Ron Artest Joined Lakers. Great combination Ron Artest and Kobe Bryant

Ron Artest says he’ll take Kobe.

Rone Artest, whose versatility and toughness have made him one of the most coveted and combustible players in the NBA, Ron Artest signing contract with the Lakers on Thursday. I’m definitely going to L.A. to sign, yeah,” Ron Artest said in a phone interview. “Lakers, Lakers, Lakers. I’m in L.A. right now.”

Ron Artest said he met with Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss Thursday and previously had spoken with Lakers coach Phil Jackson. He was en route to his financial manager’s office, where he planned to huddle on the phone with his agent, David Bauman, to finalize details.

Ron Artest’s exuberance he spent the whole summer in L.A., including several appearances at Lakers home games during the NBA Finals got ahead of the process a bit. Other teams that made overtures for Ron Artest including the Cavaliers have not yet been notified that Ron Artest is signing with the Lakers. (Consider them notified.) Bauman has spoken with Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, and a person with knowledge of the negotiations told that Ron Artest agreed to a five year deal for the full mid-level exception about $33 million. It’s the same deal that Houston agreed to with Trevor Ariza, who swaps cities with Ron Artest.

“I don’t really care about the money,” Ron Artest said. “I’ll play there for nothing. … L.A. was very interested in me, and they got me.”

Lakers spokesman John Black declined to comment on Ron Artest’s assertion, but another person with knowledge of the situation corroborated Ron Artest’s account that he will sign with L.A. pending the financial parameters being finalized.

Only 24 hours earlier, the buzz was focused on Ron Artest joining LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal in Cleveland in what would’ve made a potent Big Three on the shores of Lake Erie. It would’ve been, well, eerie, too: Ron Artest’s internal combustion engine, combined with LeBron’s exquisite dominance and Shaq’s alpha-male, all-round Shaq-ness would’ve been something to see.

But Ron Artest said talks with Cleveland “never got that far.” Told that Cleveland, by all accounts, had extreme interest, Ron Artest said, “I don’t know how extreme. I love the Cleveland Cavaliers, though. I love LeBron and Coach (Mike) Brown and Shaq.”

But what Ron Artest really loves is L.A.

“L.A. is what it is,” Ron Artest said. “I’ve been here for the whole summer, and it’s pretty good. It’s good for me. I know Lamar Odom, so that’s pretty cool.”

Ron Artest spoke as though Odom would return to the Lakers to join Ron Artest and Kobe Bryant for another title run. The addition of Ron Artest would mean the Lakers have to choose between Odom and Trevor Ariza. Obviously, Ariza would be the odd man out and already has expressed displeasure with the Lakers’ efforts to lure him back with only the mid-level exception.

The addition of Ron Artest is a coup for the defending champion Lakers, who have faced the prospect of trying to retain their own free agents, Odom and Ariza, and have seen other contenders make major efforts to improve. Most notably, the Celtics dispatched their Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce, along with coach Doc Rivers and managing partner Wyc Grousbeck to Detroit on Thursday to offer free agent Rasheed Wallace a mid-level contract. Cleveland’s acquisition of Shaq put the Lakers, Celtics, and Magic on notice that the Cavaliers were making a serious push for a title next season. The Cavs’ pursuit of Wallace, Ron Artest, and Ariza signaled that they weren’t finished after the pre-draft trade for Shaq.

“I talked to Coach Phil, and I was happy to talk to him,” Ron Artest said. “Big fan of Coach Phil. My agent talked to Kupchak, and I met with Dr. Buss. I’m very, very excited.”

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