Artest says he wants to be traded

INDIANAPOLIS — Injured forward Ron Artest wants to return to the court, but not to the Indiana Pacers.

In a 20-minute interview Saturday, Artest for the first time publicly said he wants to be traded. He calmly described the issues he has with his role on the team, his head coach and his past, and said the team would be better off without him.

"I still think my past haunts me here," Artest said. "I think somewhere else I'm starting fresh. I'm coming in with baggage but people already know about it and how I'm going to be. Either they're going to be for me or they're not going to trade for me. Here I think my past haunts me.

"I think they will be a better team without me."

Coach Rick Carlisle called his forward "one of the elite talents in the league."

"You never want to lose someone like that," Carlisle said Saturday.

The Pacers lost Artest for 73 games after the Nov. 19 brawl last season. They stuck with him even though he said his suspension essentially ruined their season. Now the Pacers might be forced to trade him in order to salvage an already trying season.

"I think I cause a lot of problems here," said Artest, who has missed the past two games with a wrist injury. "If the trade rumors, if there is any truth — maybe it won't be a bad thing. They probably could win more games without me."

Team President Larry Bird was scouting in Europe and could not be reached for comment. Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh was surprised by Artest's request and said the franchise would decide the next step.

"I've never heard him say anything before," said Walsh, who acquired Artest in a trade in 2002. "He hasn't talked to me, and I see him every day."

Walsh called this latest development a distraction and chided Artest's handling of the situation.

"He can always come up and talk to me or Larry Bird," Walsh said. "From here on out, I expect Ronnie to be a professional . . . (This) isn't the best way to get a trade done."

Until Saturday, Artest's season had been relatively stress-free. He remains one of the team's hardest workers. He hasn't irritated game officials and has reached out more to teammates off the court.

It's on the court that he's had problems fitting in with Carlisle's system.

Artest is second on the team in shot attempts and scoring at 19.4 points, but he thinks his style disrupts the offense.