For about an hour or so on Tuesday afternoon, it seemed as though the Ron Artest Saga was finally going to come to an end. Then we realized we were dealing with the same man who earned the longest suspension in NBA history, flipped off an opposing crowd, put his music career ahead of his basketball team, threw a television monitor onto the court, and asked his team to trade him. There will be no end to the Ron Artest Saga, merely an end to the Pacers' chapter of it, and it will continue in Sacramento or Oakland or Los Angeles or wherever.
On Tuesday the Pacers agreed to trade Artest to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Peja Stojakovic. The only thing keeping Artest in Indiana was pending approval from the league, until Artest opened his mouth. He informed both the Pacers and the Kings that he did not want to play for Sacramento. In light of his comments, the Kings then elected to refuse the trade.
Artest told the Indianapolis Star that he would like to be more involved in the trade talks. He told the newspaper, ?I just want to meet with team officials of whichever team I?m headed to?I want to play, but I?m following the rules I have to follow. If I have to sit out, I sit out the season.? It?s unsure whether or not Artest?s desire to be involved in the trade negotiations is a newfound one.
The question many fans may be thinking is why Donnie Walsh, Larry Bird, and Vice President David Morway didn?t request a list of desired destinations from Artest. Had they acquired such a list the confusion that went on this afternoon would never have taken place. Many other teams have apparently jumped back into the Artest sweepstakes.
It?s possible that the trade that was, and then wasn?t, may have opened more doors for Indiana. Golden State has apparently offered Mike Dunleavy Jr. in a package for Artest that also includes Calbert Cheaney and another player. Reports are now surfacing that Artest could still approve the deal to Sacramento, and that his refusal was misunderstood. It?s rumored that Artest just meant he wanted to speak with Kings ownership before the deal went through.
Artest will have to explain to Pacers? management exactly what he wants Wednesday morning. He has been summoned by the team who would like to hear from Ron himself whether or not he is truly standing between a deal that would send him to the Kings. According to Artest?s agent, Mark Stevens, Artest will meet with Walsh and Bird in the morning to determine whether or not the trade can be revitalized.