Artest seeking trade

[Spurtacus]

Does this affect the Spurs FA plans and current roster?

-----------------------------

LAS VEGAS -- Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest joined teammates Kevin Martin, Beno Udrih and Shareef Abdur-Rahim as celebrity spectators for the Kings' first game in the NBA Summer League on the campus of UNLV.

But Artest isn't feeling like a King.

In a series of e-mails he sent to ESPN.com late Saturday and early Sunday, Artest continued to lament his decision to pass on an opportunity to become a free agent July 1 by announcing that he is now representing himself without an agent and expressing hope that he will soon be traded to "a team out there that can be more committed than Sacramento to me."

That team is believed to be the Los Angeles Lakers. Almost from the minute they were routed by the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the NBA Finals -- which Artest attended in Boston to root for friends Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom -- it has been strongly expected throughout the league that the Lakers would revisit their longstanding trade interest in Artest and eventually acquire the enigmatic forward sometime this summer to address the defense and toughness issues that the Celtics exposed.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3485534

[honestfool84]

dang.
it would be really scary if the lakers got artest.

[Big P]

"Does this affect the Spurs FA plans and current roster?"

Another player we have no shot at....we have nothing that Sacramento wants((I wish we still had Beno..lol...we could have S&T'd his ass along with Bonner or Udoka to Sac in exchange for Artest)...Sacramento holds all the cards, Artest has no control & he will go to the highest bidder and it wont be SA....if the reports are true about LA offering Odom, unless another team is stupid enough to trade a nice young player, thats about the best offer Sacramento is going to get..

[ShoogarBear]

dang.
it would be really scary if the lakers got artest.

Kobe + Artest + Phil = season of contentment

[Spurtacus]

"Does this affect the Spurs FA plans and current roster?"

Another player we have no shot at....we have nothing that Sacramento wants((I wish we still had Beno..lol...we could have S&T'd his ass along with Bonner or Udoka to Sac in exchange for Artest)...Sacramento holds all the cards, Artest has no control & he will go to the highest bidder and it wont be SA....if the reports are true about LA offering Odom, unless another team is stupid enough to trade a nice young player, thats about the best offer Sacramento is going to get..

I agree. Its a longshot for sure. But perhaps SA can be crafty and come up with a deal Sac may like...Udoka, Bonner, multiple draft picks, and cash.

[DPG21920]

dang.
it would be really scary if the lakers got artest.

I feel like Odom is what makes the Lakers such a tough match up for the Spurs. I mean, I think Artest would fit in well there, but I still feel Odom, when healthy and focused is one of the best players in the league, and a match up nightmare for the Spurs.

[Twisted_Dawg]

IF SAC trades Artest, I hope they trade him to some shit hole team like the Clippers, Grizzlies, or Timbrwolves.

[Bruno]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Aks26_kJ__xkHxtr2WkVqiC8vLYF?slug=jy-artestsummer071308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns


The San Antonio Spurs also are intrigued, but they don’t have enough to offer to make a serious bid.

[lrrr]

Why would the Kings want Odom? Odom is a secondary/tertiary option, and would be a nice fit for a team with a superstar looking to contend. The Kings aren't that team. Odom hasn't done dick through his career and will not make the Kings any better. Sac would just be better off waiting for the cap-space.

[Big P]

Why would the Kings want Odom? Odom is a secondary/tertiary option, and would be a nice fit for a team with a superstar looking to contend. The Kings aren't that team. Odom hasn't done dick through his career and will not make the Kings any better. Sac would just be better off waiting for the cap-space.


People think SA has trouble landing FA's...Sacramento has got to be the worst place for basketball...I think Sac's thinking is if they can get a player of Odoms caliber for Artest, they would be stupid to pass on it....if they don't, they save capspace for who? I see Sacramento being the next team heading out of town, more than likely...Vegas

[Mal]

Odom is 15mln FA next summer. SAC could dump Kenny Thomas or Abdur-Rahim one year earlier with this trade. I am afraid they could do that.

On the other hand, Odom isn`t a player that you can dump. If SAC doesn`t want to rebuild, they really shouldn`t go with this trade. It has no value for Kings

[picnroll]

Anybody think if the Spurs had Scola they could get Artest in a trade if they wanted to? :bang

Scola trade bitch number 100,211.

[TDMVPDPOY]

wtf do the kings wanna trade with a rival in the fakers for anyway?

this sounds like another lopsided trade

[mystargtr34]

Anybody think if the Spurs had Scola they could get Artest in a trade if they wanted to? :bang

Scola trade bitch number 100,211.

Probably not because there is no garuantee Scola would have been given minutes in this system in his first year

Thats like saying maybe if we kept Hedo we could trade him for Maggette.

Although Scola never got a chance... point is he could easily have ended up losing confidence and struggling like 99% of first year players do here.

Still, it was a stupid trade then, and a stupid trade now

[ShoogarBear]

In a related story, Jerry West has just accepted a position in the Kings' front office.

[Gino2882]

Most likely goes to LA.

[angelbelow]

interesting..

[misterx91578]

Ron its your own fault you still are a king

[Ronaldo McDonald]

Man, it's too bad we don't have anything to trade for him.

Lakers with Artest would be very scary for us and anyone else.

[TheMadHatter]

Why would the Kings do this trade?

-Artest is clearly not in their future plans and his ball-hogging ways actually hinder the development of their young core.
-They desperately need help in the rebounding department and Odom is perhaps one of the best rebounding PF's in the league. He would be a potentially nice addition to their frontcourt if things work out and would help them run a little bit more.
-Kenny Thomas and his horrid contract would be off the books clearing up even more capspace. They'd have a shot at getting an impact player next off-season and then going for the bigname FA's in '10......as opposed to just the latter.
-Get rid of a known cancer and unpredictable character for a great locker room guy and team player in Odom

Why would the Lakers do this trade?

-Lamar will flat out not work at SF. They need midrange shooting, 3pt shooting, and tough perimeter defense which are not Odom's strengths.
-Artest brings the toughness and skillset that LAL is sorely lacking from their SF's. More importantly he is capable of truly being the Kobe's Pippen.....a lockdown defender that will let Kobe rest on defense by guarding the other team's best player.
-Capable of generating his own shot without needing Kobe to set him up. Having two perimeter threats who are both capable of creating for themselves along with Pau and Bynum in the paint will make the Lakers the best offensive team in the league with the versatility to score in so many different ways.

[baseline bum]

In a series of e-mails he sent to ESPN.com late Saturday and early Sunday, Artest continued to lament his decision to pass on an opportunity to become a free agent July 1 by announcing that he is now representing himself without an agent and expressing hope that he will soon be traded to "a team out there that can be more committed than Sacramento to me."

:lol

The Pacers were about as committed to him as a team could be, and got shit on by him over and over.

[thekingrobert]

People here gonna get excited just like they did for CM and when RC doesn't land him we will run Artest game to the ground

[knee-knee-3]

People here gonna get excited just like they did for CM and when RC doesn't land him we will run Artest game to the ground

The excitement surrounding the Magette situation was understandable, but there's no chance in hell of Artest coming to SA.

[Thomas82]

The excitement surrounding the Magette situation was understandable, but there's no chance in hell of Artest coming to SA.

I don't see it either, but stranger things have happened.

[Spurtacus]

I don't see it either, but stranger things have happened.

...and we are talking about a very strange individual.

[iggypop123]

thank you artest. this summer was getting boring after the dunleavy vs brand fight. now we have something to talk about

[Marcus Bryant]

Probably not because there is no garuantee Scola would have been given minutes in this system in his first year

Thats like saying maybe if we kept Hedo we could trade him for Maggette.

Although Scola never got a chance... point is he could easily have ended up losing confidence and struggling like 99% of first year players do here.

Still, it was a stupid trade then, and a stupid trade now

Let's see, would Peter Holt have preferred not to have received that $3 mil+ check from the league a week ago plus have seen total player expense about $12 mil higher last season? Think long and hard about that one.

[Kobe™]

Spurs your not contending anymore.
Your pretty much a 5th best team in the NBA {as your team is of now}

Ur better then the suns,
but can't compete with NOH, Lakers, Utah.
Portland will be a power-house team in a few seasons too.

[Kobe™]

http://i34.tinypic.com/9rrrll.jpg

[spurman20]

Yes please take that head case Artest, he is a much better match up for us than Odom. Move Gasol back to the PF where he will be limited in what he can do from that spot and you will see why Mem gave him to you for a stick of gum. Bynum is the next Yao, will get injured every year. You have had your run, your a soft team who played on emotion last year. Anyone who says N.O. or Utah is in the same class as the Spurs is a fool, they are not contenders and will never be. Hey Kobe this year you can tell us how our ass tastes!

[ambchang]

Can't wait to see the look on Kobe's face after Artest dribbles the ball in the post for 15 seconds every possession.

[nkdlunch]

how long would it take for Artest to blow a fuse and throw the "machine" to the third row seats?

[Kobe™]

Lol u guys are the least of our worries.
id be more concerned of facing boston then SAS.


bynum will give your weak front court enough fits.

kobe is always kobe.

[xtremesteven33]

Artest to the Lakers and no Odom there is going to be a bad trade for the lakers