On 2nd thought, Artest wants to stay in Indy
Week after trade request, Pacer says, 'I should have been a man'
By Mark Montieth and Mike Wells
mark.montieth@indystar.com
NEW YORK -- The Ron Artest saga has taken yet another turn.
Artest, who announced a week ago that he wanted a trade from the Indiana Pacers, said Saturday in a phone interview that he would like to return to the team.
"I should have been a man and spoken with coach (Rick Carlisle) about my differences with him," Artest said. "Yes, I would like to return to the team."
Artest has been the talk of the NBA the past week after making his trade demand through The Star. He cited a dislike for coach Rick Carlisle's offensive system and the feeling that his past controversies continue to haunt him.
Artest's agent, Mark Stevens, has told several media outlets in the past couple of days that he hopes the All-Star forward is not traded. Stevens has not returned phone messages left by The Star.
Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh declined comment when reached at home Saturday night. Walsh said Friday that he would leave Artest on the inactive list if he cannot trade him.
Even if management would allow Artest back, it appears he would have difficulty regaining the trust of his teammates. Most of the Pacers approached following Saturday's 102-96 victory over New York at Madison Square Garden -- their fourth win in five games without Artest -- did not want to discuss the issue.
"I don't want to comment on that," forward Austin Croshere said. "And you can say I said it (in a disgusted tone of voice)."
Jermaine O'Neal has been blunt in his viewpoint.
"We can never play together,'' he said after Friday's game against Utah. "If he came back somehow, it would be him or me.''
O'Neal didn't back down from that Saturday, and offered no olive branch.
"Right now it's all about us," he said. "Ron's not part of this team right now. We're winning games. Asking questions about Ron doesn't make any sense right now."
Carlisle said he has not talked with Artest since Artest's trade demand, and is deliberately staying away from the issue.
"This is a franchise decision," he said before the game. "Fortunately for us, it's in the hands of Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird, who are two of the best basketball people there have ever been in this league. So, they'll decide which is the best way to go."
Stephen Jackson departed from the majority of his teammates, indicating he's still willing to forgive and forget. Jackson said Artest called him recently and indicated he wants to stay in Indiana.
"I think he wants to play basketball with us. He loves his teammates," Jackson said.
"He's told me personally that he doesn't have any problems with his teammates. I talk to him, we have no problems, we're both on the same page. We want to win basketball (games). We want to come out and play basketball and win games. That's all we have to do.
"I almost lost my job for him last year, so that's my friend. I respect his decision. Whatever he feels, he feels. If he's here, I'm going to play basketball and come and do my job. If he's not here, I'm still going to do my job."
Sarunas Jasikevicius noted that the Pacers have been more cohesive since Artest left the lineup -- first with a wrist injury and then with his trade demand -- regardless of whether it's because of Artest's absence or because the team has stepped up their effort in the face of adversity.
"This team is as tight as it's been all year," Jasikevicius said. "We're playing like one group, sharing the ball well and helping each other defensively and the results are here.
"We've been put in a difficult situation, but it looks like the Pacers are a better team when they're dealing with adversity. Things are much better now in Pacerland."