Is Ron Artest’s Diet Helping His Defense?

He seems to think so, and his success on fhe defensive end of things the last few games appears to support the theory: “He weighed 266 two months ago. He kept thinking how he weighed 245 when he was the NBA’s defensive player of the year in 2004. So he stopped eating late at night and promised himself he would stick to a diet that was 95% fish and vegetables. With his plantar fasciitis under control, he is also running more often and at unusual times. When the Lakers arrive in a city for a road game, he’ll hit the treadmill for 45 minutes at the team hotel, even if it’s before the second game of a back-to-back situation. When the Lakers return from a trip, he’ll log another 45 minutes on the treadmill. He used to run sparingly in 30-minute increments, but said the extra dedication and the added 15 minutes per session paid off. He recently got down to 249 pounds and is now in the low 250s, he said. ‘I think the running has helped me shed a lot of weight,’ he said. ‘That was the key, a 45-minute run. A 30-minute run wasn’t doing it. I’m moving quick. I think the last four games I’ve played good defense. It started with [Corey] Maggette in the fourth quarter then it went to [Paul] Pierce and then to Rudy [Gay], when I held him below his average. I held Shawn [Marion] a point below his average, although he’s not a big scorer.'”