Ron Artest: The Artest of Redemption

We all question Ron Artest's thought process.

Why did he take that shot?

Where are you going?

What are you doing?

These are the common questions that we ask Artest basically every game. We all understand that the Triangle Offense is confusing at times and though Artest is a veteran, his struggle is obvious.

Just a year before Artest's arrival to Los Angeles, he was trying to defend this very Triangle Offense. One moment Artest was harassing Kobe on his every move and he was disrupting the flow of the Lakers offense. Another, Artest would make one bad shot after another and he it seemed never ending. Isn't it interesting how one can change "sides" so fast?

The Lakers knew that Artest wasn't here to shoot, he was here to be a defensive presence of the floor, and he was brought here to be a "garbage man" if you will. So far he has done his job exceptionally well if you exclude the poor shot selection that Artest never seems to learn from.

This year, Artest's field percentage was 0.414% and shot 0.355% from beyond the arc. This may not look too bad considering he isn't a knock down shooter, but the numbers are deceiving. What frustrates Phil and most Lakers fans is not his lack of knowledge about the very confusing Triangle Offense, but his poor shot selection.

Today's Game 5 against the Suns proved to expose Artest's shot selection once again.

The game today had buzzer beater written all over it. The Lakers once again let the foot off the throat too early, blowing 11-18 point leads all throughout the game like it was cheap bubble gum.

How frustrating it was to watch this jaw-dropping performance by the Phoenix Suns and to watch the Lakers play soft once again.

As most Lakers' games do, it came down to the wire once again.

It's Kobe time once again right?

With 25 seconds to go, Kobe dish...

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