Ariza takes step back while Artest Jumps Forward
By Gary
After one of the most dramatic Free Agency signings, non-signings in recent Los Angeles Lakers History, we all realize one very important thing happened last night -
Trevor Ariza and his Agent, David Lee, got screwed.
Let's just recap the timeline of this 2 Day negotiations.
June 30, 2009 - David Lee leaks out to his "sources" that his client, Trevor Ariza, is looking to sign for a contract worth $8-9M a year. Not an outrageous request, since Trevor was a huge part of the Lakers title run with his key steals and 3 points shooting.
July 1, 2009 - Lakers respond to Lee's contract demands and "sources" say that we refuse to go anything above the Mid-Level Exception for Trevor's services. Considering Ariza'srelatively short time of actual productive minutes since his trade from Orlando, this wasn't an outrageous request either.
It was a contract year and Trevor took full advantage of it except he did the smart thing and saved the best for last, raising his regular season 3pt average from 31.9% to a playoff career high of 39.9%. With that being said, the Lakers have recent experience of a player stepping it up in the playoffs, signing a big contract and then suddenly turned from "The Machine" to "The Don't shoot the damn ball ever again!," so you can understand if the Lakers are a little gun-shy in these economic times.
So, this is where we're at and to be honest, I thought we were going to sign Trevor somewhere at $7M a year so that both parties get what they want. Trevor gets the security of a long term contract and is rewarded for his hard work and dedication to the team. The Lakers get a young, athletic swingman that can knock down 3pt shots and play great defense.
David Lee knows how important Trevor is to the team. The thinking is "there's no way the Lakers let go of a KEY player from a championship winning team!" Well, it's good that this super-agent thought this way for his client. To build him up and make him feel like the most important thing since sliced bread.
In actuality, the Lakers weren't thinking this at all. “If they couldn’t get Trevor [Ariza] cheap,†said a source with knowledge of the Lakers’ free-agent plans, “they had Ron in their back pocket.†(via Yahoo Sports)
The Lakers watched as a motivated Lebron James finally got his Shaquille O'Neal date (after dates with Penny, Kobe, Wade & Amare), Dwight got Vinsanity, the Spurs picking up Richard Jefferson for free (similar to the Lakers theft of Pau) & the Celtics were going after Rashee Wallace. The Lakers had to do something to improve this team and if it took sacrificing the future for the present to re-establish them as the overwhelming favorites next year, then so be it!
July 2, 2009 - A couple of very important things happen on this day
•The LATimes.com reports that Trevor and his agent are in Las Vegas meeting with the owner and general manager of the Houston Rockets. A team full of forwards, but that's about it since news came in the week before that Yao Ming could possibly be out for next season and/or the rest of his career.
Obviously, David Lee is scheduling these meetings and leaking stories to different sources to give off the impression that there is an increasing demand for Trevor's services throughout the league. Build up the demand and drive up the salary.
So guess what happens next.
•CBSSports.com reports that Ron Artest has verbally agreed to a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for the Mid-Level Exception of $5.6M a year.
David Lee's Brain Bubble - "#$(*&#$@(&$#*$&#(!!!!!"
Artest just set the market price for a player with his skill and size.
Houston says "hey, we're not going to overpay for Trevor if the Lakers can get Ron for that cheap!"
Trevor verbally "OKs" a deal for $5.8 Million a year with Houston hours after Ron makes his announcement.
So basically, Ariza moves on to a rebuilding situation from a championship contending team for only $200,000 a year.
The reaction from the thousands of dedication fans on Lakers Nation through our Facebook and Twitter are overwhelming. There is a mixture of shock that Trevor is gone. Much like the shock that one feels after realizing the end of a relationship has come so suddenly. There was amazement that we got a play of Ron Artest's caliber for such a cheap price. There's hesitation in not knowing if Ron Ron is going to play nice with Kobe and/or how far up the stands he's going to go if someone says the wrong thing.
I HAD ALOT OF FUN
