No it's gonnna help them!!! He's a great player and it will make there team even better!!!! Go lakers!!

If Phil can calm Rodman - he'll use his magic once again on the talented Artest - that is if Phil comes back. Hope this isn't an addition that'll provide fodder for justifying his (PJ's) retirement.

I believe the addition of Artest will ruin the chemistry the Lakers had. I hope I am proved wrong, but it looks like another Rodman mistake to me.

c'mon. if you can win a championship with rodman you can win one with artest. talk all you want about chemistry and the triangle, artest is as talented a player as there is in the nba. how can this make the lakers worse off? ariza wasn't even a big part of their team until the playoffs and he just kind of fell into that role and it got magnified. plenty of players have made a fortune off a playoff run and ariza is just another in a long line of them.

Artest has matured over the years. There is some risk, but it is only a slight risk. It would have been worse to have an unhappy 5.6 million dollar Ariza. He thought he was worth 8 or 9 million per year. In this economy, he was sadly mistaken.

Ariza got what turns out to be 33.5M for 5 years = 6.7 Million per season. In retrospect, I think Ariza is kicking himself. Houston is gonna suck next year.

This will seriously impact my ability to enjoy the Lakers next season. Bad team guy, uneven when the pressure's on (what, 1 good game vs. the Lakers in the playoffs?). Horrible decision vs keeping Ariza. Artest is in? I'm out.

No. The Lakers have a couple of "enforcers" named Kobe and Fish to keep Artest under control.

It's real simple for me: I really liked Ariza, and I never liked Artest. I thought Ariza's speed and athleticism made him a miniature Kobe Bryant. But I'm going to have to get over it. Things change, and to his credit, Artest really gave the Lakers problems this last playoffs. I would guess that Kobe and Fisher were probably okay with the trade, because Laker Management would certainly not want to start messing with their team's chemistry. So if that is true, then Artest will probably work out. If it is not true, and Kobe and Derek were not involved in this decision, then we are in for a miserable 3 years! GO LAKERS!

Artest will be something of a distraction from "pure" basketball. But he will help to fan the fan hype for the team. His antics will be a problem. But as long as he can avoid lengthy suspension, he'll be an asset to the team.

what chemistry? the name of the game is win baby! artest is so far above ariza that the lakers must be slaping themselves on the back till they are choking. and giddy with glee over this swap with houston. this is like the gasol trade and the lakers have gotten the better of it. i liked ariza but this is not about like, it is a game of skill and artest has lots of it. lakers in 4 next year

I will find something else to do on Laker night. Artess is mean and hateful. I am out of here also.

There goes the Lakers, end of their run..... instead they'd be spending YEARS trying to sort out this mess. Just like Knicks having to deal with Marbury, just worst.

most of you are missing what the Artest trade brings to the lakers and why this will be good for them. With Artest on the team, this means that Kobe will no longer have to guard the best player on the other team. Which will keep him fresh for the offensive end of the court, and fresher legs for the end of games. Artest is a very good tough player, and he's not stupid. He's 30 years old, and with Ming possible out for this coming year he knows the lakers are his best bet for a ring. Since the debacle in Detroit he has pretty much been a good guy on the court. You can bet that PJ, Kobe, and Fish will keep him focused. He will be a great Addition to the Lakers, but the biggest value is he will take the pressure off of Kobe on the defensive end.

Think Rodman and Bulls. Distractions are good for teams with celebrity status and the Lakers are there. It dissipates pressure. Given the weight of the Lakers franchise, plus the players, plus the coach...this is a good thing. A distraction that helps, that does not become a disruption.

Artest will definetely help the Lakers and make them that much better. Celzic is way off line!!

This acquisition makes the Lakers a much better team. As far as I am concerned this was a steal for the Lakers. Celzic is way off line on this one!!!!

As I watched Artest destroy Regi Millers chance of winning a ring because he could not control himself, I will never be a fan of his. He is selfish and has bad character traits. If he does make it it will because he did it for himself not to help a team. He will be a HUGE distraction.

An old Pacers fan.

My first reaction was what the f*** were they thinking. But looking at moves made around the league for superstar players, this is the Lakers attempt to match Orlando, San Antoino, Cleveland, and Detroit - the other contenders to the crown. Ariza was a great personality - a great kid with a great story. But side by side, Artest is twice the player Ariza was - even better defensively if you can believe that. As for chemistry, well - the Rodman comments are apropo. Phil is still Phil, just older and wiser, and a lot more rings. Kobe is assuming the role of Michael Jordan, with even more of a supporting cast who, god willing, can control this knucklehead. - A true Lakers fan.

It is amazing to me, how many puported Laker fans dont see the tremendous upside in this deal. Aside from the inciteful history, which by the way happened several years ago, he has resurrected his image. He is a good father and cannot ill afford another banishment-suspension from the league. He a tremedous post player, decent mid-range shooter, and an excellent defender. He also is athletically strong, and few can match up with him in the post. I wouldn't worry about Artest next season, I would tend to worry about the other slackers like Sasha and Farmar who disappeared in the postseason. Hats off to Mitch Kupchak, another steal, i mean deal that cements his position as one of the best GM's in the league. Lakers, the tradition of triumph continues.....

He was fine in Houston and he'll be fine in LA,He wants the ring. Phil will nurcher him. Win with Zen!