As the news about Ron
Artest joining the
Lakers becomes
official, I can't help but think this is a good deal for the Boston Celtics. Yes, this adds a capable defender to the world champions, something they sorely lacked in the 2008 Finals. Yes, this means that Kobe will not have to face
Artest this year, which will keep his possible technical and flagrant foul count down. I still think this is a good thing for the Celtics and, in particular, can make Boston even
MORE attracive to Rasheed Wallace.
1. Crazy Ron Artest and Crazy Rasheed Wallace facing off in the Finals.You cannot tell me that a
Lakers team with
Artest and a Celtics team with
Rasheed facing off in the Finals wouldn't be a good time for all involved. There is already some bad-blood with these two teams (just ask Sasha
Vujacic), think throwing two loose cannons into the mix wouldn't add some more spice to this rivalry?
Rasheed Wallace is a competitor, and you cannot think this potential match-up has not crossed his mind. Many remember the Pistons/Spurs Finals as one of the most boring seven-game series' in history, so for a guy who went to North Carolina, I bet he would love to add a Celtics/
Lakers' Finals to his resume, as it would be slightly more historic than Spurs/Pistons was.
2.Artests' Mohawk wigs in LA Man-Ram has the dread-lock wig, which means an
Artest Mohawk
Wig is already being produced. Now, dueling wigs. If Manny's wig was a hot seller in LA, imagine a
'Sheed wig with a green spot on the back in
Beantown? (PS Anyone who markets this idea will owe me commission)
3. Crazy Ron took less money to play with a champ.How bad does
'Sheed look if he signs with another team for more money? Currently it sounds like the Spurs,
Mavs, and Magic are in play (hat tip to Gary
Tanguay's Twitter page). If he signs with San Antonio, it looks alright. If he signs with the other two for more money (or slightly more money), it looks like a money grab. If crazy Ron didn't go for the bigger pile of cash, why would '
Sheed? Also, he has played with Vince Carter before in college, do you really think he wants to do that again?
4. Wallace has won a title before, and he knows awesome it is.Many people have
hypothesized that because
'Sheed has won a title before, he won't be as hungry to join the Celts for less money. I think exactly the opposite, because he has won a title before, he will want to make this move. He has been on a team that went all the way, and he knows how rare it is to do that. Will he want to join a Dallas team with an emotionally broken Dirk
Nowitzki? An Orlando team that got as lucky as any team to make it to the Finals (facing a skeleton-crew Celtics team and getting to face their ultimate favorable match-up in Cleveland and clueless Mike Brown)? Does he think the Spurs will have enough to compete with LA if he goes there? The
Celtics provide the best option of making it to the Finals, because they play in the East. Don't let the
acquisitions of an aging
Shaq (now without the magic powers of Phoenix's
training staff) and an overrated Vince Carter (does
VC over
Hedo make Orlando better?) fool you, the Celtics are still the team to beat.
In closing, I think this deal gets done. I think the
recruiting push that Boston has done will push them over the top, and I think
Rasheed's competitive spirit wins out over his wallet. I never thought I would openly campaign for
Rasheed Wallace to play in Celtics Green, but I am. God help us all.
