than Ron Artest but still he was surrounded by enough good guys that he only lashed out once resulting in a kick to the balls. Like I said, I feel Artest has completely changed his attitude around and is just now a strange guy (trust me read his Twitter) which is alright by me.

-Charlie.