LAS VEGAS -- He still answers to Ron these days, even though he recently told a Sacramento radio station he'd prefer to be called Bill. He's still as affable off the court as he is ferocious on it, and, yes, he's still a Sacramento King, enough so that he hopped a flight here from New York to help cheer on the franchise's summer-league team.
For a change, though, Ron Artest isn't talking. At least he wasn't saying anything of substance Saturday afternoon. No trade demands. No complaining about the Kings not committing to him. No regrets about not opting out of his contract. No...comment.
What are your thoughts on your future with the Kings?
"No comment."
Do you want to have a future with the Kings?
"No comment."
If you could be with any team next season who would it be?
"No comment."
New York Mets cap pulled low, smile stretched across his face, Artest sounded apologetic for not being more cooperative.
"Seriously, I don't know what my future is," he said. "I don't know, really, so I can't say anything."
Check back in 12 hours, or five minutes, for that matter. Ron-Ron changes his mind by the tick-tock of the clock. He wants to be traded. He wants to be a King for life. He's opting out of his contract. No, he's not. Artest has many skills, decisiveness not among them.
That's not a knock on Artest. It's a fact. He's said enough and he'll probably say some more, but his opinion no longer matters. Eventually, someone is going to call with the right offer and eventually the Kings are going to trade him. Just like in Chicago and Indiana, Artest has become more valuable for Sacramento to move than keep.
The Kings don't seem to be in a rush. Nor should they be. As free-agency options dry up, more teams look to trades to strengthen their roster. Even if the Kings have to wait until closer to the trade deadline, some contender will likely be willing to roll the dice on Artest. When healthy and motivated, he can dominate on both ends of the floor. His contract is more than affordable ($7.4 million) and he'll be a free agent at the end of the season, which has a few GMs thinking he'll also try to fit in and behave, at least for a few months.
Already, the Los Angeles Lakers have inquired about Artest, according to a report in The Sacramento Bee, and there might not be a more logical destination. Exposed by the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, the Lakers need to get tougher and better defensively. Swapping Artest for Lamar Odom, who wilted as much as any Laker during the Finals, would be an upgrade in both areas.
Phil Jackson won three titles with Dennis Rodman, so he's accustomed to dealing with non-conformists, as well as extraterrestrials, if one is to believe Jackson's nickname for Vladimir Radmanovic: My Favorite Martian. Artest, too, has been accused of being from another planet. As for any ego concerns, not even Artest is bold enough to challenge Kobe Bryant's authority in the locker room.
That's not to say Artest would be a perfect fit. At least one scout thinks the Lakers would be foolish to give up Odom, saying his length and versatility create too many matchup problems for opponents. Odom is the better rebounder and passer, and though Artest certainly is a more dependable three-point threat, he can be a ground-and-pound ball-stopper on offense.
The Lakers also would be wise to wait as long as possible to see how their young center, Andrew Bynum, recovers from knee surgery. If Bynum continues to labor, the Lakers may very well need Odom's size next to Pau Gasol. Still, Jackson and Bryant can be sure of one thing: Artest isn't going to curl up in the fetal position just because Kevin Garnett cursed at him.
The Kings also would want the Lakers to take on Kenny Thomas and his contract's remaining two years and $17.3 million. But with the Lakers also apparently hedging on matching Golden State's four-year, $17 million offer for Ronny Turiaf that might not be as big an issue as previously thought. As the Bee's Sam Amick wrote, "It's the price of doing business if they want to acquire the underpaid Artest."
There's an old rule in professional sports that if you're going to make a trade, you better make one that doesn't help your rival. These days, though, the Kings and Lakers aren't rivals, no matter how much bitter history covers the 400 miles of I-5 interstate between them. The Lakers are coming off an appearance in the NBA Finals; Sacramento won 38 games and figures to again have a tough time qualifying for the playoffs, with or without Artest. The Kings have the potential to be major players in the expansive 2010 free-agent market. Shedding Thomas' contract (along with Odom's) could give them the option of reloading a year sooner, if they desire.
And if the Kings choose not to deal with the Lakers? They should have at least a few more options. The Phoenix Suns had interest in Artest at last season's trade deadline. The San Antonio Spurs also are intrigued, but they don't have enough to offer to make a serious bid.
"I like his talent. I like his competitiveness. I like his contract," one GM said of Artest. "But there's always a risk with him."
Artest's erratic behavior has often overshadowed his talent, and it's been no different with the Kings. He decided not to opt out of his contract two weeks ago then emailed the Bee and ESPN.com to say he made a mistake after watching Baron Davis and Elton Brand land lucrative longterm deals. Artest claimed to have been misled to believe the Kings considered him an important piece of their future. He later tried to clarify his comments. And last week he told a Sacramento radio station he wanted everyone to start referring to him by his middle name: William.
So where does that leave Artest now? Does he want to stay with the Kings? Or not?
"No comment."
Artest smiled. Saying nothing sometimes says enough.
The Men's Basketball competition at the 2008 Olympics begins on Aug. 10. But before we get to Beijing, we've got to fill the final three spots in the draw. Right now, only nine teams have qualified for the Olympics. The final three spots will be determined by the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Athens, July 14-20.
Twelve teams are competing for the three spots. They qualified for the qualifying tourney by their finish in last year's regional tournaments. The field has some teams that can not only qualify for the Olympics, but also have the ability to win a medal in Beijing.
Greece is the 2005 European champion which beat the United States and won silver at the 2006 World Championships. They feature some of the best players in Europe, including point guard Theo Papaloukas.
Germany was the runner-up to Greece at Eurobasket 2005 and is always a tough out with Dirk Nowitzki and now Chris Kaman.
Puerto Rico defeated the USA on its way to a sixth-place finish at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and finished third in last year's FIBA Americas tournament. The Puerto Ricans have two NBA point guards, Carlos Arroyo and J.J. Barea, running the show.
Brazil and Canada finished third and fourth, respectively, at FIBA Americas last year. While Brazil is missing its NBA contigent, Canada will have Samuel Dalembert manning the middle.
And Croatia and Slovenia are both solid European teams with NBA-level talent.
LAS VEGAS, July 11 -- Anthony Randolph erupted for 30 points Friday as the Golden State Warriors opened the 2008 NBA Summer League Presented by EA SPORTS with a 96-89 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at COX Pavilion on the campus of UNLV.
The game saw 11 lead changes and 11 ties. Randolph, the 14th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, outdueled Sixers second-year forward Thaddeus Young, who scored 27 points.
"I had a lot of fun," Randolph said of his first game in a Warriors uniform. "My coaches told me to come out and be aggressive and let the game come to me and that's what I did. This is a dream come true for me. I am having fun and I am enjoying myself."
The Warriors held a 24-18 lead after one quarter and were up at by two at the half. The Sixers came out strong in the second half, opening a seven-point lead. Golden State reclaimed its two-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Sixers kept the game close until midway through the fourth quarter, when the Warriors opened an 11-point lead and never looked back.
"I thought it was a typical summer league game," said John Loyer, head coach of the Sixers. "I thought both teams competed for 40 minutes. We like some of the things our young guys did; we're just looking to get better."
The game marked the first of a nine-day, 53-game schedule for the summer league.
The 76ers will take on the Denver Nuggets on Saturday at 5 p.m. and the Warriors will take Saturday off and meet the Mavericks on Sunday.
MAITLAND -- With a bulky ice pack attached to a different body part after each game, Heat rookie Michael Beasley apparently is chilling in his transition to pro basketball.
The physical demands of the NBA -- even at a watered-down summer level -- are growing on Beasley, the second pick in last month's draft.
''Everybody wants to beat up on the rookie -- I mean everybody,'' Beasley said. ``It's a rough game. I think I've got more bruises and cuts these few games than in my whole basketball career. I got [ice packs] lined up in my [hotel] refrigerator, ready to go. [But] I'm always going to bang. I can always take a hit.''
Beasley, a 6-8 power forward listed at 235 pounds, entered Thursday's Orlando Pro Summer League game against Oklahoma City with a bruised shin, cuts and bruises on his arms and a sore foot he jammed in Monday's opener.
Then, he was elbowed in the right arm by teammate David Padgett late in the second half of a 101-76 victory Thursday that improved the Heat's summer-league record to 3-1 going into Friday's finale against Orlando. Beasley left the bench for treatment but returned to finish the game.
Those minor ailments are in addition to the cracked sternum he received during the Heat's first minicamp practice last week.
The transition from college to pro has resulted in growing pains for Beasley, who has been knocked onto the hardwood this week about as many times as he has knocked down his left-handed jump shot.
''It's a major difference,'' Orlando Magic assistant and Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing said. ``But he's a very talented player, and if he comes out and plays hard every night, he's going to be fine. He's young.''
Beasley has enough talent to adjust to any style of play, Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird said.
''Offensively, he's so smooth, with such great body control, that he has the skills to eliminate a lot of that banging that goes on,'' Bird said.
``He'll get beat up pretty well guarding guys, but he's going to do very well in our league.''
Beasley played through the aches Thursday to finish with 19 points, five rebounds and a steal in 26 minutes.
''He's 19 years old, and he's out there playing against guys who are 23, 24, 25 years old, trying to make it in this league,'' Heat summer-league coach Keith Askins said. ``And the way you make it in this league is show you can defend the No. 2 player in this draft.''
Other lottery picks are learning the same lesson.
The Chicago Bulls had their No. 1 pick, point guard Derrick Rose, play in just two games this week to avoid further pounding on his balky right knee.
New Jersey Nets center Brook Lopez, the 10th overall pick, said he prepared with brutal one-on-one practice battles last week with teammate Sean Williams.
Beasley missed similar chances when he was held out of heavy contact drills for two days last week. But he is making up for it.
Beasley has attempted 31 free throws and committed 18 fouls. There are no disqualifications on fouls in summer-league play. But Beasley has taken issue with some calls.
''When you get tackled on one end and touch somebody with your pinky finger on the other end, it kind of gets frustrating,'' he said. ``I'm getting pretty beat up, but that's basketball. I've never been soft.''
HOUSTON (AP)--The Houston Rockets signed free agent Brent Barry to a two-year contract on Thursday, making him the third member of the family to join the franchise.
The 6-foot-7 Barry played 31 games with San Antonio last season and shot 43 percent (48-for-112) from 3-point range. A 13-year veteran, Barry will play for his sixth NBA team after stints with the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Seattle SuperSonics and the Spurs.
Barry's father, Rick, spent two seasons with the Rockets (1978-80) and his older brother, Jon, played for the team from 2004-06.
Barry, 36, was a member of San Antonio's championship teams, in the 2004-05 and 2006-07 seasons.
Among active players, Barry ranks eighth in career 3-point field goal percentage (.407) and sixth in career 3-pointers made (1,346). Barry won the NBA slam dunk contest in 1996. He was the league's most accurate 3-point shooter in 2000-01, making 48 percent (109-of-229).
Free-agent forward Eduardo Najera will sign a four-year, $12 million contract with the New Jersey Nets, a league source with knowledge of the negotiations said.
Najera's agreement comes one day after the Nets reached agreement with free-agent swingman Jarvis Hayes on a two-year, $4 million deal.
Najera and Hayes are both represented by Dan Fegan, who has a strong relationship with Nets GM Kiki Vandeweghe. They got together on several players, including Kenyon Martin and Nene, when Vandeweghe helped run the Denver Nuggets. Fegan also represents new Net Yi Jianlian.
Najera, who turned 32 on Friday, is an eight-year veteran who spent the past 3½ seasons in Denver. The physical forward also developed into a three-point threat last season, making 36.1 percent of his attempts.
As the Nets begin rebuilding with a core of young players, Najera and Hayes should help strengthen the team's bench. The Nets valued Hayes' scoring potential and athleticism.
Hayes, 26, played for the Detroit Pistons last season after spending four years with the Washington Wizards, where he had been a lottery pick in 2003. He averaged a career-low 6.7 points in the regular season, and played a diminished role in the playoffs, appearing just once in the Pistons' six-game Eastern Conference finals loss to the Boston Celtics.
Still, Hayes has a three-point touch and the ability to defend the perimeter that intrigued several contenders, including the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns.
LOS ANGELES (AP)-- Baron Davis flashed his sparkling sense of humor often on his return to Los Angeles. He'll probably need it since he's going to be playing for the Clippers.
Arriving on the heels of the departure of Elton Brand and Corey Maggette, Davis will be involved in a rebuilding period for the perennially woeful Clippers.
General manager Elgin Baylor introduced Davis at news conference on Thursday by saying he would make his remarks brief so Davis could say hello.
Davis stepped to the podium and said, "Hello." Then he paused for a few moments, as if that was all he was going to say, before chuckling and breaking into a broad grin.
Later, he talked about his friend Brand and their phone conversations after Davis decided to leave the Golden State Warriors to play for his hometown team. Brand finally bolted to Philadelphia, signing with the 76ers on Wednesday.
Asked when he last spoke to Brand, Davis said it was yesterday, laughing and adding, "I can't tell you what I said to him."
Brand, who has averaged around 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, was expected to remain with Los Angeles, but he took a five-year deal for a reported $82 million in Philadelphia. Corey Maggette, Los Angeles' leading scorer last season, essentially swapped places with Davis, signing a 5-year deal with the Warriors for approximately $50 million.
When Davis decided last week that he was going to join the Clippers, he believed Brand was going to be his teammate, but Davis insists he's gotten over any disappointment that they won't be playing together.
"I'm signed, sealed and delivered, so I'm not disappointed at all," he said. "And he's signed and he's committed."
Davis had tried to sway Brand's decision.
"I talked to him, would tell him, 'Hey, this is the best place for you, we can do great things.' But obviously he chose otherwise," Davis said. "I can't be mad at him for that. I wish Elton brand the best. He's a great guy, always going to a great player and a friend of mine. He made a decision for the future of his family.
"There's no more Elton Brand in L.A. It's my turn and a chance for the young guys to step up. Get a couple more free agents and we'll be ready to go."
Davis said he didn't consider backing out of his deal (five years, $65 million) with the Clippers because Brand wasn't going to be around.
"It didn't really matter, once I made my mind up. I'm a man of my word," Davis said. "I committed to the Clippers and they committed to me."
Team president Andy Roeser said the past few days have been tumultuous for the Clippers, but "the silver lining is that we now have one of the best point guards in the NBA."
Coach Mike Dunleavy believes the Clippers have the two key players necessary for a contending team in Davis and center Chris Kaman.
"The toughest two pieces to find are a point guard and a center," Dunleavy said. "You look around, and the teams that win are teams with good point guards."
The 29-year-old Davis, a former UCLA star who grew up in Los Angeles, averaged 21.8 points, 7.6 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.33 steals while playing all 82 games last season for the Warriors.
A two-time All-Star, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound point guard has averaged 17.1 points, 7.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.95 steals during nine years in the league.
Since they are $12 million under the salary cap, the Clippers are courting other free agents, including guard-forward Josh Smith and frontcourt player Emeka Okafor, both restricted free agents.
Regular BLS contributor Nick Friedell attended yesterday's Orlando Pro Summer League action and is filing a few reports on what he saw.
Derrick Rose was supposed to be the point guard to watch at the Orlando Summer League this week. After two sub-par performances though, the Bulls training staff decided to shut him down because of knee tendinitis. In his place, two other point guards have taken the spotlight.
Both guys were on full display last night, in what turned out to be the duel of the week. While Westbrook had the better game, it was Chalmers and the Heat who came out on top, clobbering Oklahoma City 101-76.
Westbrook, who in my opinion, has been the most impressive player in the summer league this week, finished the night with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. The UCLA alum acknowledged afterwards that even he was little surprised that his match-up with Chalmers had become one of the marquee showdowns of the week, conceding that in his mind, Chalmers had won their first battle because the Heat came out on top. "He won, (because) his team won," Westbrook said. "That's how I look at it."
Chalmers who had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal of his own, downplayed the showdown with Westbrook afterwards, saying he didn't really think about it too much. For a kid that has gone through an emotional roller coaster ride over the last four months (winning a national championship, declaring early for the draft, falling into the second round, being traded), it's easy to see why he doesn't get too high or too low after one summer league game.
"You gotta go through the ups and downs," Chalmers said almost matter-of-factly, recognizing that those are just some of the things that can happen on the road to the NBA.
For his part, Westbrook seemed excited about the possibility of matching up against the Kansas alum again in the near future. "Chalmers is a great player, great person, great defender" Westbrook said. "He really showed (what he could do) in summer league, I'm pretty sure Miami will stay with their pick, and pick him up."
The Heat, in fact, have already made that decision. They signed Chalmers on Wednesday, hoping that he can become their point guard of the future.
With the way things are tuning out so far this week, that move is looking better and better each day.
LAS VEGAS -- It would be a nice tribute to the NBA Summer League to say it played a part in helping the Los Angeles Lakers reach the NBA Finals this past season.
But general manager Mitch Kupchak wasn't ready to make that leap. He said the summer league's role in his team's run to the Finals was negligible at best. Mostly, the Lakers used the Las Vegas event to populate the far end of their bench.
"I don't want to over-dramatize the impact the summer league had on us," Kupchak said, referring to the Lakers' 2-3 record here last year. " Jordan Farmar had a really good summer league and it helped his confidence. Coby Karl added some chemistry to our roster, but frankly, the majority of the players who were with us in the summer league last year weren't around to help us for the most part."
The Lakers won't need much to fill out their roster this season. The Western Conference champions have 10 guaranteed contracts in addition to restricted free agents Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf.
The Lakers aren't expected to match the four-year, $17 million offer Golden State made for Turiaf, but even if Vujacic returns, it would leave only four openings on the 15-man roster. That translates to slim odds for most of the second-year players, free agents and rookies on the summer team, including Joe Crawford, a 6-foot-5-inch guard from Kentucky, whom the Lakers drafted in the second round.
"Summer league is all about getting a chance and that's all these guys can ask for," Kupchak said. "They want to have the opportunity to put their foot in the door.
"The main thing is that no one has a guarantee. If I was on the summer league roster, I'd feel good knowing there's a level playing field."
Los Angeles' summer squad will be coached by Dan Panaggio, who coaches the D-Fenders, the Lakers' D-League team. In addition to Karl and Crawford, the roster includes guard Cedric Bozeman (UCLA), forward Sean Lampley (Cal), guard Dontell Jefferson (Arkansas) and forward Sharrod Ford (Clemson).
This will be the Lakers' second season in Las Vegas. In the past, they were participants in the summer league in Long Beach.
"We prefer to play in Southern California where the majority of our fan base is," Kupchak said. "Having said that, with no summer league here (in Los Angeles) now, Vegas does a very good job of filling our needs."
The Green Bay Packers want to do the right thing in response to Brett Favre's latest round of flip-flopping on his future in football.
And as far as the team is concerned, that might mean showing No. 4 the door -- although working out a trade might be more palatable to the Packers than granting Favre the release he has requested.
Favre asked the Packers to release him so he can return to the NFL with another team after apparently being told his latest retirement reversal wasn't welcome news in Green Bay. The team said it would do "what's right" in response to Favre's request, which was first reported by ESPN on Friday.
"Brett earned and exercised the right to retire on his terms," the team's statement said.
"We wanted him to return and welcomed him back on more than one occasion. Brett's press conference and subsequent conversations in the following weeks illustrated his commitment to retirement. The finality of his decision to retire was accepted by the organization. At that point, the Green Bay Packers made the commitment to move forward with our football team."
The 38-year-old Favre retired March 6 after a 17-year career, openly sobbing as he contemplated a future without football. But almost immediately, he began dropping hints that he was having second thoughts.
The most recent and intense round came Friday, when ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that sources close to Favre and the team told him agent James "Bus" Cook asked the Packers for Favre's release in a letter because the Packers were not receptive to the idea of Favre wanting to play again.
The Packers' front office has spent the past several offseasons dealing with weeks and months worth of speculation about the three-time MVP's future plans. But this time, they're apparently not biting.
The Packers' statement said Favre, who was placed on the reserve/retired list, has the right to petition NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to be reinstated -- a request the league would grant automatically. After that, Favre would return to the team's active roster.
But the statement did not specify what the Packers would do after that, beyond doing "what's right and in the best interest of the team."
If the team has committed to moving forward without Favre, their options once he was reinstated would include trading him to another team or releasing him so he would be free to sign with the team of his choice.
The Packers have made it clear they're committed to going with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a first-round pick in 2005 who has been sitting behind Favre for his first three seasons in the NFL.
Releasing Favre presents the possibility that he will sign with NFC North rivals Minnesota or Chicago, where he would be an upgrade over the incumbent QBs.
If the Packers traded him, there would be teams outside the division such as Baltimore or Tampa Bay, and perhaps Washington, that would be interested. There also has been speculation he could go to Miami for disgruntled defensive end Jason Taylor, the 2006 defensive player of the year.
Either way, it would be an ugly end to what has been one of the most celebrated partnerships in recent NFL history.
"As with all Packers greats, Brett's legacy will always be celebrated by our fans and the organization, regardless of any change in his personal intentions," the statement said. "Brett and Deanna will always be a part of the Packers family."
Even if that family is looking awfully dysfunctional these days.
LAS VEGAS--It will be tough for the NBA Summer League to outdo last year, when the top two draft picks and a record 22 teams participated, drawing record crowds every day at Cox Pavilion and the Thomas & Mack Center.
The first two picks in this year's draft, Chicago's Derrick Rose and Miami's Michael Beasley, are in the summer league in Orlando, Fla., so the hype in Las Vegas will focus on Memphis guard O.J. Mayo and Minnesota forward Kevin Love, former Pacific-10 Conference stars who spent one year in college.
Mayo, the No. 3 overall pick out of Southern California, and Love, the No. 5 selection from UCLA, are no strangers to Las Vegas, having competed in summer high school tournaments here a couple of years ago. Now, they are about to get their first taste of basketball at its highest level.
"We have a terrific lineup. Mayo and Love will both play," said Warren LeGarie, the sports agent who began the summer league five years ago and helps the NBA run the event, which begins Friday.
LeGarie acknowledges that the summer league benefited from good fortune last year, when top draft picks Greg Oden and Kevin Durant played, the fan-favorite Los Angeles Lakers competed and the event added the Thomas & Mack as a second venue.
"Part of our world is luck and timing," LeGarie said. "Last year, everything fell perfectly into place."
Twenty-one teams are competing this year, with the Charlotte Bobcats making their first appearance in Las Vegas. They replace the world champion Boston Celtics, who decided to take the summer off. The Toronto Raptors, who played here two years ago, have returned.
The summer league remains a fan-friendly environment. There will be autograph sessions, exhibits and interactive displays.
But for the participating players, it's serious business. Jobs are on the line for free agents looking to earn a spot in training camp. Also, the learning process begins in Las Vegas for rookie first-round picks (nine of the first 14 selections in last month's draft are participating).
As an added incentive, two players who distinguish themselves during the summer league will earn spots on the Select Team, which will scrimmage Team USA daily at Valley High School during its pre-Olympic training camp, which runs from July 21 to 24.
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