Mike Wilks was in Sacramento when the Kings called his representative and displayed interest in the 5-foot-11 point guard.

Wilks dropped by the Kings' offices Tuesday and had a brief conversation with basketball president Geoff Petrie.

"We talked about how they were exploring different options at point guard," Wilks said at the Table 260 Restaurant in Elk Grove. "Geoff explained Mike Bibby's situation and that the team believed Quincy (Douby) could play some minutes at point. (Francisco Garc?a) can play there if they want to go big and that they'd rescinded their qualifying offer to Ronnie (Price).

"He said they were looking at a couple of guards and I was definitely in the mix."

The Heat is focusing on trades to find a point guard, and talks continue with Houston regarding Rafer Alston (due $14.7 million during the next three years). Though Miami would move Michael Doleac, the Rockets are exploring what other teams would offer.

Talks with Sacramento about Mike Bibby have not materialized -- the Kings aren't eager to take back ex-King Jason Williams.

The Kings are looking for a backup point guard, and Mike Wilks hopes the search stops with him.

According to two league sources, the five-year veteran, who played 47 games last season with Seattle and is a free agent, will have a tryout Tuesday in Sacramento. Wilks, 28, has been a role player with six teams, winning an NBA title while with San Antonio in 2005.

Wilks' agent, Bill Neff, declined comment.

Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie said Wednesday that he expects Mike Bibby to be with the squad to open the 2007-08 season.

"I'll listen to anybody who calls," Petrie said. "That's the only way things ever get done. But it's not like I'm on the phone every day trying to trade Mike Bibby."

Some might take that quote and say Petrie is spending every other day trying to trade Bibby. But that's not the case from what my sources indicate.

Miami has again expressed interest in Sacramento point guard Mike Bibby, who's on the block but due $28 million combined during the next two years.

With most of the big names in free agency now off the market, the Heat will likely have to pursue trades to fill its needs for depth at point guard and small forward. And Udonis Haslem's name has come up in several trade scenarios that involved the Heat.

Despite the speculation, Haslem said Tuesday he expects to be in a Heat uniform when next season opens.

''When your name comes up, you take it as a compliment, I guess,'' Haslem said Tuesday.

Pat Riley and general manager Randy Pfund have repeatedly said other teams that have discussed trades with the Heat often bring up either Haslem or fourth-year forward Dorell Wright.

The Heat has had recent trade talks with the Kings, Clippers, Bucks and Sonics, among other teams. Another possible trade partner could be the Wizards, who own the rights to Spanish star guard Juan Carlos Navarro, a potential Heat target.

On a mission in Kenya, Ron Artest gave an interview to Ken Berger of Newsday.

According to Berger, while Artest said he will not demand a trade to the Knicks or any other club, Berger writes that Artest "sounded like someone who wants to come home in the worst way" and re-opened the possibility of exercising an opt-out clause in his contract after next season.

"A team doesn't want to lose you for nothing when they could have gotten something," Artest said.  

Artest is not offended that the Knicks will not trade David Lee for him.  "I wouldn't trade myself for David Lee at all. I love his game ....  Isiah made a great call. I would have done the same thing."

Asked whether he would demand a trade, Artest said, "That's something I won't do. I have a deep respect for Isiah and everything, but that's just something that I haven't thought about."

Artest said Sacramento "is not really for a guy like me sometimes ....  I'm totally capable of playing in any major city -- L.A., Miami, Houston, New York City -- and at the same time, I'm happy to be a Sacramento King."

When asked about the Knicks, Artest said, "That's definitely like a championship roster. Zach Randolph is so good. When the Knicks got him, I was like, 'Man, major problems in the East.' Zach Randolph is a monster. He's a straight beast."

Kings small forward Ron Artest is appealing his league-mandated seven-game suspension, according to his agent.

Reached by phone in Kenya -- where Artest is one of four players taking part in the National Basketball Players Association's "Feeding One Million" campaign -- Mark Stevens said he has filed an appeal on behalf of his client. The punishment was the result of Artest's no-contest plea in May for domestic violence misdemeanors.

His suspension was announced on Saturday, coinciding with a seven-game ruling handed to former Artest teammate and culprit in the 2004 Detroit brawl, Stephen Jackson. The Golden State forward pleaded guilty in June to a felony count of criminal recklessness. While still playing for Indiana in early October, he fired a gun in the air after being hit by a car outside a strip club.

Union director Billy Hunter released a statement to the Associated Press early Sunday, stating both players were considering appeals.

The NBA players association is considering an appeal of the seven-game suspensions given to Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson for legal issues.

Both players were suspended by the league Saturday without pay and are scheduled to miss the first seven games of next season. Artest would lose a little more than $470,000 in salary, about $50,000 more than Jackson.

Jackson released a statement through the Golden State Warriors saying he accepted his suspension. But the union, comparing the penalties to other recent suspensions given to players for off-the-court reasons, may take action.

"Based on prior precedent, we think the suspensions are excessive," union director Billy Hunter said Sunday in a statement. "We plan to confer with the players and their representatives to consider all of our options for appeal."

Not until recently did it become likely that Ron Artest will start that season with the Kings.

Trading Artest is not the priority it once seemed, Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie has made it known, and the executive is of the belief that the latest circumstances facing Artest may be setting him up for a productive and controversy-free year.  

"I think he's really focused on coming back and having a terrific all-around season," Petrie said. "He's going to miss his first seven games, but after that I think he'll be ready to roll."

While trade talks have quieted for the moment and Artest is content to remain with the Kings, he no longer seems concerned about controlling every aspect of his fate. If a trade happened, Artest said, "I wouldn't cry. I'd go out and have a great damn season."

The long-awaited hammer from the NBA came Saturday, when the league announced Artest's seven-game suspension that will be served without pay at the start of the 2007-08 season.

But the fixing, Artest said, has begun anew.

His family life is back in order, Artest said. He is back with his wife, Kimsha, though his children will attend school in Indiana this fall.

That's where Artest and his family spent most of the summer, living in the Zionsville home he had while playing for the Pacers.

"I know he's working on the other things in his life that he has to deal with now, his probation, (anger-management) counseling and this upcoming suspension, but I think his focus (next season) will be on basketball and trying to have a good year," Petrie said. "Coming into this year, I think he understands the consequences of the past and I think he's going to come back and have a real good year."