Here are some recent quotes from Artest:
"You take everything into consideration," Artest said Tuesday, two days after the Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs by the Los Angeles Lakers. "It's hard to get into that right now, on what I'm thinking, as far as somebody making an offer I can't refuse.
The 29-year-old Artest said he can't change who he is, but felt like he proved to skeptics that he could control his personality and be a valuable player. He says he's matured and rediscovered his love for the game.
"I'm not out there trying to fool anybody," Artest said. "But I think, every team I've played on since I was young, I've always been a leader, always been an asset. I'm trying to get that feel back, when I was playing and it wasn't about money.
"Ever since I started making a lot of money playing basketball, that's when things went wrong, and I kind of had to find myself," he said. "I've been working on that part even more than my game, the mental part of it even more than my jumper and now it's balancing out. As I continue to get better, the leadership will get better and then my game will rise right with it."
Now you could just dismiss that all as free agent talk. He's obviously trying to sell himself, but he also says some really interesting things. It doesn't sound like he is going to base his decision on money, and in fact, he seems to imply that he wants in his heart to play with another goal in mind.
If you are Artest and Danny approaches you on July 1st and says, "Ron, we'll give you the full MLE over 4 to 5 years. We'll guarentee you the first spot of the bench and 33 minutes a game playing besides the likes of Garnett, Pierce, Allen, and Rondo. You'll also play during the key stretches and deciding moments of the games. After next year when Ray is gone, we'll give you the starting spot at the 2. We want you and need you to win a championship, the only thing you have left to do in your career that could silence any remaining negative impression that people might have of you."
What do you think Ron would say? Is that a realistically appetizing offer or could he really make better off somewhere else?
