Ron Artest reminisced late Monday about the time he was a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. He, of course, never played for the Clippers. But back in 2006, when the Indiana Pacers suspended him for being Ron Artest circa 2006, the team actually reached an agreement to trade the forward to the Clips for Corey Maggette. At least this is how Artest tells it on Twitter (with substantial clean-up for clarity).
When Ron Artest Was A Clipper ... Wait, What?
Did y’all know when I got traded to [Sacramento] that I was in a meeting with the Clippers!! Elgin [Baylor, former Clips GM] accepted the Corey Maggette trade! I was a Clipper for ten minutes. Then in the middle of our conversation, Elgin, coach [Mike] Dunleavy and Mark Stevens my agent ...
Right in the middle of the our talks about how we gonna bring a ring to the Clippers [LOL - ed.] Donnie Walsh called Mike and said Corey failed the physical; then I went back on suspension with Indiana. Then two weeks later Sactown traded Peja [Stojakovic] for me. Kings were in last place after [All-Star break] then I got there and we went to the playoffs!
Once there, they spooked the San Antonio Spurs as Bonzi Wells went nuts. (God, I miss that team.) So there you have it, straight from one of the party's involved: Ron Artest would have been a Clipper if Corey Maggete's had passed a physical in 2006. This was pre-Baron Davis; that team was anchored by Elton Brand and came within a game of the Western Conference Finals. That actually would have been mighty interesting to see, Artest on that team. Stop ruining everything, Corey Maggette.
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