The name change of Ron Artest to Metta World Peace was delayed by a Los Angeles court commissioner due to outstanding traffic warrants.

Artest has until Sept. 16 to resolve his tickets in order to change his name at that point.

Ron Artest may not play for Cheshire Jets due to problems with finding insurance.

"It’s still on the table," agent David Bauman said Tuesday in a phone interview. "But again, this insurance thing is a significant and a serious obstacle for any of the NBA players."

Artest has a three-year, $21.8-million deal remaining with the Lakers. Without insurance, Artest could risk his contract becoming void should he suffer an injury with another team during the NBA lockout.

Luke Walton has agreed to become an assistant coach with the Memphis Tigers until the NBA lockout concludes.

Walton is owed $11.5 million by the Lakers over the next two seasons.

"Luke is going to bring great excitement and great energy to the Tigers program, and we're thrilled to have him," University of Memphis Coach Josh Pastner said. "Luke is someone who has not only played for, but also learned from, arguably one of the greatest coaches in basketball history in Phil Jackson. Luke's also played with and against the best of the best at the highest level of basketball in the NBA."

Walton, like Pastner, is an alum of Arizona.

The Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League have hired Eric Musselman as head coach, it was announced today by team President Joey Buss.

“I’m excited to announce Eric Musselman as the Los Angeles D-Fenders head coach,” said Buss. “He has vast experiences in both the NBA and NBA Development League and will be a great addition to our franchise. I look forward to working with Eric and having a successful season.”

Musselman, who has over 20 years of coaching experience, most recently served as head coach for the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League. During his stint in Reno, he compiled a 34-16 record, second best in the league, while leading the team to the Western Conference regular season title and a semifinal berth in the NBA D-League playoffs.

“I’m extremely excited to be joining a first class organization like the D-Fenders,” said Musselman. “Our staff will work hard to develop young players for the next level while at the same time being an extremely competitive team.”

Before coaching in the NBA Development League, Musselman spent over ten years as a coach in the NBA.

Kobe Bryant will not be playing for the Drew League in an event that will be held on Saturday in Washington, DC.

The Drew League will play the Goodman League, with players such as John Wall and Kevin Durant participating.

Bryant hit a game-winning shot in the Drew League on Tuesday.

Kobe Bryant scored a buzzer-beating game-winner over Oklahoma City’s James Harden to break a 137-137 tie on Tuesday in the Drew League.

Bryant reportedly had 45 of those points for his team.

Bryant played with no protective sleeve over his troublesome right knee and appeared healthy.

Kobe Bryant denies hurting a man at a southern California church on Sunday, according to his attorney.

"Mr. Bryant is aware of the baseless allegations asserted against him," said a statement issued by attorney Mark Campbell, "and is prepared to defend against them fully."

Campbell identifies Bryant's alleged accuser as Thomas Hagos, 20, of San Diego. 

Hagos filed a police report saying that Bryant grabbed his cellphone while they were attending services at St. Therese of Carmel Church in the San Diego neighborhood of Carmel Valley. Bryant was angry because he thought that Hagos was taking his picture, according to the police report.

Kobe Bryant is being investigated by San Diego police for an alleged altercation with a man at a local church, according to a KCBS-TV report.

On Sunday at a church in Carmel Valley, Bryant allegedly grabbed a cellphone from the man who sustained an injury to his wrist.

Bryant believed the man was taking photos of him and his wife, but no photos were seen when inspecting the phone.

Kobe Bryant has received an offer worth more than $1.5 million per month to play in China.

Sources say he would likely accept a deal if not for a rule forbidding Chinese teams from signing players with NBA opt-out clauses.

Ron Artest declared his intention to play for the British Basketball League's Cheshire Jets.

"I'm definitely going to play for the Jets," Artest said in a phone interview Thursday night. "I'm definitely going to play for the Jets."

His agent, David Bauman, wanted to seek insurance for Artest in case he was injured. But with the league and players union appearing to make little progress on a collective bargaining agreement, Artest said he asked himself one question: "I thought, 'Where can I go to play ball and enjoy myself' "

Artest said he will make between $1,500 to $2,500 a month playing for the Jets, although that's not definitive since the deal isn't finalized.

The team will attempt to secure music gigs and television roles, possibly even a British soap opera.