Joe Berry
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Pacers deal Artest to Kings for Peja
Update:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2304512
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers have agreed to trade Ron Artest to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Peja Stojakovic pending league approval, ESPN's Jim Gray has confirmed Tuesday.
The deal closes a chapter in the Pacers' latest drama involving the volatile star forward.
Ron Artest
Small Forward
Indiana Pacers
Profile
2006 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
16 19.4 4.9 2.2 45.992 61.157
Artest was a key component to a team that was expected to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown. He led the league in steals and was the Pacers' second-leading scorer at 19.4 points a game before being deactivated after publicly requesting a trade in early December.
In five years with the Pacers, Artest was an All-Star once and was the NBA's defensive player of the year in 2003-04.
Pacers GM Larry Bird said the Pacers had been interested in Corey Maggette of the Los Angeles Clippers, but there was "no question" that Maggette's sprained left foot affected the process. Maggette averaged 21.7 points in 13 games before getting injured in early December.
The Pacers have lost four of their last five games, including Monday to the Atlanta Hawks, who have the NBA's worst record.
Artest to Pacers: Trade me
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051210/SPORTS04/512100493
Ja is denn heut schon Weihnachten !?!
:laugh2:
Update:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2304512
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers have agreed to trade Ron Artest to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Peja Stojakovic pending league approval, ESPN's Jim Gray has confirmed Tuesday.
The deal closes a chapter in the Pacers' latest drama involving the volatile star forward.
Ron Artest
Small Forward
Indiana Pacers
Profile
2006 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
16 19.4 4.9 2.2 45.992 61.157
Artest was a key component to a team that was expected to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown. He led the league in steals and was the Pacers' second-leading scorer at 19.4 points a game before being deactivated after publicly requesting a trade in early December.
In five years with the Pacers, Artest was an All-Star once and was the NBA's defensive player of the year in 2003-04.
Pacers GM Larry Bird said the Pacers had been interested in Corey Maggette of the Los Angeles Clippers, but there was "no question" that Maggette's sprained left foot affected the process. Maggette averaged 21.7 points in 13 games before getting injured in early December.
The Pacers have lost four of their last five games, including Monday to the Atlanta Hawks, who have the NBA's worst record.
Artest to Pacers: Trade me
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051210/SPORTS04/512100493
Exclusive interview
Artest to pacers: Trade me
'I think they will be a better team without me'
By Mike Wells
mike.wells@indystar.com
Injured forward Ron Artest wants to return to the court, but not to the Indiana Pacers.
In a 20-minute interview Saturday, Artest for the first time publicly said he wants to be traded. He calmly described the issues he has with his role on the team, his head coach and his past, and said the team would be better off without him.
"I still think my past haunts me here," Artest said. "I think somewhere else I'm starting fresh. I'm coming in with baggage but people already know about it and how I'm going to be. Either they're going to be for me or they're not going to trade for me. Here I think my past haunts me.
"I think they will be a better team without me."
Coach Rick Carlisle called his forward "one of the elite talents in the league."
"You never want to lose someone like that," Carlisle said Saturday.
The Pacers lost Artest for 73 games after the Nov. 19 brawl last season. They stuck with him even though he said his suspension essentially ruined their season. Now the Pacers might be forced to trade him in order to salvage an already trying season.
"I think I cause a lot of problems here," said Artest, who has missed the past two games with a wrist injury. "If the trade rumors, if there is any truth -- maybe it won't be a bad thing. They probably could win more games without me."
Team President Larry Bird was scouting in Europe and could not be reached for comment. Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh was surprised by Artest's request and said the franchise would decide the next step.
"I've never heard him say anything before," said Walsh, who acquired Artest in a trade in 2002. "He hasn't talked to me, and I see him every day."
Walsh called this latest development a distraction and chided Artest's handling of the situation.
"He can always come up and talk to me or Larry Bird," Walsh said. "From here on out, I expect Ronnie to be a professional. . . . (This) isn't the best way to get a trade done."
Until Saturday, Artest's season had been relatively stress-free. He remains one of the team's hardest workers. He hasn't irritated game officials and has reached out more to teammates off the court.
It's on the court that he's had problems fitting in with Carlisle's system.
Artest is second on the team in shot attempts and scoring at 19.4 points, but he thinks his style disrupts the offense.
"I'm so demanding of the ball. It's not my fault," he said. "Every time somebody is on me it's a mismatch. It messes up the offense. I like Coach (Carlisle) as a person, but I don't like playing for Coach. I like my team, though."
The Pacers run a structured offense in which Carlisle calls out most plays. That frustrates Artest, who has complained about the system in the past. Artest also took issue with practices. He thinks they're too soft.
"Don't get it twisted. He's a very good coach," Artest said. "He knows what he's doing. I personally don't like playing for him. I would not want to see him get fired for me after all the immaturity I've been through with this organization."
Getting offers for Artest won't be difficult -- Artest is a former All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year. But getting equal value in return could be. Artest makes $6.5 million this season, paltry by All-Star standards. Because of the salary cap, NBA trades are as much about matching salaries as swapping talent. Most players of Artest's ability make much more money, meaning the Pacers won't get a player of his caliber unless they include other Pacers in the deal.
What teams interest Artest?
His hometown New York Knicks.
"If I go to the West Coast, I would come back to New York after my contract is up," Artest said. "I would go to Cleveland. I wouldn't mind coming off the bench behind LeBron James. There's a lot of players I wouldn't mind coming off the bench behind. If it was a perfect world, I would be going to New York."
Artest seeks a system in which he can score more, which would lead to a bigger contract when his expires in 2008. He has a player option for $8.5 million for the 2008-09 season.
"Here I don't think I'm going to have a chance to maximize my opportunity for my potential," he said. "When I first got here, all I wanted to do was play defense. I never really cared about offense, but what I see is players like Kobe (Bryant), Tracy (McGrady), (Gilbert) Arenas and Jermaine (O'Neal) getting the opportunity to maximize their potential on the court and to get paid. I'm out of my character a little bit here.
"I don't think I'm going to maximize my opportunity just playing defense. I have to show I'm one of the premier players on offense on the wing. So when it's that time, there's no question what type of player I am."
Artest said he will take a few more days to decide when he is ready to return from his wrist injury.
But the question is: Will he be a Pacer when he returns?
Ja is denn heut schon Weihnachten !?!
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