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Ron Artest says he's quicker and stronger this year
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Ron Artest defending the quicker, smaller Jason Kidd.
The evidence is clear.
With Kobe Bryant guarding Joe Johnson at in the first quarter of last night's win over the Atlanta Haws, Johnson was 7-8 from the field with 18 points. In the second quarter, Ron Artest switched onto the Hawks star for the rest of the game and Johnson finished with 27 points on 8-17 shooting, with many of his points coming against the reserve unit.
Was some of it that Johnson had to rest and it made him cool off? Sure. But there was no doubt that Johnson was frustrated by Artest's physicality.
Ron's physique is something that was widely discussed coming into the season. Some felt he had put on weight, and that he could no longer play defense against smaller, quicker guards. After last night's game, however, Ron set us all straight:
People say I was a little slower this year, but I actually feel more athletic. I'm faster this year, so it's going to be even tougher for a lot of players...
I'm weighing more, about two or three pounds more, and more muscle, and I'm actually quicker. So it's going to be tougher for guys.
According to Ron, he weighs himself everyday and is currently at 265.
To be honest, there were times last night when Ron allowed Johnson to get past him, but he was always there to body him once he got into the lane. Artest also proved his quickness by doing a decent job on Jason Kidd during stretches of the game against the Dallas Mavericks.
If Artest can continue to guard quick, perimeter players, he will give Kobe a chance to take a breather on defense and save his energy for the offensive end. As we saw last night, a rested Kobe Bryant can come in and be the closer that we have all come to expect.
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