Cuban: Mavs Not Interested In Deal For Artest
24th December, 2005 - 7:21 am
Dallas Morning News - No matter what Charles Barkley and other announcers might think the Mavericks should do, the team is not in the Ron Artest sweepstakes.

"It's not gonna happen," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said before Friday's game against Seattle.

Barkley, Kenny Smith and other national analysts have linked the Mavericks with the disgruntled Indiana Pacers forward, who has requested a trade. The experts have said Artest would be a piece who could put a select few teams on par with San Antonio and Detroit.

"If I was the Suns, Mavericks or Heat, I would try to trade for Ron Artest," Barkley said Thursday during the Mavericks-Kings game on TNT. "[They are] the only three teams that have an outside chance of gaining on Detroit and San Antonio, so they might as well roll the dice.

"If no one makes a trade, [Detroit and San Antonio] are the teams that will play for the championship."

Kenny Smith, Barkley's co-host on TNT's wraparound show, agreed.

"Those three teams [Phoenix, Dallas and Miami] can take a chance because they are already good, so he can never explode the situation, he can only enhance it," Smith said.

Coach Avery Johnson only laughed when told of the commentators' thoughts. [READ]



Just an example of how nobody in the league wants this guy unless you get to dump a WHOLE LOTTA CRAP back on the pacers. Walsh is stuck and will eventually be forced to trade with Zeke by the trading deadline. Just wait and see, that is why Zeke is just sitting back waiting. Just like he did with Curry.

I was just about to make a similiar thread.

The only player to say he wanted artest that I can remember is Jason Richardson of golden state. Everyone has been going out of their way to say straight up, "no way!".

Isiah has even played the roll. He said he basically was like he wasn't gonna fight to get him. Isiah could give Indiana a good deal even if he didn't give up the youth.

Question is who is really after artest? I personally think Miami can get him. They got walker playing a 6 man role. Walker can still play the game at a high level. Artest would be the missing piece for them no question.

It's surprising Artest hasn't been traded yet. If Isiah's not willing to offer Nate or Lee, then he's obviously not worried about his job security if the team misses the playoffs this year.

I kind of understand where this hometown loyalty thing comes from. I am from Paterson and give Tim Thomas the benefit of the doubt. But this "all NY loves Marbury" crap has got to go. It's a big city and there are a lot of good players who come out of NYC besides Marbury. Get over it. It hasn't been that good. We ain't won nothing with him, so we can win nothing without him.

A trade such as the following has to be better than what has been offered already to the Pacers:

AD
Q-Rich
Ariza
Butler

for

Artest
Bender
Foster
Johnson

Knicks Line-up:

Pg: Crawford, Johnson
Sg: Marbury, Nate
Sf: Artest, Q-Woods
Pf: Frye, Mo T, Rose
C: Curry, Foster, JJ

Inactive: Lee, Penny, Bender