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Tell Me Something I Don't Know

Just to close the loop on this one, Ron Artest is not coming to LA for Corey Maggette any time soon.  

In yesterday's LA Times Jason Reid wrote that the deal is 'dead'.  

Closing the door on a potential trade for Ron Artest, the Clippers are no longer pursuing a deal for the Sacramento Kings standout swingman, Clippers General Manager Elgin Baylor said Saturday.

"As far as anything goes with Ron Artest, that's a dead issue," Baylor said. "We're no longer talking to Sacramento about Artest ... that's not going to happen."

Certainly GM's have been known to put out misleading information from time to time to throw reporters off a scent, but this is something different.  The Kings initiated talks, then got cold feet, and Elgin seems more than a little peeved about it.

Art Thompson III in today's OC Register says that it was the Maloofs who pulled the plug on any trade.

The Clippers will have to look elsewhere now, if their intention is to trade Maggette. The Sacramento Kings said they are not interested in acquiring Maggette for swingman Ron Artest.

The belief by the Maloof brothers, owners of the Kings, is that they would be trading a greater talent for a lesser talent, if they went through with that deal.

Um, duh?  No one doubts Artest's talent.  He also happens to have a talent for exploding teams, which seems to be happening to the Kings now.  Maybe Geoff Petrie should check with Joe and Gavin first before getting on the phone.  Just a thought.

With Cassell still hurt, the Clippers actually need Corey's offense more than ever.  Unfortunately, MDSr seems to think that he's going to get it from Tim Thomas (2 for 7 and 8 points in 36 minutes against the Knicks).  I remain unconvinced.