SacBee: Ailene Voisin: Artest's future? Get out crystal ball

[Revrag]

He wants to be traded. He doesn't want to be traded. He loves Sacramento. He loves New York and Indianapolis. He says he can be content and productive anywhere. He envisions a future in a larger market.

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[Revrag]

SacBee: Ailene Voisin: Artest's future? Get out crystal ball

He wants to be traded. He doesn't want to be traded. He loves Sacramento. He loves New York and Indianapolis. He says he can be content and productive anywhere. He envisions a future in a larger market.

More...

 

[VF21]

"In some situations, it's already known that the great players are going to be there," said the nine-year veteran, who plans to opt out of the final year of his contract this summer. "Dwight Howard in Orlando. … Orlando certainly is not getting rid of him. They let it be known. My situation is a little bit different from a lot of other players. It's not as easy to commit probably to a Ron Artest, and it's totally understandable."

That's almost frightening, considering who said it. It actually shows insight into the situation I didn't think Artest possessed.

On the other hand, this is much more like the Geoff Petrie we've come to expect than the quote in yesterday's Bee:

"Ron's not in any different position than any other player on our team," Petrie said while traveling in the Midwest. "I'm not going to have a third-party conversation with him every day. There is nothing more to say for the moment other than I'm fond of him, and he needs to keep playing as well as he can, keep making the best contributions he can for himself and the team."

And even a little more from Ron:

"I don't have no reason not to want to be in Sacramento," he continued. "There's been nothing but great things for me and my family. (But) sometimes places are not made for certain people. Sometimes people see their careers finishing someplace else. Every situation is different. Everybody is different. The good thing about Sacramento … when I was in Chicago, I left on not-so-good terms. Indiana, I left on not-so-good terms. That's not to say I won't be here. You never know."

I have to agree. If he were to be traded tomorrow I would be him no ill will. As Voisin says:

But he thinks he knows, and he thinks his future is elsewhere. The best he can hope for now is a smooth departure.

Nice article by Voisin and nice to see an article about Artest that isn't focused on the negative.