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ARTEST STILL HAS SHOT AT KNICKS
By MARC BERMAN
RON ARTEST
Stuck with Kings
February 22, 2008 -- Ron Artest still is not a Knick and Eddy CurryEddy Curry and Zach RandolphZach Randolph still are.
Artest, a Queensbridge product, will likely opt out and become a free agent and the KnicksNew York Knicks can offer him the five-year, $30 million mid-level exception as a free agent.
But who knows who will be the GM and coach?
MORE: Knicks Blog
Isiah Thomas loves Artest and at one point last summer thought his addition could lead the Knicks to winning the East.
The Artest camp prefers the Knicks try to work a sign-and-trade with the Kings this July. But if not, the five-year mid-level could work if no other team is offering Artest a long-term contract.
"If there's a competitive offer on the table, the hometown team would become very appealing," Artest's agent Mark Stevens said.
The trade values of Curry and Randolph became so diminished in recent weeks it made no sense to deal him now.
Curry, whose role has decreased dramatically since late December, was made available in a larger deal for Artest, but Sacramento would have had to take on Jerome James' contract. Last season Curry was considered the franchise center.
One GM said during the All-Star break the Knicks "cannot win with both Zach and Eddy together."
Thomas seems to realize it, too, but only Denver and Milwaukee seemed to show interest. The Nuggets are led by Mark Warkentien, who drafted Randolph in Portland and knows him well.
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as much as people are pushing thomas out the door , it really does and seems like wishing and hoping at this point , Dolan seems like the kind of guy who likes to be right and is willing to see this thing through, if Zeke were able to get artest for a song , plus a high pick in june things could get much better soon .
personally i think the knicks could do well to get one of the nuggets defensive minded PF's(nene or martin) for randolph...although i seriously doubt they should want him outside of the fact that their GM drafted him.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/02222008...icks_98741.htm