Tweetable items from Lakers Coach Phil Jackson

On Dirk Nowitzki: “He can shoot his shot out of a wheelchair. That guy is going to play forever. He’s such a great shooter, but he definitely runs with a limited gate. He’s got to work at that run. You can see that when you watch him run. We like to take advantage of that when we can.”

On if Dallas is better than in other seasons: “I wouldn’t say that. I think Chandler brings them a really good defensive presence out there. I think that’s great. Marion is a wildcard they can use. Terry is also in those situations. The team speed isn’t there they used to have. They don’t offensive rebound very well. There’s a couple things there that they’ve done better in the past. That team that won 60-something games, they got eliminated and the team that went to the Finals, those two teams were very good teams and deep teams. So I wouldn’t say this team is any better than that team.”

Tweetable items from Theo Ratliff

–He has been cleared to play and will be in uniform Thursday against Dallas, coinciding with Derrick Caracter being sent down to the Bakersfield Jam

–He acknowledged he’s felt sore after full-contact practices, but he’s able to jump. “I didn’t want to go out on a stretcher. It’s always good to get the uniform back on, get back with the guys and see what happens.”

–Ratliff said he had arthritis and “bone-on-bone” issues with his surgically repaired left knee. “There were definite setbacks. I’m not a young cat and I already had issues going on with my knee.”

Theo Ratliff on return

The chat box is below the jump

–Mark Medina

E-mail the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com

Chat with Mike Bresnahan - 4/1

-The Times’ Mike Bresnahan will be hosting a live chat today at 11 a.m. Bring your Lakers questions! Brez and I also detailed an interesting Wednesday practice, which included a visit from Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani and Archbishop Jose Gomez. Talk about divine intervention.

–ESPN Los Angeles’ Brian Kamenetzky talks to Lakers assistant coaches Brian Shaw and Chuck Person about playing defense without fouling.

–The Daily News’ Elliott Teaford discusses the magnitude of the Lakers-Mavericks game.

Tweet(s) of the Day: “Huge game for both the Lakers and Dallas tomorrow fighting for the number 2 spot in the West. Lakers should use these 9 games left to get the bench playing well.” — MagicJohnson (Lakers Legend Magic Johnson)

Rick Friedman Reader Comment of the Day: “Why can’t Odom start in place of an injured starter and not be considered a sixth man? Within the context of a whole team, he may have “started” but he is still a sub.” — alberto esmeralda

–Mark Medina

E-mail the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com

Photo: Lakers guard Kobe Bryant looks up during the team’s championship banner ceremony at the Staples Center on Oct. 26. The Lakers acknowledged the importance of their game Thursday against Dallas. Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Each time Lakers forward Ron Artest patrolled the sideline, an anxious George Lopez awaited him.

The Lakers entered the first extra session in what became a 139-137 triple overtime victory last week against the Phoenix Suns, but Artest promised the game would end soon. He and Lopez wanted to immediately head to the Beacher’s Madhouse Theater at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood where they’d film a music video to their newly released single, “Go Loco.” 

But that had to wait, with each overtime fueling even more uncertainty they would pull it off. The second overtime prompted Artest to promise Lopez the game wouldn’t last longer. It did. Then the third overtime didn’t end until shortly after 11 p.m, meaning Artest’s two- to three-hour music-video shoot lasted until 7:30 a.m. It sounds tiring enough reading about it. It prompts the question: How on Earth does Artest live it? It’s a concern that was elevated when he tweeted the release of his Ball’N mixtape immediately following the Lakers’ loss to Cleveland before the All-Star break, a performance that’s universally deemed the team’s most embarrassing effort all season.

“There’s no balance,” Artest said. “It’s your life. The balance in your life is where’s the focus. How do you focus. I do spread myself thin a lot.”

“That’s one reason why I stopped drinking alcohol. If I want to do all of these things, I can’t do that and party not even a little bit. Every now and then I may occasionally socialize a little bit. But for the most part, I cut that out. Ever since I cut that out, I’m able to balance and focus more.

“The balance in my life is erratic. It is what it is, but I do work hard on my game. The good thing about basketball is you don’t want to overtrain. There’s only so much I can do working out. If you do too much, you won’t be ready for the game anyway. You’ll be tired and fatigued.”

Incidentally, Artest’s effort against Phoenix showed he’s capable of doing both. His 18-point performance on seven-of-14 shooting with three steals capped an effort where he’s exceeded his season average since the All-Star break in points (10.35, 8.4), shooting percentage (42.5%, 40.2%) and playing time (32.43, 29) in each contest. His on-court antics — blowing kisses to the 18,997 at Staples Center and kissing his biceps following a dunk — explains how he’s suited to his own music video. And the fact that he didn’t return home until 7:30 a.m. shouldn’t be worrisome, considering he slept for most of the next day on the Lakers’ day off.

If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. On a much grander scale, Artest performed similar heroics in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals. After he recorded 20 points on seven-of-18 shooting, five steals and held Boston’s Paul Pierce to 18 points on a five-of-15 clip, Artest followed with a memorable post-game press conference where was giddy over a Wheaties Box, owned up to his transgressions with the Indiana Pacers and, most memorably, thanked his psychologist for all the work she put in during the 2009-10 season.

His night was far from over, however. He had dinner with his family, attended two clubs and then ended up in Dr. Dre’s studio between 5 and 6 a.m. where the legendary hip hop producer mixed his single, “Champion.”

“He asked me, ‘Are you sleeping?’” Artest recalled Dre saying. “I said, ‘Dre I’m tired, man.’ But I didn’t want to tell him because I didn’t know the next opportunity I would get to finish that song.”

Even if future undisclosed tracks weren’t completed, at least “Champion” was. The immediate reaction sounded positive. Dre’s son, Curtis, as well as Master P and Romeo all said at Magic Johnson’s party at Trousdale Lounge in West Hollywood a week after the single’s release that they loved Artest’s work, an effort Artest said the hip hop community told him was his “best song.”

Artest may have placed more importance at the time in recording his album “My World” with Tru Warier Records in 2006 than his stint with the Indiana Pacers, but his approach toward his mixtape proved different. He offered no more than limited verses on his mixtape, including his single “Peanut Butta,” and concentrated more on securing guests.

“Anybody could sound good on a mixed tape,” Artest said. “We made George sound great. I could’ve put Phil Jackson on the mix tape. We would’ve made Phil sound great.”

There’s no Zen Master appearance, but the final product features a guest list that reads as both a who’s-who among the rap community and upcoming artists: Nas, Gucci Mane, Ray J, Fat Joe, Bun B, Tony Yayo, Lloyd, Chamillionaire, 36 Mafia and Paul Wall, G-Unit, 
Game, 
B-Real, 
Aventura, and Taz
.

“Obviously being here and being around a lot of rappers, he has a few more connections than I have,” said Lakers forward Joe Smith, who also appeared on the mixtape in “This Is What It Sounds Like” and “We Will Rock You.” “He’s been helping me out with that. Ron is pretty serious in it as well.”

So serious that he uses rap as an outlet for his ongoing therapy. So serious that he plans on releasing an “inspirational” song before the playoffs. So serious that he scored an appearance on the music video of Snoop Dogg’s and Game’s “Purp & Yellow,” a video Artest said only took up a half-hour of his time. And so serious that Artest had a studio installed in his car when he played with the Houston Rockets in the 2008-09 season. 

“You remember your verse before you get in the car while you’re driving,” Artest said. “But sometimes if I can’t get something out, I’ll just pull over and finish the whole song right in the car. It’s similar to a Bluetooth, you’re just talking. You’re not texting or not writing. You’re pretty much rapping. You can press stop or press play.”

A perfect metaphor for Artest’s ongoing and mixed effort in balancing his two passions.

–Mark Medina

mgmedin@gmail.com