Lakers' Kupchak goes bold, not willing to simply sit on title t...

Mitch Kupchak, we had you all wrong. So much for conservative and cool. By agreeing in principle with the highly flammable but highly gifted attention magnet that is Ron Artest on Thursday, Kupchak and the Lakers proved they were not only willing to take a risk to repeat as NBA champions next year, but excited aboutit.

[Acid Reflex]

This is tantamount to a staged lunar landing without prior notice. Nice!

[lakersboy]

I cant get rid of this smile on my face, the lakers have improved with Artest and now can resign odom and brown and we are the bullys now.

[harry]

lakers repeat 2010

[Kirk - Beijing]

This makes the Dangers more well rounded and entertaining, on and off the court. Let's hope Ron Ron makes news for the right reasons:-)

[Don Chorizo Cojones]

This looks like a great team on paper statistically. However, it could also be the beginning of the end.
i hope Phil returns to tame this monster...GO LAKERS!!!

[Phil Corn]

Great, everybody's now caught up with the Joneses. With 5 or 6 elite-type tems now having been constructed and a slew of garbage teams, the NBA has clearly lost its way and, of course, its we fans who get it stuck right up our baggy shorts.

[nathan]

excellent article

[lakersbakers]

the rest of the nba teams can forget about winning anymore championships,lakers 4 more

[baldfixx]

Great Fit..Nice work Lakers Org.....Finally a piece of Going for another title contention..Go break Boston's 17th Title and settle for 20......

[swani]

laker hater sh%!!#%g bricks now,once lamar back in fold its going to be very interesting hum

[swani]

gasol odom
bynum luke
artest jmar
kobe sbrown
dfish

jpowell, mbenga, maybe adam morrison
that is a formible roster thats good enough to defend the crown with

[SuperSonics Memories]

I don't even like the Lakers but realize the consequences of this deal. This makes the Lakers the favorites to repeat for 2 more seasons.

The Lakers now have the two players with the greatest killer instincts (Stephen Jackson another) on the same roster. This seriousness and sense of urgency will rub off on the softer Lakers (Bynum, Gasol, Sasha, etc...).

I think Odom will get a better offer from somebody else, so the Lakers and their bloated $85 mill. luxury taxed roster is set (with the addition of 2 more D-listers like Chris Wilcox-types).

With this group, the rest of the NBA is in trouble.

[James]

Why bother having the finals the next 5 years, just give them to the LAKERS. Good job Mitch. Go LAKERS.

[Mike]

After signing Pau, I think we need to give Mitch the benefit of the doubt. We definitely can use Ron's aggressiveness and intensity which the Lakers lacked in many games including the playoffs.

Good luck to us Lakers fans!!!

[rmmpul]

artest will fit with the lakers period!!!!!!

[Water Boy]

swani wrote:

gasol odom
bynum luke
artest jmar
kobe sbrown
dfish
jpowell, mbenga, maybe adam morrison
that is a formible roster thats good enough to defend the crown with

Did you just seriously include Luke and morrison?

[tomyupw]

YES! The difference between Artest and Ariza is Ron goes against opponents and Trevor goes around them, and so does Gasol and everyone else in a Lakers' uniform. Artest can create his own shot and everyone but Kobe, cannot. Artest takes the ball to the rim and others wait around in the perimeter. More importantly, who is going to stop LeBron James, Paul Pierce, or Brandon Roy? Not Ariza!

[dannyfree]

Wow, Artest is a fantastic pick-up for the Lakers and sort of makes them the favorite to repeat against the tough opponents of Cleveland (now with Shaq--the jury's out on how that will work) and the Celtics, assuming Garnett returns to top form. With Orlando losing Turkoglu, at this point, even with Howard, I don't see them contending. Of course, moves remain to be made throughout the NBA --it's relly early. Being a New Yorker, it would be fantastic to be able to get Artest, a New York guy and St. Johns alum. But I guess its not in the cards and I can well understandd why he waants L.A.

[texas laker fan]

At first glance, I was not in favor of this deal. I wanted Ariza back next year. However, the more I take into consideration what Artest brings to the team, the more at ease I am with the loss of Ariza. Combined with Kobe and D Fish, Artest rounds out what is undeniably the best perimeter defense in the league. He also brings muscle and rebounding to the SMALL forward position. It will work. Artest will behave because he will have to (enter Phil Jackson and veterans' leadership). Time for a repeat.

[watchdog]

This was a good pick up by the Lakers. Artest has proven he is in it to win and for the most part has control any negative behavior. He'll fit right in and came to us at a bargain price.

As for Ariza, shame on u and ur agent. U were offered exactly the same amount u'll be getting in Houston, yet ur agent got all upset by the initial offer the Lakers offered so he pouted. If he had been more mature, this would be an article about Ariza resigning with the Lakers. This isn't the first time an agent thought he was being smart and ended up blowing it for his client.

Ariza will not be the player he was with the Lakers because of the lack of supporting cast. He's an average player who had a good run.