But I cannot wait to be a part of that team. I don't care if I have to come off the bench. I could be the sixth man, a seventh man, all I want to do is just really contribute and win a lot of games."
"I'm not demanding anything," Artest said. "I will play in Houston [this season] and I will have a great year and they will have the first option to re-sign me. This is a big opportunity for me because I'm going to be playing with the best center in the game."
"For some reason, I like [Artest]," Yao told the Chronicle. "Because in the games we play against him, I hate him."
Artest was admittedly stung by the remarks when he heard them Wednesday, specifically the comment about "going after a guy in the stands," saying that Yao's words "hit me in the soft spot when I read that."
By Wednesday night, though, Artest was already downplaying the controversy in an appearance on a Sacramento radio show he frequents -- KHTK-AM's Carmichael Dave show -- and describing himself as "a Yao Ming soldier." Artest also tossed out the possibility of traveling to China to show support for Yao during the Olympics.
"I just think so highly of Mr. Adelman that I can't really speak on it," Artest told ESPN.com after learning of the trade. "When I first got to Sacramento, he believed in me. I said, 'Coach, we're going to the playoffs,' and everybody laughed at me. He said, 'Ron, we're going to go as far as you take us.' I've never had a coach do that before.
"How can you say no to Rick Adelman? How can anyone not be happy playing for Rick Adelman?"
