I just heard that Ron Artest has said that he will be signing with the Los Angeles Lakers for the upcoming season. “I’m definitely going to L.A. — to sign, yeah. Lakers, Lakers, Lakers. I’m in L.A. right now. I don’t really care about the money,” Artest said. “I’ll play there for nothing. … L.A. was very interested in me, and they got me.” This would almost certainly mean that Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza will be gone. What does this mean for Kobe & Co.?

Artest is a huge risk vs. reward type player. His talents are undeniable but so is his temper. He is known for being a disruption but showed this past season while playing for the Houston Rockets that he can control himself when needed. Will he be able to replace Odom and Ariza both? Probably not, but he will cost less than the two of them put together. He does bring crazy defense to the Lakers, which they will need with the loss of Ariza. This should be very interesting to watch this year.