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Pacers' visit surrounded by Artest speculation
- Janny Hu, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, January 5, 2006
An entire league was put on notice last month when Ron Artest went public with his desire to leave the Pacers. Artest told the Indianapolis Star that his past -- most notably his central role in last season's brawl -- "haunts me here" and suggested that a clean break from Indiana would serve both parties well.
As a player, Artest was a single entity.
As a trade request, he became a multi-headed enigma.
Which teams would be willing to take on the volatile forward? Who would the Pacers get for their disgruntled star? How many players would be involved to make the salaries match?
Such remains the Ron Artest Derby, which passes through Oakland with tonight's nationally televised game. Though the Pacers have been fielding offers for nearly a month and general manager Donnie Walsh wants the issue resolved sooner rather than later, a deal for Artest has yet to be struck.
Players around the league don't know if they will be headed to Indiana. The Pacers' players don't know if they'll be headed out the door with Artest, who hasn't been with the team since his trade demand. Coach Rick Carlisle is doing all he can do keep the Artest spectacle from becoming a distraction.
"We can't allow it to be, it's as simple as that," Carlisle said Wednesday. "Our guys have gotten used to just putting things out of their minds and playing. It's tough when you're shorthanded -- I mean, right now we're without Jermaine (O'Neal) and Jamaal (Tinsley), too, so that makes it even harder.
"But the games are still coming. Every two or three days, they're still going to throw the ball up and you got to play. So that's where we are."
Where then, are the Warriors in the Artest sweepstakes? Vice president Chris Mullin and general manager Rod Higgins declined to elaborate, citing team policy against commenting on trades and players under contract elsewhere.
The Warriors, however, reportedly are one of several teams in the running, and they certainly have the pieces to pull off a trade. They have young talent headlined by rookie Ike Diogu, second-year center Andris Biedrins and third-year swingman Mickael Pietrus. They have older pieces in Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy. And they have a proven guard in Derek Fisher.
Any trade is likely to involve multiple players because Artest is making a relatively modest $6.5 million this season. NBA rules stipulate that salaries must come within 25 percent of each other, and the Pacers aren't likely to get equal value in a straight-up deal.
The Warriors must decide if Artest is worth his excess baggage. And if so, at what cost.
Mullin rolled the dice last year when he traded for Baron Davis, sending Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis to the Hornets in February. The trade wasn't an equal exchange of talent, but it also wasn't without risk. Mullin took on the remainder of Davis' maximum contract and pushed the Warriors dangerously close to the luxury tax.
The gamble paid dividends. Thirty-two games into the season, the Warriors are 17-15 and six wins ahead of last year's 11-21 record.
Another gamble, this time for Artest, who went to St. John's -- as did Mullin -- would require parting with significantly better talent this time.
Two weeks ago, with the Warriors in the midst of a five-game losing streak, Mullin wasn't panicking. He said he wasn't ready to make any full evaluations about the Warriors because he'd yet to see his team at full strength.
Diogu missed nearly a month with his fractured hand, and Pietrus has been out since Nov. 21 with a sprained knee ligament. Diogu has played himself into a starter's role, but it might be several weeks before Pietrus returns to the Warriors' rotation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tonight's game
Opponent: Pacers
Where: The Arena
in Oakland
When: 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: TNT/680 AM
Pacers' visit surrounded by Artest speculation
- Janny Hu, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, January 5, 2006
An entire league was put on notice last month when Ron Artest went public with his desire to leave the Pacers. Artest told the Indianapolis Star that his past -- most notably his central role in last season's brawl -- "haunts me here" and suggested that a clean break from Indiana would serve both parties well.
As a player, Artest was a single entity.
As a trade request, he became a multi-headed enigma.
Which teams would be willing to take on the volatile forward? Who would the Pacers get for their disgruntled star? How many players would be involved to make the salaries match?
Such remains the Ron Artest Derby, which passes through Oakland with tonight's nationally televised game. Though the Pacers have been fielding offers for nearly a month and general manager Donnie Walsh wants the issue resolved sooner rather than later, a deal for Artest has yet to be struck.
Players around the league don't know if they will be headed to Indiana. The Pacers' players don't know if they'll be headed out the door with Artest, who hasn't been with the team since his trade demand. Coach Rick Carlisle is doing all he can do keep the Artest spectacle from becoming a distraction.
"We can't allow it to be, it's as simple as that," Carlisle said Wednesday. "Our guys have gotten used to just putting things out of their minds and playing. It's tough when you're shorthanded -- I mean, right now we're without Jermaine (O'Neal) and Jamaal (Tinsley), too, so that makes it even harder.
"But the games are still coming. Every two or three days, they're still going to throw the ball up and you got to play. So that's where we are."
Where then, are the Warriors in the Artest sweepstakes? Vice president Chris Mullin and general manager Rod Higgins declined to elaborate, citing team policy against commenting on trades and players under contract elsewhere.
The Warriors, however, reportedly are one of several teams in the running, and they certainly have the pieces to pull off a trade. They have young talent headlined by rookie Ike Diogu, second-year center Andris Biedrins and third-year swingman Mickael Pietrus. They have older pieces in Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy. And they have a proven guard in Derek Fisher.
Any trade is likely to involve multiple players because Artest is making a relatively modest $6.5 million this season. NBA rules stipulate that salaries must come within 25 percent of each other, and the Pacers aren't likely to get equal value in a straight-up deal.
The Warriors must decide if Artest is worth his excess baggage. And if so, at what cost.
Mullin rolled the dice last year when he traded for Baron Davis, sending Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis to the Hornets in February. The trade wasn't an equal exchange of talent, but it also wasn't without risk. Mullin took on the remainder of Davis' maximum contract and pushed the Warriors dangerously close to the luxury tax.
The gamble paid dividends. Thirty-two games into the season, the Warriors are 17-15 and six wins ahead of last year's 11-21 record.
Another gamble, this time for Artest, who went to St. John's -- as did Mullin -- would require parting with significantly better talent this time.
Two weeks ago, with the Warriors in the midst of a five-game losing streak, Mullin wasn't panicking. He said he wasn't ready to make any full evaluations about the Warriors because he'd yet to see his team at full strength.
Diogu missed nearly a month with his fractured hand, and Pietrus has been out since Nov. 21 with a sprained knee ligament. Diogu has played himself into a starter's role, but it might be several weeks before Pietrus returns to the Warriors' rotation.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tonight's game
Opponent: Pacers
Where: The Arena
in Oakland
When: 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: TNT/680 AM