Sacbee: Agent: Peja dealt for Artest

[PFFFT!!]

Agent: Peja dealt for Artest

By Marty McNeal and Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 2:59 pm PST Wednesday, January 25, 2006

NEW YORK - The Kings have traded Peja Stojakovic for Ron Artest, the agent for Artest told The Bee on Wednesday.
Artest's agent, Mark Stevens, said the deal was done with the physicals for both players being waived. The trade was made after the deal was reportedly done the day before but was stalled by Artest's camp.
Pacers president Larry Bird and CEO Donnie Walsh met with Artest on Monday morning at Indiana's Conseco Fieldhouse, reportedly to determine whether Artest was, in fact, the hurdle keeping this deal from clearing. But Artest told the Indianapolis Star soon after the meeting 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, where they remain interested and are heavily involved in the minute-by-minute dealings. Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie remains in Sacramento, and has not spoken publicly since the ordeal began.
While Artest had voiced a desire to speak to the team officials of his future team before heading their way, Kings spokesperson Troy Hanson told The Bee midday that no such meeting was on the immediate agenda.
The Pacers would have to approve the meeting, though they undoubtedly would, if asked.
Stojakovic was in New York as well, awaiting tonight's game against the Knicks and wondering if he would be wearing a jersey or packing a bag in the coming hours.
While Artest claims he would play to any team to which he was traded, he certainly isn't favorable of joining the Kings. In a statement released by Artest's agent, Mark Stevens, 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.

 

[PFFFT!!]

Interesting, they waived the Physicals...considering Peja is supposedly banged up...

 

[JJ22L]

yea
i just sent that to a few people saying wow..they waived them

 

[love_them_kings]

interesting that GP has not spoken, and appears to have been taken out of the situation. Why, oh why, do the Maloofs feel the need to run the show?? They mess up everything they touch.

 

[PFFFT!!]

interesting that GP has not spoken, and appears to have been taken out of the situation. Why, oh why, do the Maloofs feel the need to run the show?? They mess up everything they touch.

Desperation...like the Pacers, but in a different sense. Pacers got rid of a cancer that was literally killing the team, while Sac wanted a "jolt" because the fans were getting bored and less interested in games. That, from a business standpoint, means less cash in the Maloof coffers. For Petrie, that means losing his "protege" and lost time at building him. Petrie was probably looking at rebuilding in the long term, the Maloofs are the "here and now".

 

[Ryle]

Kings have a press conference set for 4:00 today so Petrie will speak then.