Goodbye Trevor Ariza, hello Ron Artest? Looks like it. Ron Artest just told CBSSports.com senior writer Ken Berger that he’ll be signing with the Lakers. Here’s a screenshot…

“I’m definitely going to L.A. — to sign, yeah,” Artest said in a phone interview. “Lakers, Lakers, Lakers. I’m in L.A. right now.”

Artest said he met with Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss Thursday and previously had spoken with Lakers coach Phil Jackson. He was en route to his financial manager’s office, where he planned to huddle on the phone with his agent, David Bauman, to finalize details…

“I don’t really care about the money,” Artest said. “I’ll play there for nothing. … L.A. was very interested in me, and they got me.”

Now, Artest ranks somewhere in between the Boy Who Cried Wolf and that Army impersonator on the believability scale, but this sounds like the real thing. After all, why would the Lakers let Trevor Ariza walk, especially after Kobe didn’t opt out specifically so the Lakers could re-sign him and Lamar Odom?  The Lakers also sold away draft picks to be able to sign both players. The only thing that makes sense to me is that the Lakers decided to let Ariza walk and sign a better player.

Artest is the better player by far (at least below the shoulders). If Kobe, Phil Jackson, Derek Fisher and former AAU teammate L.O. can keep him in check, then the Lakers have four of the top 25 players in the league, maybe top 20. Smells like a repeat to me if this is indeed true. I can totally see QB’s finest signing for the MLE to live out in L.A. and play with the Lakers. After all, he is always in L.A. and once was going to work at Circuit City. Money obviously ain’t a thang, and we know he loves L.A. More on this to come, but for now it looks to be the real deal.

Will the glare of cash blind Ariza?

We’re not going to pretend to know you, Trevor, even though we feel as if we do. Let’s just say that we knew you as a Comet before anyone ever knew you as a Bruin or a Laker.

Before you decide to go down this road and leave the city that helped to make you into the most athletic Santa Claus Grant Hill ever saw, we’d like to remind you of a few things.

As it stands, you’re stuck trying to get what you’re owed while awaiting a few other teams to sort their affairs before they give you serious consideration.

Let’s look at the past to see what history has to show us.

Los Angeles is a city of infinite possibility. Making a living in your hometown is a gateway for a long and prosperous career. Don’t believe me? Look at Rick Fox. He arrived in L.A. as a Canadian with serviceable game and retired as an Angelino with a starlet wife, an acting career and most importantly as a three time champion.

Byron Scott, much like you, grew up in Los Angeles. He saw his dreams come full circle as he too became a champion in his own backyard and later took that into a fulfilling coaching career. If you stick around long enough, he could be your next coach here in L.A. too.

Kurt Rambis was another Cali native who became a basketball icon just because he was in the right place at the right time and was willing to do what it took to become a champion.

You’re a champion, Trevor. You live in the city of champions.

Scottie Pippen went to Portland to die. Do you really want to go down that path?

Vince Carter had to put his arm half way down a rim just go get any respect in Toronto. With one ring in hand, you’ve already got something he’s never even sniffed.

LeBron James might be the future, but Kobe is the present. Why gamble when you have a certainty staring you in the face every time you practice in El Segundo?

Meanwhile, you’re waiting to see what Hedo Turkoglu will do before you can make a move. Look, life is unfair. Why should Hedo get a raise? The entire basketball world watched as you made the Turkish Jordan look more like the Turkish from Snatch. You already proved that Orlando made a mistake by giving up on you. Now don’t make the same mistake by giving up on Los Angeles.

Why should you be on hold while Cleveland’s got Ron Ron on the other line? The same Ron Ron who is going to have to take a pay cut just to play in the shadow of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

You might make more money in Portland, but with more money comes much higher expectations. Expectations you can’t live up to when you’re lost in the shuffle. Good luck finding a role on a roster that has 9 other guys that play your position. Don’t forget that a whole lot of folks in Portland still have you down as public enemy number one.  

Do you really want to play with Rupaul in Toronto? Just keep in mind that better players have left that city than have gone to it.

We’re not trying to tell you how to go about your business. We’re just saying to be patient.

Listen to Kupchak’s offer and consider the possibilities. Twist his arm for every last dime you can manage, just make sure you’re still shaking hands with Villaraigosa again next year. You’ll get your money eventually, don’t worry about that. But can you get another ring?

Money makes you famous but hanging banners is Los Angeles makes you immortal.

There’s reppin’ the Lakers, and then there’s this. Check out Snoop Dog’s Lakers low rider, which he recently brought on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien…

Even Chick Hearn gets some of the Laker love. Who else but Snoop could pull off having a painting of themselves on their own ride? Snoop the Great indeed.

Mitch Kupchak’s coupon book filled with hometown discounts is about to expire at 9:01pm pacific time tonight.

Free agent to be Trevor Ariza, a Los Angeles native, is not going to give his boyhood team a cut rate price for his services or at least his agent, David Lee, isn’t.

According to various outlets, including Slam Online, Lee has stated that his client is not going to drop his asking price despite Ariza’s desire to remain a Laker.

The former Westchester High grad and UCLA Bruin wants nothing more than to continue wearing purple and gold. However, his clutch play in the postseason has raised his stock and he’s expected to at least double his $3.1 million salary from ‘08-09.

Trevor's payday is here

If there are two things working against Kupchak in negotiations they would be 1) Lee also represents Andrew Bynum and GM Mitch was more than willing to commit $57 million to a young and unproven center. Now he’s painted himself into a corner with a proven commodity in Trevor Ariza. 2) It is going to be difficult to explain to Trevor why Sasha Vujacic is making almost double his salary. Ariza did more in the third quarter of a dramatic game 4 win in Orlando than the Machine did in all five NBA Finals games he appeared in.

Kupchak sold off two of the Lakers three draft picks last week to raise $6 million for just such an occasion. Of course the onus is still on Jerry Buss. Dr. Buss must be willing to pay the luxury tax required to retain the services of both Ariza and Lamar Odom.

Odom has already stated that he’s willing to take a pay cut from his $14 million paycheck he collected last year. Lamar has very little leverage though as most veteran free agents are expected to earn less this coming year.

To complicate things even more, Phil Jackson has expressed his desire to keep Shannon Brown in the fold as well. Brown earned just $796,000 last year so he’ll be due a very hefty raise and it would seem unlikely that the Lakers will match any offers the athletic combo guard is sure to receive. (See Ronny Turiaf as exhibit A for this situation)

In a perfect world, Sasha would void his contract to play with Ricky Rubio in Turkey next year forming the “all hype and hair” backcourt in Europe while Ariza, Odom and Brown all remain in Los Angeles. Should Ariza accept the large offer he’s expected to receive from Detroit or Orlando, the Lakers could look to veteran point guards Mike Bibby or Jason Kidd to fill out their backcourt.

After surviving the NBA as a second round pick of the New York Knicks, Trevor has more than earned his payday. Just don’t expect him to take anything less what he’s owed even if it means turning his back on the city he’s rooted in.

Jason Kidd has a checkered past (TSG)

Just read this little blurb over at RealGM:

“Free agency officially opens on Wednesday, and the Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, Celtics, Knicks, and possibly even the Lakers are expected to show interest.”

I have no idea where they got their source, but I’m pretty sure that every Laker fan on earth hopes that this is only being considered if both Ariza and Odom are offered unmatchable contracts from other ball clubs and we’re stuck with the money we saved for them.

With the prospects of Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar backing up a still-relevant Derek Fisher, should we really even consider wasting cap space on someone like Jason Kidd?  Lest we forget that Kobe will likely opt out of his contract next year and we may have to step up his supporting cast to coax him to stay.

Is it worth signing a 36-year-old veteran when we’ve already got a 34-year-old who’s been through it all with Kobe and PJ?

I say absolutely not.  I hope this is simply speculation.  There are plenty of other free agents this year that I would take over Jason Kidd if it came down to it- Kobe’s Olympic teammate Carlos Boozer or chipmunk-style shooter Shawn Marion even.

The name’s Alex and as a Lakers’ fan, I look forward to contributing to Lake Show Life from time to time. To check out my other work, head over to NBAtipoff.com.

Andrew Bynum made it through the playoffs without getting hurt. That was one big hurtle he was able to cross. What other ones face him now?

Consistency

Bynum did his job when he got good starts. He contributed by getting offensive boards and second chance points and changing the way the opponent penetrated to the basket. What held him back was foul trouble. There were a countless number of games where he’d start off fine, contributing to a strong Laker start, but was then taken out because of picking up two or three fouls.

An NBA big man has to know when and when not to use his fouls. Thinking back, I can remember seeing both reasonable and unreasonable fouls from Andrew. Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson questioned if his foul trouble was even bad for the Lakers. That would have annoyed me if I were Bynum. His backup was Lamar Odom and they were getting at how Andrew’s play had been static, whereas Odom started to play his best ball of the year.

While foul trouble was a huge detriment to his consistency, his overall consistency has been sporadic. As I said earlier, his better games were based on strong starts. Those starts were usually the only part of his games that were full of solid play. He would either not play because of foul trouble, or Odom filled in and took some of his minutes. If he said he probably got a little cold on that bench, I’d say it’s an excuse. Not that he shouldn’t be ready to come back as a professional athlete, but I’m just laying out all the possible options.

Bynum will realize that fouls and level of play are directly entwined with the kind of minutes he will get. The sooner he does, the sooner we see him get more minutes. Whether or not Laker fans like that, it will lead to a more developed big man for the future. A developed big man also needs many post moves and counters.

Improved Post Offense

Bynum is further than Dwight Howard in terms of post offense (he’s also good considering he’s in his early 20’s). If you throw it down to Bynum, Lakers will probably score half the time. I’d say that Howard is only going to score about 25-30% of the time in the post.

While Bynum’s better than some other young bigs, he’s not ever going to stop working to be the best or, once there, continue to be the best. His mentor is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, so there’s no excuse for him not improving in the post.

One thing I’d especially love to see him do: catch, turn, face and do a Tim Duncan bank jumper. I know Howard, his competition, works on this move. Whoever is able to add that into their repertoire will become a lot more lethal. If Bynum could become a consistent mid-range shooter, it would give him many more options on offense and possibly change his whole offensive game. Guys would cover him differently, scouting reports would change. That’s how you scare defenses. When they know you do lots of things with the ball, they realize they’re in for a long night.

So how does Bynum take these tips and improve?

Adding to Bynum’s Game

The only way Bynum can accomplish any of the things I’d like him to are to work harder in the gym and watch game film. I don’t think he’s reached his potential yet. In the gym, he’s got to first work alone. Figure what he needs to improve and put in a week or so of work on it. Then, he can begin applying it in pickup games.

Then, he should take it a step further and show Kareem what he’s been working on. Show Kareem how hungry you are, Andrew. I’m sure whatever you’d have to show would be well received, even it still needs work.

I’m not trying to give him a training schedule. I’m just making suggestions of how he might work on certain skills. Whatever way he works is fine with me, as long as he works.

When watching game film, he needs to find new moves to add on offense and figure out new defensive tactics. I would say he should watch Tim Duncan, David Robinson, and someone old school like Kevin McHale (his options are limitless really).

However you do it Andrew, just work! The goal is to get better and I’m behind you. Keep in mind that you’re not the best yet and work as long as you need to everyday to get closer to perfection. I look forward to seeing the results of your hard work in your game next year!

Faced with a new city and new co-star, the former “Big Diesel” and former “Big Cactus” (among MANY other things) settled on “The Cleveland Steamer” as his new nickname according to non-existent sources.

“I wanted a nickname that conveyed my dedication to Cleveland and showed that I’ve got an engine in me that is capable of literally pulling this team to a trophy,” Shaq was not quoted as saying.  “I thought about ‘The Cleveland Rocket’ first, since rocket engines are more powerful than steam engines, but I didn’t want to use another NBA team name in my nickname,” he also didn’t say.

So it appears that King James and the Cleveland Steamer will run the show up there near Lake Erie next year.  Can’t wait to see Shaq’s waning physical condition make this trade blow up in the Cavs faces.

For the record, Shaq could literally rip my head off.  I’m aware of this and am calling him the Cleveland Steamer anyway.  If I disappear, you know where I went (as if he’d care about someone like me anyhow).

In an effort to get a little more coin for the luxury tax that Dr. Buss will have to pay in 2010, Mitch Kupchak has delt the 29th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft to the New York Knicks. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers will get a second round pick in 2011 and $3 million in cash. The Lakers still have two picks in the second round, numbers 42 and 59 overall respectively.

With a thin talent pool in the draft and little to no room for any floor burn to be found for a rookie in the Laker rotation, this would appear to the best move in order to get more cash to offer to free agents to be Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza.

Now if only GM Mitch can find a taker for Sasha Vujacic to free up even more room to bring back Shannon Brown. Slowly but surely the pieces are being put back in place for another parade in Downtown L.A. next year.

The FanSided.com Sports Network proudly presents our first ever network-wide live NBA Draft blog. That’s right; NBA bloggers from around the league will be checking in to discuss the 2009 NBA Draft and all the news and rumors that go along with it. If you want knowledgeable, real-time commentary on the entire draft, then this chat is for you. Thanks for joining us, and keep the comments and questions coming (but clean and respectful, please).

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The only certainty in basketball would seem to be Shaq being traded in the last year of his contract and Blake Griffin becoming Dunleavy’s latest challenge in making athletic ballers look pedestrian.

The 2009 NBA Draft is just hours away and Griffin is the only lock. After that, it’s a massive game of toss up. Let’s examine a few mocks and their picks for the Lakers at number 29.

Raptors Rapture Mock 8.0 - Austin Daye, Gonzaga, 6-10/192, SF/PF (sophomore)

Austin is a local guy who attended Woodbridge High in Irvine before heading north to play for Mark Few. He’s a good player in transition and his jumper is getting better by the day. Daye’s biggest concern is his frame - can you say Shaun Livingston with three more inches?

Lake Show Take: He’s a project and will not find many minutes if Ariza and Odom return. He looks like another Brian Cook but with a much smaller frame.

Rip City Project Mock 2.0 - Darren Collison, UCLA, 6-0/166, PG (senior)

DC is an Inland Empire native who attended Etiwanda High en route to Westwood. He’s got blazing speed and a nice court savvy. Four years under Ben Howland have made him tough but he’s going to have to put on a few more pounds to handle going up against guys like Deron Williams and CP3. Collison’s offense is limited - as most Howland prospects are. His jump shot is awkward and he’s going to have trouble getting his shot off in the NBA.

Lake Show Take: Collison’s best bet is to study another Pac-10 point guard, Aaron Brooks, if he wants to see the type of player he can be. I don’t see Darren being a good fit for the triangle and he’s sure to get lost in the shuffle of Laker point guards that includes another former Bruin, Jordan Farmar.

Nugg Love NBA Mock - Patrick Mills, St. Mary’s, 5-11/175, PG (sophomore)

Mills made a name for himself as a member of Australia’s national team where he gave Redeem Team members J-Kidd, Deron Williams and CP3 fits with his quickness. Mills is true lead guard but he’ll have to add more range to his jumper after shooting just 33% from the NCAA arc.

Lake Show Take: Mills could end up being a very solid point guard for years to come in a Rick Brunson kind of way. Other than that, it’s doubtful that he’ll crack the Laker rotation but he’s got a basketball IQ that fits in well with what Phil Jackson likes.

Howard the Dunk Mock 2.0 - Marcus Thornton, LSU, 6-4/194, SG (senior)

Marcus is known as a shooter even though his number might not reflect it. He dropped 21 a night during his senior year and has NBA range. Not much of an athlete and his defense might be the biggest hole in his game.

Lake Show Take: This a truly “thinking outside of the box” pick by the HTD. Thornton looks like another Joe Forte as an undersized two guard but he’s got some tools that could translate at the next level. I don’t see Marcus cracking the first round.

NBA Draft.net - Toney Douglas, Florida State, 6-2/183, PG/SG (senior)

Douglas is not a true point guard nor does he have the size to play at the two in the NBA. His resume is impressive as he was named ACC defensive player of the year and was runner up for player of the year. His 21 points a night and 44% shooting are eye catching but how will he translate to the NBA? On the surface, he looks like a good guard for the triangle.

Lake Show Take: Douglas is the perimeter defender that Fisher isn’t any longer. If he can add a few pounds he could be a younger version of D-Fish, but that’s a reach.

Dime Magazine - Taj Gibson, USC, 6-8/214, PF (junior)

Gibson is very undersized compared to NBA power forwards but he’s a deft shot blocker and a solid rebounder. Taj was the heart of USC basketball the last three years. He’s a high character player who will be great for the locker room.

Lake Show Take: Gibson must continue to develop his face up game which is already pretty good. If Kupchak decides to not bring back Josh Powell, Gibson would be an adequate replacement filling in on occasion when the front line is in foul trouble.

Slam Online - Jeff Pendergraph, Arizona State, 6-10/240, PF (senior)

Jeff played with UCLA’s Darren Collison in high school, so he’s another SoCal native in the Laker wheelhouse. Pendergraph is athletic and active. His weakness is how raw his offensive game is and his defense will need to improve to guard NBA low post talent.

Lake Show Take: Pendergraph is a project but would benefit from working with the Laker staff. He’s not going to set the NBA on fire but he’s a nice asset to bring off the bench for occasional spurts.

Los Angeles Times (Mark Heisler) - Nick Calathes, Florida, 6-3/185, PG/SG

Heisler is reaching a bit with this one, but his logic makes sense. Calathes has already signed to play in with Panathinaikos in Greece. The thinking is that the Lakers can let him develop instead of adding another body to the backcourt.

Lake Show Take: Calathes is a good shooter with legit point guard skills. Playing in Greece will only help him become NBA ready as he’s not yet up to the task of getting any minutes in Phil’s rotation.

While all these picks have their benefit, the truth is this Laker team is locked in for next season if by some miracle Odom, Ariza and Shannon Brown return and Sasha Vujacic departs. Most are predicting that the Lakers will move their first round pick tonight and could possibly use their two second round picks to maneuver as well.