Ron Artest switches sides
A big blow for fans of the Houston Rockets as free-agent forward Ron Artest announces that he will join the Los Angeles Lakers. Artest revealed that he had reached a verbal agreement for a three-year contract worth an estimated $18 million. He plans to sign the contract on Wednesday.
Although Artest will be taking a pay cut to join the Lakers he seems very happy with the arrangement.
“I’ve made money over my time in the NBA, I lost money when David Stern suspended me [in 2006 for his role in the infamous Pacers-Pistons brawl],” Artest said in a recent ESPN interview. “I’m not playing for the money anymore. I am happy to say I am goin’ to L.A.”
While Artest may be happy, many of his fans are not. Several seem to think Artest is letting down the Houston Rockets by changing teams. However, Artest also revealed that the team did little to persuade him to stay.
Artest earned $7.4 million in his one and only season with Houston, which means he will be taking a pay cut. This, after a spectacular season during which he averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3. Artest was named the 2004 Defensive Player of the Year and this season rugged 1-on-1 defender.
Thanks to espn.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.
Comments
Got something to say?