Cry if you must. From Marc Berman of the New York Post:
"Ron is going to be a King," Petrie told The Post last night before the Knicks beat the Sonics 87-74 in a summer-league game. Petrie denied he's had any substantive talks with the Knicks. "People are having conversations with themselves," Petrie said.
And somehow Berman is surprised by these Ron-Ron comments.
"I really want to finish my career in Sacramento because of my relationship with some of the players," Artest said. "I want to finish with Sacramento. I feel attached to Sacramento. I want to be their franchise player.
No one should ever be amazed at anything Ron says... especially a tabloid journalist from NYC.
Petrie also talked to the New York Times, a slightly more reputable news source.
The Kings' president, Geoff Petrie, said, "If people want to have conversations with themselves, go for it." He added, "Ignorance is generally its own reward." It was unclear if Petrie was taking a shot at the news media or the Knicks. "We're not trying to move anybody," Petrie said. Regarding Artest, he said, "Ron is going to be a King next year."
(You probably shouldn't be amazed if out-of-nowhere Ron gets traded to some team who hasn't been rumored as a destination. It's how Petrie works.)