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Artest Rockets out of Sacramento
By Greg Lee April 16, 2008 |
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On Thursday, the Ron-Ron era in Sacramento came to an end, not with a bang or even much of a whimper, as Ron Artest was officially traded from the Kings to the Houston Rockets. Along with Artest, the Rockets received forward Patrick Ewing Jr. and guard Sean Singletary. In return, the Kings welcome back fan-favorite Bobby Jackson, and add rookie forward Donte Green, as well as Houston’s first-round draft pick next season, and a little bit more piece of mind. Artest, whose tenure with the Kings was marred by brushes with the law over domestic affairs and strange pet owning behavior; as well as inconsistent play (read: only wanting to play marquis games down the stretch last season) always seemed to Kings fans as more of a transient than resident in the modern Sacramento rebuilding project out at Arco. Despite being one of the most feared defenders, Artest’s departure from Sacramento will have more impact in the press room (at least for the next few hours) and on talk radio than it will in the standings. A rebuilding franchise, the addition of Green and more importantly Houston’s first round pick next season seems like a steal for the mercurial forward, who so often seemed determined to leave Sacramento, when he was pandering to finish his career here. Lasting two-plus seasons, the Ron-Ron era came to a close Thursday, after fifteen days of anticipation – waiting for the trade to be finalized, it hardly felt like news any more. Much like the Ron-Ron era, today’s trade (for this season at least) bodes to be much to do about nothing. The Kings will be back in action on Wednesday, October 29 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. |
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