Kings and Pacers swap Peja and Artest - Page 2 - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

Nash13 · 01-24-2006, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mary

Ron Artest went public and DEMANDED A TRADE.

That was screw job # 1.

Now he has botched this trade and even further diminished his trade value, as you got to believe this was probably the best deal on the table.

That's screw job # 2.

He's making alot of money right now to sit on his ass. Sometimes in the NBA you get traded to places you don't want to go. You should be expected to act like a professional, that's one of the reasons you make the big bucks.

He's an embarassment to the league.

Well, i don't know why the Peja/Artest deal happens because that was the very 1st team he said he wouldn't want to join. And reports say he didn't say he wasn't going to report, he just didn't want to play for them. This part isn't uncommon. There's a couple of players around the league with no-trade clauses in their contracts. And another thing i was discussing with a few buddies is the fact that teams are so quick to pull trades but probably never think about what the player wants. I understand being professional, but when i guy gets traded, especially across the country, you have to drastically alter your lifestyle. I'm not exusing his decisions, but i can understand where he's coming from about being traded to sac.

And my thing is, why bother bringing him in if you're SAC? He's not going to make their standings or defense any better. He's not going to make your chemistry any better. You could probably get more out of Peja than some with the uncertainty as Artest.

MavsFanFinley · 01-24-2006, 11:54 PM

Artest Summoned To Meet With Pacers Brass

24th January, 2006 - 10:19 pm

Chris Sheridan/ESPN - Ron Artest has been summoned to a Wednesday morning meeting by the Indiana Pacers , who want to hear from the player himself on whether he is standing in the way of a trade to the Sacramento Kings for Peja Stojakovic, ESPN.com learned Tuesday night.

Artest and his agent were expected to meet Wednesday morning in Indianapolis with team executives Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh with the hopes the trade can be revived.

The Pacers and Kings were close to a deal Tuesday, and Stojakovic stayed at the team hotel in Philadelphia when it appeared the trade would be finalized. But a source with inner knowledge of the day's events said a call from Artest's agent, Mark Stevens, to the Kings gave them second thoughts about pulling the trigger, and the deal was temporarily shelved.

"The way I was treated today, I was disappointed," Stojakovic told ESPN.com in Philadelphia. "I feel kind of disrespected with the way I found out. Thank God they have TVs here. I understand being traded, but this is situation is weird. I had already planned my flight back to Sacramento, and now everything is reversed.

"I guess this is just a business, but the way I was told and the way I found out, I feel I deserved better from [Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof]. Anybody can get traded in the NBA, but the way I found out, it was disrespectful. I deserve better after seven and a half years."

Stojakovic was expected to travel to New York with the Kings for their game Wednesday night against the Knicks, but there remained a possibility the trade would be revived in the morning. Artest told The Indianapolis Star there was a possibility something still could happen.

"There's no deal," Artest told the newspaper by telephone. "It's not that I don't want to play there ... I'm letting my agent handle things. He's taken over things." Artest told the Star he is not against a trade but would like to be involved in negotiations.

"I just want to meet with team officials of whichever team I'm headed to," he said in a story posted on the newspaper's Web site. "I want to play, but I'm following the rules I have to follow. If I have to sit out, I sit out the season."

The deal would have ended a lengthy standoff between the Pacers and Artest, who was banished from the team in December after requesting a trade and was suspended most of last season for his role in one of the worst brawls in U.S. sports history.

Before the deal apparently broke down, Kings players were already talking about the trade as if it was a done deal.

"Peja will be missed," Kings forward Corliss Williamson said. "He's been in Sacramento for a lot of years, but life goes on in the NBA.

"We'll welcome Ron Artest with open arms and hope he'll be able to help us. You always hear about the situations he's been in and all the hype. Maybe this is the change he needs, to come into our system and flourish."

MavsFanFinley · 01-24-2006, 11:56 PM

Warriors Offering Dunleavy In Package For Artest

24th January, 2006 - 9:29 pm

Philadelphia Inquirer - Ron Artest's agent, Mark Stevens, told the Kings his client "had no desire" to play for Sacramento, that he would report but "not be happy."

There were other deals on the table but the Los Angeles Lakers refused to trade Lamar Odom for Artest and Austin Croshere, and the Pacers turned down a deal with the Clippers for Corey Maggette because Maggette's foot injury may be more severe than expected and backed out.

Also the Golden State Warriors were believed to have gotten involved as recently as today, offering a package of Mike Dunleavy Jr., Calbert Cheaney and another player for Artest. But Dunleavy, who signed a five-year, $45 million extension before the season, and has a contract that would complicate the deal.

sike · 01-25-2006, 12:06 AM

whatever...

TripleDipping · 01-25-2006, 12:08 AM

Somewhere in Sacramento, Stojakovic is weeping like a 5 year-old for not having his wish of getting traded come true.

u2sarajevo · 01-25-2006, 12:24 AM

Giggle.

He's a head case. So buyer beware.

I feel bad for Sacramento now. Well, not really. But it's not a good situation there before this happened. And then this happened.

chumdawg · 01-25-2006, 12:30 AM

Good for Ron. Let's not forget that he asked to be accepted back on the team, and the Pacers, in their infinite wisdom, decided they would be better off without him. Can we get past looking at professional athletes as mindless commodities and respect their own feelings, too? Artest and the Pacers have a contract with each other, each with obligations. Artest is willing to play, and the Pacers don't want him. So they can live with nothing, as far as I am concerned.

Don't blame Ron Artest for the dysfucntion in the Pacers organization. That team is in a downward spiral, and it's closing quickly. They want to muscle some leverage on Artest, and I for one am glad that his agent is fighting back. If the guy doesn't want to be traded to Sacramento--and who can blame him?--that's well within his rights.

He wanted to play for the Pacers again, and they decided they would rather suspend him. So they can sleep in the bed they made.

dude1394 · 01-25-2006, 12:44 AM

Agree chum, they should have dumped him when they had the chance before he asked to be traded.

Now his value is zilch.

Nash13 · 01-25-2006, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chumdawg

Good for Ron. Let's not forget that he asked to be accepted back on the team, and the Pacers, in their infinite wisdom, decided they would be better off without him. Can we get past looking at professional athletes as mindless commodities and respect their own feelings, too? Artest and the Pacers have a contract with each other, each with obligations. Artest is willing to play, and the Pacers don't want him. So they can live with nothing, as far as I am concerned.

Don't blame Ron Artest for the dysfucntion in the Pacers organization. That team is in a downward spiral, and it's closing quickly. They want to muscle some leverage on Artest, and I for one am glad that his agent is fighting back. If the guy doesn't want to be traded to Sacramento--and who can blame him?--that's well within his rights.

He wanted to play for the Pacers again, and they decided they would rather suspend him. So they can sleep in the bed they made.

Come on now, he called out the coach and now nobody in the entire organization wants him back.

But i'll agree with you now that the Pacers aren't making it any easier for themselves. I mean, history has shown the closer you get to the trade deadline, the more desperate teams get to trade a player. So i'm willing to bet the best deal the Pacers are going to get past by them a long time ago. And the more they wait, the more the player(s) have less time to play with other Pacers.

I just got finished watching Outside the Lines, and if what Scoop Jackson said about Bird and Walsh playing mind games with Artest is true, then they should get some of the blame for the Pacers' 9-12 start without him.

Thespiralgoeson · 01-25-2006, 01:57 AM

Chum, the only thing I blame the Pacers for is trusting him. The organization is in a downward spiral because he set that into motion. He was a headache from day 1, but he had game, so they tolerated him. But last season, when he crossed the line, they took a chance and stood up for him, again. So how does he reward them? By further alienating the entire organization to the point where his teammates took a vote, and elected not to play with him anymore. The only crime the Pacers committed was being too loyal, and he stabbed them in the back, again and again. Now the Pacers are even more screwed than they were before, after all they did for him. The sad part is, he keeps hurting himself worse and worse, and I don't even think he knows it. 2 years ago he was defensive player of the year, and now he's untradeable.

alby · 01-25-2006, 02:09 AM

and soon to be out of this league.

Mavdog · 01-25-2006, 09:25 AM

chum, I have to disagree. yes a player's more than a commodity, yet at the same time they are assets who have value to their employer both in what they can contribute to the team on the court as well as what they can contribute to the team in trade.

as for his about face about returning to the team and being a good soldier for them, "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice and shame on me" is very appropriate. there's absolutely no basis to believe that ron will not return to his petulate self.

he is one of the main causes of the dysfunction of the pacers, and let's not reward his behavior by being sensitive to his "needs".

from today's IndyStar:

bob kravitz
What's the deal here? Absurdity rules
January 25, 2006

What? You thought getting rid of Ron Artest was going to be easy, a simple matter of handing him a one-way ticket out of town? What movie have you been watching these past couple of years?
Here, in a nutshell, is a recap from our latest installment of The Chronicles of Ron-Ron, soon to be a major motion picture:

He supposedly was traded.

Then he supposedly said he wasn't going to Sacramento.

Then the Kings supposedly said, fine, we don't want your goofy, bad self, so never mind.

Then Artest told The Star's Mike Wells he never balked at going to Sacramento, but merely wanted to talk to his prospective employers before signing off on a trade.

Then there were more reports, which were different from the early reports, suggesting there may never have been a deal in the first place, which would have meant the Kings never pulled out of a deal.

Then, finally -- and I only say "finally'' because it was time to go to bed and I have a three-rewrite limit on columns -- there was word that the deal was still pending and Artest might be talking to the Pacers and Kings today in an effort to revive the deal.

Which never existed in the first place.

We think.

Could this be any goofier? Or more appropriate and Artest-ian? How badly are we going to miss these daily dramas and theater-of-the-absurd productions?

By the time this newspaper landed on your doorstep, there could have been several key developments.
Artest could have run for president of Kazakhstan. Artest could have accepted a trade to Sacramento contingent on his being permitted to take time off to produce music CDs. Artest could have retired from the NBA and become the go-to guy for the Indiana Alley Cats.

If nothing else, this whole fiasco has been quite amusing, giving us something to watch besides a dreadful Pacers team that seems to have used the mental Quick Check-Out option.

Two nights ago, they got worked by the Atlanta Hawks, merely the worst team in the NBA. Tuesday night, they got run off the court by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In fact, just five minutes ago, Jamaal Tinsley learned he was actually supposed to guard Hawks point guard Tyronn Lue.

This is an average team that is getting increasingly hard to watch or embrace, and it's desperately in need of a warm body and an emotional pick-me-up. If team CEO Donnie Walsh and team president Larry Bird don't get this thing done soon -- like, in 10 minutes -- this is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. This franchise has been held hostage by Artest long enough.

Nobody is suggesting if Peja Stojakovic comes, he's the answer to all the Pacers' problems.

Two years ago, yes, he would have been the perfect fit, and it's just too bad it didn't happen at the time.

By now, though, his numbers and health have been in steady decline. Once, he was a 24-point-per-game guy. The past two years, though, his scoring and his shooting percentages have dipped dramatically, and he's had injury issues with his pinky, his groin and a disc in his back. His history suggests quite loudly he's not much of a defender, although with a team that struggles to score 85 points, it hardly matters. And he's never been good in the postseason, which would make him feel quite at home in Indy.

It's possible, though, that a change of scenery would help, especially with Stojakovic being in a contract year. Clearly, he is not the player he once was, and with an opt-out clause at the end of this season, there would be a good chance he would be a Pacers rent-a-shooter and nothing more. But the Pacers aren't exactly dealing from a position of strength these days.

If they ultimately end up with nothing for Artest, it would be, by my reckoning, an even deal.

What a mess: Plan A was Corey Maggette. Plan B was/is Stojakovic. I shudder to contemplate Plans C-Z.

Give it up to Artest, though.

He has become a master puppeteer. He's playing the NBA like a cello. He's a free agent, except better. He's getting paid millions for doing nothing except playing with his cell phone at Lakers games. And he has the power, incredibly, to dictate the terms of engagement. Maybe there was a method to the madness, after all. You know, genius is rarely understood in its time.

Artest, the gift who keeps on giving, is completely in charge.

And there's not a darned thing anybody -- the Pacers, the NBA, even Shaquille O'Neal -- can do about it.

There is a certain comic justice to all of this, isn't there?

Of course this wasn't going to end well. Or smoothly. Or normally. He was gone and then he was back and now he's in limbo. The fun never ends. Welcome back, Ron. And farewell.

Dirkenstien · 01-25-2006, 11:28 AM

Great article Mavdog. Thanks for posting it. Man, what a nutcase Artest is!

Goodness gracious

Dirkenstien · 01-25-2006, 11:39 AM

Additionally, I still believe an offer of Damp for Artest and Gill gets done. The pacers just want to move him out as soon as possible and with the recent injuries of O'neal, they could use a big man down low.

Drbio · 01-25-2006, 12:11 PM

Gavin Maloof told ESPN radio they are still working on the deal today.

sike · 01-25-2006, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drbio

Gavin Maloof told ESPN radio they are still working on the deal today.

interesting...I hope they just get this done...I've got Artest on two fantasy teams....

alby · 01-25-2006, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sike

interesting...I hope they just get this done...I've got Artest on two fantasy teams....

excuses excuses

Dirkenstien · 01-25-2006, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sike

interesting...I hope they just get this done...I've got Artest on two fantasy teams....

Same here Sike.

Drbio · 01-25-2006, 01:43 PM

I dumped Artest on sike....LOL. Which reminds me....I haven't checked my team in weeks.

Dropstep · 01-25-2006, 05:10 PM

The deal is now only pending league approval according to ESPN radio

EricaLubarsky · 01-25-2006, 05:15 PM

That team is getting uglier and uglier.

they are really going to start

Kenny Thomas
Artest
Bonzi
Bibby
?

speaking of which: my all ugly team

/Ervin Johnson/Calvin Booth
Danny Fortson/Michael Ruffin/Chris Taft
Bonzi Wells/Ron Artest/Jamal Mashburn
Stephen Jackson/Jon Barry/Dermarr Johnson
Cassel/Brevin Knight/Mike Bibby

Mavdog · 01-25-2006, 05:27 PM

Artest declares, 'I'll go anywhere'
By Mike Wells
mike.wells@indystar.com

Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest, along with his agent Mark Stevens, met with CEO Donnie Walsh and team president Larry Bird this morning, one day after a deal to send the forward to Sacramento fell apart.

Artest disputed media reports that he rejected the trade proposal Tuesday.

“I’ll go anywhere,” Artest said by phone after he drove past a group of reporters waiting outside Conseco Fieldhouse. “I just want to get back on the basketball court and start playing again.

Artest said the meeting with Walsh and Bird was good.

“They said they were going to try to get something sorted out to get the trade done,” Artest said, adding that there was “no trade right now.”

The Pacers were prepared to trade Artest for Kings forward Peja Stojakovic on Tuesday. Several media outlets reported Artest rejected the trade, but he told the Star on Tuesday evening that he would “do whatever my agent tells me to do.”

Stevens told ESPN that Artest has never wanted to play for the Kings. Stevens said Artest made his trade request public on Dec. 10 only after he thought he was about to be sent to Sacramento.

Walsh was unavailable for comment.

Dirkenstien · 01-25-2006, 06:41 PM

Looks like Artest is headed to Sac-Town. Good for him and good for the Pacers.

I sure am glad he didn't end up with a contender. If he has his head on staight though, Sac town could be trouble in the future.

Great move for the Pacers. I think Stojakovic fits right in with that team.

Thespiralgoeson · 01-25-2006, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirkenstien

Additionally, I still believe an offer of Damp for Artest and Gill gets done. The pacers just want to move him out as soon as possible and with the recent injuries of O'neal, they could use a big man down low.

The Pacers would take that in a heartbeat.

So is this deal back on or what? If it is, great for the Pacers. Peja should look damn good next to JO. Not sure if this will make the Kings any better, but hell, it's hard to imagine that it would make them worse.

Mavdog · 01-25-2006, 07:19 PM

Peja dealt for Artest
By Marty McNeal and Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 2:59 pm PST Wednesday, January 25, 2006
NEW YORK - Indiana's Ron Artest and his agent confirmed Wednesday that he's been traded to the Kings in exchange for Peja Stojakovic.
"I'm excited, I'm very excited to be coming to the Kings," Artest told The Bee. "I feel like it's a blessing."

His agent, Mark Stevens, said the deal was sealed with both teams waiving physicals for the players.

The on-again, off-again trade completed just one day after it had publicly disintegrated when Artest balked at coming to Sacramento and the Kings brass walked away from the deal.

"Obviously, we're very happy about getting a player of (Stojakovic's) caliber," Pacers president Larry Bird said in a statement."He's one of the best shooters in the league and we definitely feel he can help us right away."

On Wednesday morning, Bird and CEO Donnie Walsh met with Artest at Indiana's Conseco Fieldhouse, reportedly to determine whether, in fact, Artest was the hurdle in keeping the teams from clearing the trade. Afterward, Artest told the Indianapolis Star that he was prepared to play for which ever team would trade for him.

"It was a good meeting," Artest said. "They said they were going to try to get something sorted out to get the trade done. There's no trade right now…. I'll go anywhere. I just want to get back on the basketball court and start playing again."

Team owners Joe and Gavin Maloof are in New York City for tonight's game against the Knicks. Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie remains in Sacramento, and has not spoken publicly since the yesterday's trade rumors erupted.

Previously, Artest has said he did not want to join the Kings. In a statement released by his agent to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, he said Artest had no desire to play in Sacramento.

"Ron Artest did not want to be traded to Sacramento weeks ago, and he does not want to be traded to Sacramento now," the statement read.

"In order for Ron to fully demonstrate his natural skills and abilities, to the best of his abilities, he not only must be in an environment that is conducive to his growth an development as a player, he must also ensure that his family is happy and content as well. Ron does not believe that will be the case if he were in Sacramento. Period."

Meanwhile, Stojakovic's agent, David Bauman, was less than content with the treatment of his client, who discovered that he had nearly been traded while watching an ESPNews interview with Joe and Gavin Maloof on Tuesday.

"I don't know how anybody in their right mind can expect Peja to go back and play for the Kings," Bauman told the New York Times.

Thespiralgoeson · 01-25-2006, 07:27 PM

Great news. I'm really glad for the Pacers, and for Peja. Indiana came out of this thing pretty damn good IMO. They get a damn good player who should fit in nicely, and they probably haven't lost too much ground, or perhaps none at all in the standings at the end of the season. Even if Artest hadn't asked for a trade and was still a Pacer, it's highly doubtful that their record would be as good as detroit's, and since they're in the same division the best they could hope for would be the 4th see anyway, which is about where they're at.

I wonder where they'll go from here. Looks like they're pretty solid at every position except for center. Of course, the team has been coping with injuries all season, and this doesn't make the situation any better, but either way they're certainly better off than they were before. I think next year, if they re-sign Peja and get someone in the middle, they'll be back in the championship hunt.

dude1394 · 01-25-2006, 10:22 PM

Boy pacers really made out. Artest was close to being untradeable and they get a really nice shooter in Peja. I think he really fits there well.

As for sacremento.. I think they will rue the day. But they were probalby going to lose Peja anyway, so they do get a player.

I'd re-trade his rear-end as soon as possible.

Drbio · 01-25-2006, 11:29 PM

Bold Prediction: Artest comes out of the haze and makes Sacto the trade winner.

Thespiralgoeson · 01-25-2006, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drbio

Bold Prediction: Artest comes out of the haze and makes Sacto the trade winner.

Probably not that bold considering Jermaine's injured again. Artest, injuries... good thing the trade worked out for them, they were due for a break.

birdsanctuary · 01-26-2006, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mary

I think we should all be very happy he didn't go to the Lakers, Denver or Minnesota.

Amen to that Mary...

alby · 01-26-2006, 03:22 AM

i hope this lifts both teams up personally, i wanna see these teams win games..

birdsanctuary · 01-27-2006, 12:03 AM

I have a sick feeling that Artest is going to cause what's left of the Kings to self-implode. I give him 2 years and it all falls apart. The 11th hour balk, is just the first of many painful episodes for the rebuilding Kings...

dude1394 · 01-27-2006, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by birdsanctuary

Amen to that Mary...

Now going to the lakers would have been hilarious.

Thespiralgoeson · 01-27-2006, 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by birdsanctuary

I have a sick feeling that Artest is going to cause what's left of the Kings to self-implode. I give him 2 years and it all falls apart. The 11th hour balk, is just the first of many painful episodes for the rebuilding Kings...

Well Artest only has 2 years left on his contract, so I don't think they're in bad shape. But they really didn't have a whole lot of options when you think about it. Peja's a free agent, and obviously didn't want to stay there, so they were going to lose him one way or another. So instead of letting him walk they got the best player they could for him. Sure, Artest is a headcase, but he can flat out ball. Now, is he the answer to their troubles? Probably not, but they were already rebuilding. They really didn't have much to lose. Even if Artest doesn't make them better, I really can't imagine he'd make them worse.

alby · 01-27-2006, 08:58 AM

the pacers have to worse luck in the world

now O'neal is out for at least 8 weeks? ouch..

sike · 01-27-2006, 05:01 PM

so did this deal happen or no?

#1MavsFan · 01-27-2006, 05:25 PM

Yes this deal did go through. I think it well benefit both teams in the long run assuming Indy can reasign Peja.

alby · 01-27-2006, 05:25 PM

lol freaking aliens..

artest is now a king
peja is now a pacer =]

ricky davis is now a twolve
wally is now a celtic

sike · 01-27-2006, 05:27 PM

Quote:

ricky davis is now a twolve
wally is now a celtic

I had not even heard about this one...but I like it for the pups......

sike · 01-27-2006, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by #1MavsFan

Yes this deal did go through. I think it well benefit both teams in the long run assuming Indy can reasign Peja.

thanks for the info bro!