Ron Artest @ MindSay

The New York Knicks may have a chance to sign Ron Artest to a five-year, $30 million mid-level exception, if he opts out of the last year of his contract with the Sacramento Kings and becomes a free agent on July 1. That contract would pay him $7.4 million. It's even a possibility the Knicks could work a sign-and-trade with Sacramento, if the Kings would agree to it.

Animal services took Ron Artest's Great Dane away from him because the dog was underfed.  You'd think an NBA star could at least hire someone to feed the dog even if he's too busy to be bothered with it.  He now has 10 days to request a hearing if he wants the dog back.

The neighbors in Artest's gated community were so upset about the dog that the homeowners' association plans to vote next week on guidelines that would require members to properly care for their animals.

Ron Artest may be on the move, finally.

 

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the Indiana Pacers were close to dealing Artest to the Clippers for Corey Maggette. The newspaper's source? Atlanta Hawks forward Al Harrington, who used to play for the Pacers.

 

Harrington told the paper that he heard from people in Indiana that the trade was close to being finalized. That would finally end the turbulent era of Artest in Indiana.

 

"Yeah, that would get it out of the water and off the Internet and all that nonsense," Harrington told the J-C. "But I've known for a couple of weeks now that nothing was going to happen with me. [Hawks general manager Billy Knight] told me that if there was going to be anything done he'd let me know. So it's been off of my mind for a while now."

 

One of the NBA’s greatest talents, Artest also is one of the league’s most mercurial personalities.  The 26-year-old was placed on the inactive list by the Pacers earlier this month and was subsequently fined $10,000 by the league for publicly requesting a trade. Artest missed the bulk of last season after being suspended in November for attacking fans in the stands in Detroit.

 

Harrington told the J-C that he expects Artest to make whatever team he joins dangerous.

 

"Any team with a sane Ron Artest is going to be tough to deal with," Harrington said. "Any team with he's on with his mind right, is going to the playoffs and is going to make some noise. So it'll be good for Ron and for the Clippers."

 

Artest told the Indianapolis Star that he wasn't sure what to think of the rumors.

 

"You hear about them, but you never know what's true," he said. "I'm just waiting to find out which team I'll be playing for."

 

In late December, Pacers president Larry Bird went public with comments that he felt “betrayed” and “disappointed” by his All-Star forward, and that Artest had to be traded.

 

“I think enough is enough,” Bird told the Indianapolis Star.  “I think Ronnie will do fine, but not here.”

 

“I don’t know if this is the right wording, but I felt betrayed,” Bird said.  “We’re disappointed.  Things happen, maybe it’s a good thing.  He’s a very talented player.  I always liked working with him and how he went about things on the basketball court.  He’s a top-12 player in the league, but we’re in a situation where we have to move on.”

 

Pacers CEO and president Donnie Walsh told the Rocky Mountain News that 10 teams were still in the running for Artest and will "narrow it down in the next couple of days."

 

The Rocky Mountain News also cited a source saying that the Nuggets were among the top three candidates to get Artest, and another is the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Artest told the newspaper that he has begun the process of making amends. He reportedly spoke with Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh and teammates Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal. Artest attempted to call other players, but he was unable to reach them. He planned to call coach Rick Carlisle on Sunday night.

 

Whether or not these actions will be enough to rebuild bridges remains to be seen. Artest told the Star he understood his teammates' critical response.

 

"Under the circumstances, I'd be pretty mad at me, too," he said. "I'm mad at myself anyway. Going about things like I did, it's not easy to recover.

 

"But I'd love to play for the Pacers' organization right now."

 

It may be a case of too little, too late, as O'Neal doesn't appear to be interested in a reconciliation with Artest.

"We talked as a team, and we feel like we need to move on," O'Neal said. "As I've been saying, the business relationship is over."

 

Walsh declined to comment about Artest's attempts to reach out to the team.

 

Ron Artest is back!

"I'm going to continue playing hard and out of control, like a wild animal that needs to be caged in. I'll let the referees handle it."