Artest Reportedly Headed To Houston
posted 12:09 am Wed July 30, 2008 -
(Sports Network) - The Rockets have reportedly landed controversial forward Ron Artest.
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The Houston Chronicle reports the Rockets have reached an agreement with the Sacramento Kings to acquire Artest for guard Bobby Jackson, a No. 1 draft pick next year and another player.
The newspaper reports because of contract considerations the deal cannot be announced until August 14. The Chronicle reports because of this it seems the trade could include first-round draft pick Donte' Greene heading to the Kings. He's not permitted to be traded until then, one month after he signed with the Rockets.

The 28-year-old Artest, a first-round draft pick by the Chicago Bulls in 1999, averaged 20.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 57 games for the Kings last season. He spent nearly three years in Sacramento after joining the Pacers in 2001-02.
It was during his time with the Pacers that Artest gained his reputation as a hard-nosed player, sometimes over the edge, though. The 2004 Defensive Player of the Year was at the center of the infamous brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills on November 19, 2004 when he was a member of the Pacers. Artest ran into the crowd after being hit with a cup and started a melee that resulted in a year-long suspension.
Artest was arrested in March 2007 and was later sentenced to 20 days in jail stemming from the domestic violence charge over a dispute with his wife. He had the sentence reduced to 10 days in a work release program and he was also ordered to 100 hours of community service along with anger-management and fathering courses.
During his time with Chicago, Indiana and Sacramento, a span of 535 games, Artest has averaged 16 points and 5.1 rebounds.
The 35-year-old Jackson, who played for the Kings from 2000-05, is coming off a season in which he averaged 7.7 points. He started the year playing for the New Orleans Hornets before being traded to Houston.
During his career, Jackson, a former Sixth Man of the Year, has averaged 10 points since breaking into the NBA in 1997 with Denver. His most prolific years were in a Kings uniform.
Greene was selected 28th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the June 26 draft before his rights were traded to Houston that night. The 6-foot-9 Greene entered the draft after one season at Syracuse, where he led the team and ranked fourth in the Big East with 17.7 points per game. The athletic forward also grabbed 7.2 rebounds and blocked 1.6 shots per game en route to second team All-Big East honors.
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