Will Ron Artest Be Worth The Potential Trouble?

The Fig Cap: "Listen to me, my fighting days are over! Okay, I'll put my menacing finger down now."

Ron Artest is getting his wish as the Sacramento Kings and the Houston Rockets have a deal in place that can't be made official until August 14th. The Kings will get ex-King, Bobby Jackson, rookie Donte Greene, and a first round pick. Greene who signed his contract on July 14th cannot be traded within 31 days, thus the hold on this trade being official.

And the Rockets will be getting the enigmatic Tru Warier that has been a headache to organizations, Ron Artest. However, on the court, there is no doubting his talent and toughness, especially on defense. And because of that, the Rockets have to be ecstatic!

But, there wasn't such happiness at first, particularly from Rockets center and cornerstone, Yao Ming who questioned whether the fighting was over with Artest. Artest replied as diplomatically as possible, but kept it ghetto. But, in the end, everyone is friends because all parties involved understand the reward in all of this - doing some real damage in the postseason, something Yao and fellow franchise player, Tracy McGrady, know nothing about as neither have gotten past the first round of the playoffs in their careers.

This acquisition definitely falls under the "high risk/high reward" category as a lot of success will be predicated on Artest's behavior and acceptance of a smaller role as the third fiddle. As long as Artest gets his touches (remember, he was a 20-point scorer last season and scorers need the rock), he should be okay and consider himself lucky to upgrade to a team with Yao and T-Mac. If Artest focuses on defense, especially on the perimeter, the Rockets will be one of the top overall defenses in the NBA, possibly top three, with Yao manning the middle to go along with Artest's tenacious D.

However, the Rockets should consider themselves lucky to have Artest as well because he brings instant credibility in the toughness department, is a former Defensive Player of the Year, and affects the outcome of a game, in ways other than scoring. Truth be told, skills-wise, this is a perfect trade for the Rockets.

But, can all players involved live in harmony? If the answer is yes, then that will be the same answer to the following question:

"Will Ron Artest help the Houston Rockets get past the first round of the NBA playoffs and beyond?"

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