Artest to Lakers?

[EricaLubarsky]

Artest gets his own babysitter
http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_ar...p_with_artest/

When Ron Artest went into Houston this past week to take on his old team, he and former Laker Trevor Ariza got into an early battle. As Ariza recounted, after the Lakers won in OT, Artest "tried to put his hands on my neck. Nobody is going to try to put their hands on my neck or punk me. That ain't happening. But I don't have any hard feelings. It was just emotions, you might say. It doesn't matter."

Artest concurred with Ariza's version, saying, "I wanted to grab his throat because he hit me with an elbow, but I didn't," Artest said. "It was a thought, you know, but then I thought about David Stern, and said 'OK, I'm not going to do this.'"

If Artest is thinking of the commissioner in the heat of battle and it prevents him from doing something stupid, a la running into the stands to take on drunken and unruly fans, then that's a sign that he's matured.

But just to make sure, the Lakers have brought on an Artest confidant, former Pacers executive Chuck Person, to be a special assistant. The night of the riot, Person was the one who covered Artest's head as debris rained down from the stands, and rushed him into the locker room.