Mad Ballin' : Ron Artest can become like Magic Johnson or Larry Bird (sort of)

Who's the odd man out?

I've been watching some classic DVD's of Charles Barkley and other NBA superstars, and each time I watch them, I realize how rare five-position players have been in the history of the NBA. The only guys in recent memory I can think of are Sir Charles, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird (debatable). It is very rare that a player has the requisite combination of size, quickness, passing, shooting, ball-handling, post game, rebounding and defense required to be able to handle any position on the floor if called upon.

When Magic led the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship as a rookie in 1980, he filled in for the injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center in the clinching Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, jumping for the opening tap, and promptly pivoting his way to 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals. He remains the only rookie ever to win Finals.

Larry Bird, another versatile great, holds career averages of 24.3 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 6.3 apg, 1.7 spg and 0.8 bpg. His career shooting percentages were remarkable : .496 FG, .376 3PT and .886 FT. And these stats don't even take into account Bird's playoff heroics.

Although he didn't win a title, Charles Barkley was the greatest five-position player I have seen. He was easily a better athlete than Magic or Bird, and he possessed incredible strength. Despite being just 6-4, he blocked shots and routinely outmuscled other power forwards and pivotmen.

Barkley was all over the court, and if you survey coaches of his era, I'm sure they'd tell you that he was impossible to be game-planned for, because despite being a banger down low, he could also be running the break like a point guard, shooting threes like a two, and slashing to the bucket like a three. Barkley holds career averages of 22.1 ppg, 11.7 rpg and 3.9 apg.

Ron Artest doesn't just look tough, he plays tough, too.

So where does Ron Artest fit into all of this?

To me, Ron Artest is a rare talent in the NBA, but he has not been able to channel all of it into a winning or consistent career, due to his temperamental behavior. At the same time, there is no one in the NBA capable of playing five positions the way he does.

Artest is truly a great defender who is capable of locking down anyone on any given night. Moreover, he is extremely tough, and is not afraid to bang down low. He may not be a true power forward, but he is vicious underneath and can operate with his back to the basket or along the baseline.

Artest's talents shine most brightly when he initiates his offense from the perimeter, where he becomes a deadly slasher with his strength, deceptive quickness and ball-handling abilities. Moreover, when he wants to pass and take good shots, Artest becomes a true playmaking and passing threat as well.

Due to his trade to Houston, Ron Artest gets to play under Rick Adelman, who is a very creative coach, especially on offense. He can be utilized to play a quick and wide power forward (a la Larry Johnson in the early '90's) and get some high-low action going on with Yao Ming. He can also play his natural wing positions, in an inside-out approach, using his excellent passing skills to feed Yao or the always cutting Luis Scola.

The possibility of Artest playing center in a small-ball lineup (e.g. if Yao gets into foul trouble) is what intrigues me the most. The guy can operate basically from anywhere on the court, and with his passing, slashing and shooting ability, he would be deadly as the pivotman in a high post Princeton Offense set with many good shooters and cutters (Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier, Luis Scola, Luther Head, etc.) around him.

In summary, there's no doubt that Ron Artest is a true five-position player. He is still only 28, and players under a creative coach that is the right guy to utilize his unique talents. Moreover, he is surrounded by capable shooters and cutters. If I were Ron Artest, I would relish this opportunity, keep my mouth shut, and play hard. If he keeps his head in the game, he has a chance to do truly great things for the remaining duration of his career.

Will Ronnie keep good on his promises in Houston?
courtesy of ESPN



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