How well will Ron Artest fit in with the Los Angeles Lakers?

"Perfect," former NBA coach and PBN contributor Eric Musselman told me. "It's a perfect fit both for the player and the organization."

Musselman coached Artest for one season in Sacramento (2006-07), and has attended Lakers training camp as an invited observer. So he knows both player and organization well.

"(Lakers coach) Phil Jackson loves guys who play multiple positions, and Artest is that kind of guy," Musselman said. "He can defend the other team's shooting guard, small forward or power forward. Offensively, Jackson loves multi-dimensional guys who can pass, shoot and dribble and do all three well."

Even before Artest, the world champs had plenty of players who fit that description.

"Think about their versatility with Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, Artest and Lamar Odom -- assuming they can bring Odom back -- the Lakers will now have four players on the floor who can all shoot and dribble and pass very well," Musselman said. "No other team in the NBA can say that."

That's not all.

"Defensively, getting Artest will really help Kobe, because now Artest can take on the opposing (small forward), no matter who it is," Musselman said. "Kobe will never have to worry about defending a bigger player. Artest will handle that for him."

Of course, when it comes to Artest, there's always the matter of his strong, sometimes unpredictable personality. The good news is, it wasn't an issue during his two-and-a-half seasons in Sacramento or this past one in Houston. He's always a fun-loving friendly guy off the court -- but has had his moments (to say the least) on it.

Won't matter, Musselman insisted.

"Jackson has proven he can coach an eccentric-type of personality, having done it with (Dennis) Rodman in Chicago," Musselman said. "Plus, when Artest respects the coach and the system, he excels. I really believe he respects older, veteran coaches. That was the case with Rick Adelman (first in Sacramento, then Houston). Ron really respected him and enjoyed playing for him. It won't be a problem whatsoever with him being able to fit in with L.A."

MOVEMENT CONTINUES

* Ken Berger of CBSSports.com was the first to report the Artest-to-L.A. story, and is now saying Toronto is making a strong push for Hedo Turkoglu. The free agent forward met with Portland on Thursday and "Portland is offering a five-year deal for approximately $50 million," according to Berger. But, he added, Toronto is "believed to be the preferred destination of Turkoglu's wife," and could beat the Trail Blazers' offer "by about $800,000." A lot of that depends on what the Raptors do with their own free agents, Berger wrote.

* As for Turkoglu's old team, Musselman praised Orlando general manager Otis Smith for making the trade for Vince Carter earlier this month. "Masterful," Musselman said. "Otis Smith is a master of accepting reality and then making a move on it quickly. When Jameer Nelson got injured, (Smith) made a trade for Rafer Alston right away. And then re-signing Turkuglo seemed like it would be difficult at best. So Otis made the trade for Carter to make the best of the situation. When you consider his moves, Otis should be praised much more than he is."

* Meanwhile, Cleveland spent the day holding a press conference for Shaquille O'Neal and, according to sources, offering the Raptors a sign-and-trade for free agent guard Anthony Parker.

* Initially, the Cavs were said not to be interested in Shawn Marion, another Raptors free agent who might meet their needs. But the two sides have reportedly spoken in recent days.

* The Cavs really wanted Artest or Trevor Ariza, who is expected to sign with the Rockets. (By the way, wouldn't it have been easier for the Lakers and Rockets just to have made a trade?) At any rate, expect Matt Barnes' name to resurface as a possibility with the Cavs. Other possible options are Dahntay Jones, Linas Kleiza or perhaps even Grant Hill.

* Meanwhile, Allen Iverson seems to have become The Answer Everyone Forgot. At least, he was until yesterday -- when his name was linked to Memphis, Miami and now Chicago. The Bulls, of course, are looking to replace Ben Gordon's 20 points per game after Gordon announced he will sign with Detroit.

* Boston has reportedly offered Rasheed Wallace a contract, and Musselman thinks it would be another great marriage. "If Boston gets him, they'll be right back in the forefront like they were a year ago," Musselman said. "They'll be the team to beat in the East if they get Wallace. If you throw him in with Kevin Garnett, their mobility and length will be just incredible."

* Charlotte has contacted power forwards Antonio McDyess and Brandon Bass, according to the Charlotte Observer. But GM Rod Higgins told the Observer the same is not true of Iverson and Wallace.

* Josh Childress, a restricted free agent who bolted Atlanta for Greece last season, met with Milwaukee on Thursday.

* Unrestricted free agent forward Channing Frye reportedly has drawn strong interest from Phoenix. He's also considered a possibility in Denver if the Nuggets can't re-sign Chris Andersen.

* The Suns also are said to be high on Fabricio Oberto, who was part of the Richard Jefferson-to-San Antonio deal last month. Indiana and Sacramento are also supposedly interested.

* Finally, keep up on all the movement as it happens on our Headlines page, which automatically updates news from more than 100 NBA sources around the clock.

Sam Amico is the editor of Pro Basketball News. He can be reached at amico@probasketballnews.com.