Vlad
Bench
Agent: Artest wants to remain a Pacer
By CLIFF BRUNT, Associated Press WriterDecember 17, 2005INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Ron Artest doesn't want to be traded by the Indiana Pacers after all, his agent says. Artest said last weekend that his past in Indiana haunts him, and he is interested in being traded to the New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers. But Mark Stevens, Artest's agent, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Artest holds out hope he can remain a Pacer. "At this moment, we're not going to put the buggy before the horse," Stevens said. "We're waiting to hear from (Pacers president) Donnie Walsh, the gentleman and scholar that he is, and hope this can be resolved to where there won't have to be a trade." Artest triggered a brawl with Detroit Pistons fans in November 2004 and was suspended for 73 games and the playoffs. Walsh said the latest incident was "the last straw of a lot of issues." Stevens said Walsh told him he is prepared to make Artest inactive with pay for the rest of the season if he can't find a suitable trade. "I understand the frustration as a general manager, dealing with the past incidents with Ron, and I can understand if he sees fit to do that," Stevens said. The NBA fined Artest $10,000 Thursday for making public statements detrimental to the NBA. Artest was a key component on a team expected to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown. He leads the league in steals and is the Pacers' second-leading scorer at 19.4 points a game.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...8vLYF?slug=ap-pacers-artest&prov=ap&type=lgns
By CLIFF BRUNT, Associated Press WriterDecember 17, 2005INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Ron Artest doesn't want to be traded by the Indiana Pacers after all, his agent says. Artest said last weekend that his past in Indiana haunts him, and he is interested in being traded to the New York Knicks or Cleveland Cavaliers. But Mark Stevens, Artest's agent, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Artest holds out hope he can remain a Pacer. "At this moment, we're not going to put the buggy before the horse," Stevens said. "We're waiting to hear from (Pacers president) Donnie Walsh, the gentleman and scholar that he is, and hope this can be resolved to where there won't have to be a trade." Artest triggered a brawl with Detroit Pistons fans in November 2004 and was suspended for 73 games and the playoffs. Walsh said the latest incident was "the last straw of a lot of issues." Stevens said Walsh told him he is prepared to make Artest inactive with pay for the rest of the season if he can't find a suitable trade. "I understand the frustration as a general manager, dealing with the past incidents with Ron, and I can understand if he sees fit to do that," Stevens said. The NBA fined Artest $10,000 Thursday for making public statements detrimental to the NBA. Artest was a key component on a team expected to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown. He leads the league in steals and is the Pacers' second-leading scorer at 19.4 points a game.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...8vLYF?slug=ap-pacers-artest&prov=ap&type=lgns
