BELEMASPORTTALK.COM

Amid reports that Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest is headed for the Houston Rockets, the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant said . . . nothing.

“I hadn’t thought about it at all,” Bryant said at Wednesday’s practice.

And the Lakers’ small forward position?

“We’re fine,” Bryant said.

Bryant, once critical of Lakers moves or the lack thereof, has announced he is out of the GM business and is sticking by it.

Artest was so eager to join the Lakers, he made a series of appearances on local talk shows. With Coach Phil Jackson a known admirer, it would have been possible — if Artest had been willing to opt out of his $7.5-million-a-year deal and take $5.5 million from the Lakers. However, he announced he wouldn’t take less, declined to opt out and then, one day later in true Ron Artest fashion, said he regretted not doing it.

Back when Bryant was desperate for help, he asked the Lakers to get Artest as well as Baron Davis and Carlos Boozer. That was then and this is still now.

Source:Los Angeles Times

In what had been a quiet offseason, the Rockets are about to make a lot of noise.

In a stunning move designed to push them from solid playoff team toward legitimate NBA contender, the Rockets reached agreement Tuesday with the Sacramento Kings to acquire gifted but controversial forward Ron Artest, according to an NBA executive with knowledge of the deal.

The Rockets will give up guard Bobby Jackson, a No. 1 draft pick next season and another player whom the individual with knowledge of the trade could not name. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey declined to comment.

Rookie forward Donté Greene, whom the Rockets acquired in a series of draft-night trades, will be included in the trade and is considered a key to the deal for the Kings. But because Greene signed July 14, he cannot be traded until Aug. 14 and the deal cannot be finalized or discussed publicly by team officials until that date.

The Rockets also are expected to acquire rookies Patrick Ewing Jr. and Sean Singletary in the deal to make the money match, but both have partially guaranteed contracts and are likely to be released. The Rockets also will send the Kings roughly $1 million.

Two years after the New York Knicks drafted Renaldo Balkman they traded him Monday to the Denver Nuggets for guard Taurean Green, forward Bobby Jones and a second-round draft pick in 2010. The Knicks also gave the Nuggets an undisclosed amount of cash.

Isiah Thomas, the former Knicks coach, said he drafted Balkman 20th over all in 2006 because he was concerned that if he had not, Balkman might have been nabbed by the Phoenix Suns, coached by Mike D’Antoni, now the Knicks’ coach.

Wade stepped into the starting lineup and scored 20 points in his first action in more than four months, and the United States beat Canada 120-65 on Friday night in the opener of its exhibition schedule.

James, the NBA’s leading scorer, missed the game because of a mildly sprained right ankle, but the Americans have plenty of offense without him. Carmelo Anthony and Michael Redd also finished with 20 points, and Kobe Bryant added 15.

The Americans made 16 of their first 20 shots and ended at 65.7 percent (44-of-67), getting plenty of layups and dunks at a sold out Thomas & Mack Center in their lone game on home soil before completing their Olympic preparations in China.

Wade was the sixth man on the Americans’ bronze medal team in the 2006 world championships, but sat out last summer following knee surgery. His left knee continued to bother him, so the Miami Heat shut down their star for the season early in March.

Return specialist Devin Hester skipped the team’s first training camp practice in a holdout. Hester was placed on the Bears’ reserve/did-not-report list. “I’m not coming,” Hester told the Chicago Tribune in a telephone interview. “I have to make a statement.” Hester has two years remaining on his initial deal. In addition to his four kickoff returns and seven punt returns for touchdowns over two seasons, he also returned a missed field goal 108 yards for a TD and took the opening kickoff of the 2007 Super Bowl 92 yards for a score. “I can’t go out and play this year making $445,000. Come on, man,” Hester said.

The agent for restricted free agent forward Carl Landry says his client may entertain offers to play overseas.
“Carl would entertain all serious offers,” Landry’s agent, Buddy Baker, told Houston television station KRIV-TV on Wednesday. “There is serious interest in Carl by both other NBA teams and internationally.”

Landry was a rookie for the Houston Rockets last season and averaged 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds a game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Donte Nicholson was tasered twice during a scuffle with police early Sunday morning at a St. Petersburg nightclub. Nicholson, 26, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery and resisting arrest without violence. He was booked into Pinellas County jail at 3:35 a.m. Sunday and released at 6:50 a.m. after posting $300 bail.

The incident occurred around closing time at the Venue, a nightclub located at 2675 Ulmerton Road. According to Sgt. Jim Bordner, a spokesman for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s office, there was a disturbance at the entrance at the club involving Nicholson’s friend, Torrey Robinson, 31. Authorities say Robinson tried to re-enter the Venue, which is against club policy, and encountered two off-duty deputies who were working as security guards. Robinson claimed he was a Buccaneers player and flashed an expensive watch which struck one of the security guards in the face.

Sheriff’s deputies investigating the altercation had to deploy their Taser to subdue Robinson. While he was being handcuffed, another disturbance broke out involving Nicholson, who was told by deputies to roll on his stomach. According to sheriff’s reports, when Nicholson tried to get up, he was tasered with no effect. As Nicholson was trying to pull the probe of the Taser from his chest, he was tasered again and subdued.

Source: St. Petersburgh Times

The Sacramento Kings have expressed interest in acquiring Dallas Mavericks forward/guard Josh Howard in a trade for All-Star forward Ron Artest, but the Mavericks aren’t interested, according to an NBA source.

The Mavericks reportedly were willing to offer forward Brandon Bass and guard Jerry Stackhouse for Artest. But the Kings wanted Howard included in the deal, halting the discussions. Because the Mavericks won’t budge on Howard, a potential trade for Artest is all but dead, the source said. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban declined comment in an e-mail to The Dallas Morning News.

A deal for Artest would have given the Mavericks an All-Star caliber starter at every position except center and reunited Artest with head coach Rick Carlisle, who coached Artest when he played for the Indiana Pacers.

Trade rumors have swirled about Artest this summer. The Kings and Los Angeles Lakers were reportedly in talks about an Artest-for-Lamar Odom swap, but that has since fizzled. The San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns also have shown interest. Artest, 28, is one of the top defensive players in the NBA and has averaged 16 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game over his nine-year career. Artest has career playoff averages of 17.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told the Associated Press on Wednesday that Tracy McGrady is happy in Houston and was surprised at how reports characterized his interest in being traded to Detroit.

Morey spoke a day after an ESPN reporter said McGrady had told him he would be interested in playing for the Pistons. Last week, a Canadian-based media outlet reported without citing sources that Detroit was making a run at the seven-time All-Star.

Morey said he talked to McGrady on Wednesday morning.

“He said he wanted to win and they (the media) ran with it,” Morey said. “He said he’s happy in Houston. He just was surprised how it all came out.”

McGrady’s agent, Arn Tellem, did not immediately return a phone message.

Morey said he had one conversation with the Pistons “a few weeks ago.” He said he turned down preliminary offers, but wouldn’t specify whether any of them involved McGrady.

“I don’t want to say what was related,” Morey said. “Whatever they offered, we said no to.”

McGrady has two years left on his contract at more than $21 million next season and $23.2 million in 2009-10.

The 29-year-old McGrady averaged 21.6 points, 5.9 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game last season, helping Houston to a 55-27 record that included a 22-game winning streak.

The Rockets lost to Utah in the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive year. McGrady is 0-7 in playoff series in his career.

Like a runner in the open field, the Bears reversed direction and added some depth to their backfield a week before training camp begins. Veteran free agent Kevin Jones was signed to a one-year contract on Tuesday, becoming the most established option at a position that is still expected to be anchored by rookie second-round draft pick Matt Forte.

The club made public statements more than a month ago that it was happy with its roster after former first-round pick Cedric Benson was let go following his second alcohol-related arrest of the spring. But there is now a former 1,000-yard rusher in the fold in Jones. Somewhere along the way there was a change of heart and the club reeled in Jones after he passed a physical. He also drew significant interest from Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh but viewed the Bears as the best fit all along. His contract is for the minimum salary benefit, meaning his $605,000 salary will count only $445,000 against the cap.

“Kevin was very patient and he had at least two other teams who were interested in signing him,” agent Mitch Frankel said. “But we were waiting and hoping Chicago would sign him and it’s great it worked out.”

How soon the former first-round pick of the Detroit Lions will be able to contribute remains to be seen. Jones tore the ACL in his right knee on Dec. 23 against Kansas City and could begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list even though he checked out with team doctors. If he goes into the regular season on PUP, he will not be eligible to join the 53-man roster until after Week 6