According to an NBA.com survey, the general managers, who could not vote for any players or coaches on their own teams, voted Ron Artest the toughest player in the league (42%).

Read more on Survey: NBA’s Toughest Player is……

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NBA general managers predict repeats this season for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The league executives who responded to the eighth annual NBA.com GM survey picked the Lakers to win another NBA title.

Read more on GMs Pick Lakers to Repeat as Champs…

Mark Cuban

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban believes that the acquisition of Ron Artest may be something the Lakers eventually regret.

“I tell you what, now that they’ve got Ron Artest, I couldn’t think of anything better,” Cuban said during an appearance on ESPN 103.3 in Dallas.

Read more on Cuban: Artest May be Bad for Lakers…

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Ron Artest is preparing to take the blame should the Lakers not defend the NBA title successfully.

“They should. That’s exactly what should happen if we don’t repeat,” Artest told the Associated Press on Monday.

Read more on Ron Artest: I Will Take the Blame…

Kobe Bryant

A disturbing story was the absurd fine levied against Golden State Warriors forward Stephen Jackson for “public statements detrimental to the NBA.”

According to NBA rules, players are not allowed to request trades publicly. The league, in its statement, pointed out that Ron Artest was fined for such a demand in 2006.

Read more on NBA’s Double-Standard for Kobe Bryant…

Photo by Keith Allison

Real GM reports that Ron Artest is unhappy with the way the Rockets treated him as a free agent this summer.

Artest signed a five-year deal with the Lakers for less than he was making in Houston.

Read more on Artest: Houston Did Me Dirty…

Kobe Bryant

Ron Artest believes that the Lakers can be like the Bulls of the late 1990s.

Artest, who signed a free-agent deal with Los Angeles this summer, grew up as a fan of Michael Jordan.

Read more on Artest: Kobe Closest Thing to Jordan…

According to a report from ESPN’s Bill Simmons, the Houston Rockets attempted to cover up much of Ron Artest’s unique behavior during the 2008-09 season.

Artest missed the first two team buses (the ones for players, coaches and team personnel) from Houston’s hotel to the Staples Center and barely made the third and final bus, which was reserved for business staff, sponsors and friends of the team. These stunned people watched Artest sprint to the bus right before it left, jump on and take one of the remaining seats … yes, wearing only his underwear. Owner Leslie Alexander happened to be sitting on the bus and witnessed the whole thing. And you wonder why the Houston Rockets didn’t make any effort whatsoever to bring back Artest.

Real GM

Read more on Ron Artest’s “Unique” Behavior…

Photo by Keith Allison

Now that he is a Laker, Queensbridge product Ron Artest is lobbying for the defending NBA champs.

The former St. John’s star says he has reached out to fellow Queens star Lamar Odom, who has yet to re-sign with L.A. and turned down a four-year, $36 million offer. And Artest thinks their home-borough connection will do the trick.

Read more on Ron Artest Reaches Out to Lamar Odom…

True Hoop reports that Artest will wear uniform No. 37 in honor of the number of weeks that Michael Jackson’s album “Thriller” was No. 1 on the charts.

Photo by David Shankbone

Read more on Ron Artest’s New Laker Number…