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Ron Artest has accepted that he's played his last game for the Indiana Pacers, his agent said.
Artest went public nearly three weeks ago with his desire to be traded, then backpedaled and apologized to his teammates and to management in hopes of staying with the team. But his campaign to stay seemed to end after Pacers president Larry Bird told The Indianapolis Star on Monday that he felt "betrayed" by Artest.
"After Larry Bird's statements, we realize that this wound is unhealable," Mark Stevens, Artest's agent, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The Pacers welcomed Artest back after his suspension for last season's brawl with Detroit Pistons fans that cost him 73 regular-season games and the playoffs.
Artest said during the offseason that his goal was to help the Pacers to a championship this season, and he wasn't concerned with individual goals. He changed his tune during this season's early weeks by saying he wasn't getting enough shots. He also said that his past haunts him in Indianapolis and the team would be better off without him.
Bird called Artest, the NBA leader in steals per game and Indiana's second-leading scorer at 19 points per game, a "top 12 player in the league." The 6-foot-7, 260-pound forward is a former All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year. But Bird said Artest's public request for a trade was too much for Indiana to overlook.
Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said Wednesday the team had narrowed its options down from about 10 teams this week. He wouldn't say when a trade would occur.
Artest has been inactive since his trade request, which came after he was injured against Dallas on Dec. 6.
"I'm not putting a timetable on it," Walsh said. "These things aren't that easy to work out."
Stevens said Bird and Walsh control Artest's future.
"There is a large interest in him. However, it has to be a glove," Stevens said. "It has to fit for the Pacers. We're just waiting to sit down and have a meeting of the minds."
In the meantime, Artest is working out and spending time with his family in case he has to make a quick move.
Stevens said though he understands the Pacers' desire to trade Artest, he's disappointed that his client's apologies to teammates and management didn't change the situation.
"What's more complicated is when you feel sorrowful for the things you have said and there's no room for amends," Stevens said. "Now, we're moving past that."
Source: AP
Artest went public nearly three weeks ago with his desire to be traded, then backpedaled and apologized to his teammates and to management in hopes of staying with the team. But his campaign to stay seemed to end after Pacers president Larry Bird told The Indianapolis Star on Monday that he felt "betrayed" by Artest.
"After Larry Bird's statements, we realize that this wound is unhealable," Mark Stevens, Artest's agent, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The Pacers welcomed Artest back after his suspension for last season's brawl with Detroit Pistons fans that cost him 73 regular-season games and the playoffs.
Artest said during the offseason that his goal was to help the Pacers to a championship this season, and he wasn't concerned with individual goals. He changed his tune during this season's early weeks by saying he wasn't getting enough shots. He also said that his past haunts him in Indianapolis and the team would be better off without him.
Bird called Artest, the NBA leader in steals per game and Indiana's second-leading scorer at 19 points per game, a "top 12 player in the league." The 6-foot-7, 260-pound forward is a former All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year. But Bird said Artest's public request for a trade was too much for Indiana to overlook.
Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said Wednesday the team had narrowed its options down from about 10 teams this week. He wouldn't say when a trade would occur.
Artest has been inactive since his trade request, which came after he was injured against Dallas on Dec. 6.
"I'm not putting a timetable on it," Walsh said. "These things aren't that easy to work out."
Stevens said Bird and Walsh control Artest's future.
"There is a large interest in him. However, it has to be a glove," Stevens said. "It has to fit for the Pacers. We're just waiting to sit down and have a meeting of the minds."
In the meantime, Artest is working out and spending time with his family in case he has to make a quick move.
Stevens said though he understands the Pacers' desire to trade Artest, he's disappointed that his client's apologies to teammates and management didn't change the situation.
"What's more complicated is when you feel sorrowful for the things you have said and there's no room for amends," Stevens said. "Now, we're moving past that."
Source: AP