The Sports Informant

So the word is Sacramento Kings’ forward Ron Artest will be a member of the Houston Rockets on Aug. 14. Because a trade including Rockets’ rookie Donte Greene is underway, it can’t officially be announced until then, since he was signed on July 14.

Sacramento’s starlet will be officially gone. One of the most entertaining men in sports, and not by choice, will be donning a new uniform next season. What are we left with? A future.

As long as Artest was here, the Kings would have remained a subpar team. Although Artest always contributed offensively and defensively on the court, his mere presence altered the flow of success coach Reggie Theus is ready to ride. Artest was a distraction, like many talented stars in the NBA. The difference was that he couldn’t carry the team to the top.

Unlike Allen Iverson in Philadelphia or Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, both who took their teams to the NBA Finals despite tumultuous off-the-court issues, Artest was simply a role player on an average team. Perhaps the best defender in the NBA, and with the ability to score nearly at will, Artest joined the Kings in failing when needed most.

Stars find ways to win games in the fourth quarter. All year long, the Kings were right there against the best teams through three quarters of games. But when Sacramento needed a hero, Artest’s purple cape disappeared. It’s time he moseyed on out of here.

The deal is good for both teams, but further cements Sacramento’s place near the bottom of the Western Conference next season. We get a rookie to join our other three, an aging Bobby Jackson’s return (which should excite fans, but shouldn’t make too much of a difference in the win column) and Houston’s No. 1 draft pick next year (which if they reach the NBA Finals won’t be that enticing anyway). There’s talk of another name and some cash coming, too, but don’t expect it to be Tracy McGrady.

While this looks to be good for the Kings’ future, a city sick of losing won’t get any relief soon. In terms of management, though, sometimes chopping heads is necessary to build a franchise, and in the Western Conference nowadays, building for the future may be all Sacramento can do.

Star power won’t be Sacramento’s focus. Trading Mike Bibby last year and now Artest put a stamp on that. Theus wants a unit ready to work as a team, so getting rid of weeds to let the flowers blossom is a necessity. Let’s hope this all smells like roses in 2010. If it doesn’t, the Kings may be chopping heads outside of the locker room, too.

It’s hard not to feel bad for Artest. Yes, most of the pain and suffering he’s received has been caused by something he’s said or done, but at the end of the day, the confused superstar usually did what he thought was best for the team, including not opting out of his contract and continuing to remain a King. His effort was never in question. But it wasn’t what Sacramento needs.

Don’t feel sorry for him, though. With Yao Ming back, and a Houston Rockets’ roster that won a record 22-straight games in the toughest conference without him, Artest will fit right into the lineup, and possibly, help the team jump the hurdle to a championship. He’ll look back at Sacramento as a distant memory in a laughable time of his life.

And so should we. Ron-Ron, thanks for the laughs, even if you weren’t intending to be funny.