Hollinger's take - "Artest turned 29 last year, and he clearly lost a step at the offensive end. He shot a career high on 3s (39.9 percent) and still managed a career worst from the field overall (40.1 percent), which means he really struggled inside the arc. Artest's mark wasn't the worst in the league, but it was the worst among players who shot often. Among players with at least 500 2-point attempts, only Baron Davis' 40.6 percent mark came close to Artest's 40.1 percent. The story within the story is Artest's declining ability to get to the rim and finish. His shot attempts in the immediate basket area declined by nearly a third, and he converted only 45.1 percent of the ones he took -- an appallingly poor number for a strong, 6-7 forward. Artest had been in the mid-50s each of the previous four seasons, so it's possible this was all a huge fluke. A decline in his speed and leaping ability, however, appeared to be the more proximate cause. The concomitant dip in his free throw attempts supports that line of thinking."
Luke is a poor shooter as well. Artest is a superior 3 point threat and he's our best option at the 3. I'll take his D as well Thank God.
Not to mention Odom isn't as effective sliding to SF. I don't think benching Artest makes sense after only two games.
"Jackson did not speak of any lineup changes, but with Pau Gasol out and other options available to him at the small forward spot, namely Lamar Odom and Sasha Vujacic, Jackson may not wait long before pulling the plug on Artest as a starter." It's just the writer speculation. Ron Ron is struggling, but he'll snap out of it soon. He's just not comfortable with the triangle offense yet. Although, when healthy, imagine a second unit consisting of Lamar Odom and Ron Artest. lol
He's just a streaky player, and the Lakers must have known that when they got him. Benching him would be a bad move, in my opinion. It won't help his psyche one bit.
its been two games. this is just "journalists" putting words into people mouths, making people say thing that in certain context seem like accusations or negative comments. seriously, two games. ron-ron will take a while to get with the rhythm of this team and he will learn when and where he can get his best shots. dont worry, this is a great team, we know what we are capable of, after some time rons toughness and superior defense will only add to that, his talent on offense is just a bonus. remember we dont even have pau in there either.
He thinks he's shooting well. They need to keep him in the starting lineup, IMO. He's the one who gives Kobe more of a break on defense, which is what Artest obviously thrives on. His averages tell me that he'll get going. It's too early in the season to panic and bench him already.
