Ron Artest is back in the news, saying that he’d like to repair the damaged relationship he has with the Pacers and return to the team:
Some of Artest’s teammates, most notably O’Neal, have been critical. Artest said he doesn’t blame them. “Under the circumstances, I’d be pretty mad at me, too,” he said. “I’m mad at myself anyway. Going about things like I did, it’s not easy to recover. But I’d love to play for the Pacers’ organization right now.”
“I know guys like Sarunas (Jasikevicius) said they’re a better team without me, but I still have guys like Stephen Jackson, who wants me to come back and play,” Artest said. “I don’t know who else. But I would love to come back and play, and any problems I have, prove I can put those problems aside.”
Even when he’s trying to be conciliatory, Artest is divisive, naming Sarunas Jasikevicius as a guy who doesn’t want him back and Stephen Jackson as a guy who does.
It doesn’t look like the Pacers are thrilled about Artest’s turnaround. When asked about Artest returning to the team, Jermaine O’Neal said that the “business relationship is over.”
