Hmm, can the Pacers get Artest for Peja? If so, they ought to consider that in a heartbeat. While Artest is the Pacers lead defender -- he is also their lead internal problem child. They MIGHT be a better team without him -- also, Peja would be a good fit for this team offensively. His outside shooting would give JO more room in the paint and Stephon Jackson is capable of being more of an offensive factor for this team.
The Kings? Well they need something -- and judging by their moves this year -- they don't give a flip about chemistry so Artest might be a good fit!
The King's problems are not so much chemistry, but familiarity.
While Artest certainly would make an intriquing pick up, Peja is also needed for Adelman to make everything about his offense work. Artest is not necessarily known for fitting into the offenses that his coaches would like to see run, as his comments regarding Carlisle alluded to. This would be unacceptible here in Sacramento.
Plus, why would Sacramento do a straight up trade of Peja, known as a good guy, for Ron, who certainly was right about bringing his "known" baggage with him to any team he goes to? Lately, Peja has been terribly affected by his injury to his shooting hand, and the Kings' advantage at home was gone. The last two games, his shooting stroke has returned as his hand healed, and the Kings' offense benefitted from the outside shooting game.
But that is unfortunately the big problem here. The Kings are really only successful if they hit their outside shots. This enables them to do more penetration, and their defensive lapses can be covered up.
Which would be the main benefit of picking up a player like Artest. That good defense. But I would hate to see Peja go. The Kings' other pickups over the summer have mostly been great, especially Bonzi Wells, who is adding a level of toughness the Kings would not otherwise have. Abdur-Rahim is also starting to fit in, and suddenly he is a shot-blocker as well.
But where the Kings have been exploited the most are the intangibles. Atheletic teams who play defense, hussle for loose balls and aggressively rebound shut the Kings down completely, regardless of their records. I also, I hate to say this, question the heart of Miller, Bibby, and Peja at times. They are the first players to give up if things start to go south, while Wells and SAR seem to make the effort, at least.
Wells, by the way, is looking to be the floor leader of this team, over Bibby. He is the guy who goes over to Peja to tell him to keep his chin up when his shot was off earlier. He goes after rebounds while teammates wait for the ball to essentially stop rolling on the court so they can pick it up. He is the inside scorer when no one else wants to go inside, even if he gets buffaloed continuously like he did against the Rockets last week.
At this point, I would not mind if the Kings picked him up after this season and signed him long term. He clearly enjoys playing basketball and so far he has behaved himself to his teammates, the media, and the city.
