Ron Artest denied a story posted on ESPN.com today saying he wished to be traded from the Lakers. “No, definitely not,” he said. “When you lose a lot of games, all the stories start coming out and all the turmoil starts coming out. That’s all a part of being the back-to-back champions. … I’m never frustrated. No matter what happens. … I feel the same way every day. I feel good every day. We’ve got a chance to win multiple championships here, so whether it’s a major story or a minor story, I’m not going to let it affect what we’re trying to do here. … Whatever happens, everything is all good.”
Asked what he did when he heard about the story, he said, “I just wanted to get some breakfast and go to practice. I can’t worry about it. We won (Tuesday over the Houston Rockets), but we didn’t play great, so we’ve still got a job to do here. We’ve just got to try to work towards another (championship) banner.”
Asked about his brother, Daniel, a frequent Tweeter, Artest said, “My brother, I love my bother. I spoke to him the other day. … I said watch what you Tweet. My brother is more frustrated that me because I’m not playing well. I keep trying to tell him I’ve grown. I’m not worried about that anymore. My brother wants to see me play and average a bunch of points and everything like that. So, he’s frustrated. It’s kind of funny.”
“I think he’s trying to get his media thing, so you’ll have to call him and interview him. … He’s, like, screaming for attention out there.”
Asked about his poor play this season, Artest said, “It’s not a problem. It’s about winning. We don’t have the best record in the NBA. It’s the same thing as last year. I came off a great season. I came here and my first words were, ‘I’m going to play a role.’ So, you know, it’s different. It’s an adjustment. It’s nothing that’s not worth the challenge. The playoffs, I had games when I had no points, then I stepped up in the big games. Time will tell what this season is going to be made of. We’re sticking together. We’re moving forward. That’s all that matters.”
Asked about his play in the last few games, he said, “I’ll let other people judge. I don’t like to make excuses. I got hit in the first quarter against Boston. Paul (Pierce) had 30 and all the media started saying how I can’t stop Paul Pierce. He’s a great player, I guess. … I’ve had a lot of good games against Paul. I’ve had good games. I think I’ve won the majority of the battle. I took a big hit. I never get hurt by anybody, but Shaq (O’Neal) accidentally kneed me in my thigh. I couldn’t move and I’m still feeling the effects. … Unfortunately, it happened in a big game on ABC on Sunday.”
When told Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he would be surprised if he wished to be dealt, Artest said, “We’ve got a great team. Just because you’re not comfortable doesn’t mean you’re not happy, you know? Obviously, when I was on other teams, I got a lot of touches. I’m playing with the greatest player (Kobe Bryant) in the history of the game. I’m playing with All-Stars. Hopefully, Lamar (Odom) is an All-Star. I don’t have a problem with looking bad on the court for the benefit of the team.”
Asked if he was happy in L.A., Artest said, “You’ve got to ask a better question than that. We’re having a great time here. That’s a horrible question. You’ve got ask something better than that.”
Asked if it’s been difficult to keep a positive outlook and fight some of the feelings he had when he was with Indiana, he said, “That transition has been made. It was a cakewalk. You all saw what I went through last year, with the bad games and the ups and downs in the playoffs and what happened? I rose above everybody. I started floating in the air while everybody started talking trash. I was floating and all you media guys was down here. I was floating like an angel above everybody. We rise above occasions. When an occasion rises above, and that’s what we’re going to do here.”