Artest’s decision looms

The saga will soon be over, with Ron Artest’s immediate future decided and the Kings back in control again. Pardon Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie for the audible exhale. By 9 tonight, Artest either will be in the final season of his contract with the Kings or an intriguing member of the free-agent market. The decision is his until the deadline passes, just as it has been since the season ended.

Though the prospect of Artest opting out remains unlikely, the uncertainty remains until it’s official. Artest is in the driver’s seat for one more day, and Petrie is stuck without a steering wheel.

Artest remains a most vital piece of the Kings in ways beyond the spot he fills, a major element of the organization’s eventual structure. If he remains, he instantly becomes one of the more tradeable players in the league whose value might have risen substantially since the Kings considered moving him in February. On the heels of Boston’s title and the reinforcement of the “defense wins championships” credo, Artest remains a specialist on that end and is coming off his first season averaging 20 points. During theNBA Finals, he even appeared at Game 6 in Boston and was trailed by speculation in the following days that the Lakers wish he had been in a Los Angeles jersey.

Arenas Goes on Open Market

Gilbert Arenas said he opted out of the final year of his contract with the idea he would remain with the Washington Wizards. When NBA free agency officially opens at midnight tomorrow, Arenas will have an opportunity to show he was sincere.

According to a league source familiar with the situation, Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld plans on soon offering Arenas a lucrative long-term contract, one that could cover up to six years and could be worth more than $100 million.

However, whether Grunfeld and the Wizards are willing to meet the three-time all star guard’s wish for a maximum-level contract — one that would cover six years and pay him over $124 million — remains unclear.

A Triple-Overtime Thriller to Remember Forever

A Game For the Ages at Madison Square Garden: You probably won’t see a game like this again any time soon. We all know we love to watch contests with late noteworthy buckets, extraordinary individual performances and gripping back-and-forth action. Well, the Fever and Liberty gave us all something to remember for years to come. Janel McCarville erupted for a career-best 31 points and Shameka Christon recorded 23, including a momentum-altering 3-pointer late in triple overtime, as the host Liberty outlasted the Fever in a game that tied for the second longest for overtime periods in the regular season in league history.

The only game that went longer was Washington’s victory over Seattle in four overtimes on July 3, 2001. Thursday’s thriller, nonetheless, was unforgettable and may have a significant impact on how New York and Indiana perform throughout the remainder of the season. Often, a game this exhilarating for the winners and this heartbreaking for the losers can have a psychological influence on their futures.

Scottie Pippen

Scottie Maurice Pippen (born September 25, 1965) is an American retired professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is most remembered for his time with the Chicago Bulls in which he helped the team to six NBA championships. He is widely regarded as being one of the best defenders of his era, in which he was named NBA All-Defensive Team eight times and All-NBA First Team three times. Along with his defensive play, he was also a seven time NBA All Star and was the NBA All Star game MVP in 1994. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History during the 1996–97 NBA season. He is one of four players to have their jerseys retired by the Chicago Bulls, the others being Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, and Michael Jordan.

During his seventeen year career, he played twelve seasons with the Bulls, one with the Rockets and four with the Trailblazers, making the post-season sixteen straight times. He has played in more post-season games then any other player except for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Horry. He will be eligible for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010

Robert Horry

Robert Keith Horry (born August 25, 1970 in Harford County, Maryland) is an American professional basketball player. Horry currently plays for the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, and is known for his clutch shooting in important games. Because of this skill, he is known as “Big Shot Rob”.

This name is a play on the nickname of fellow former Laker “Big Game” James Worthy. In his playing career, Horry has won seven NBA championships: two with the Houston Rockets, three with the Los Angeles Lakers and two with the San Antonio Spurs. Horry’s last name is pronounced “Orry”, with the H being silent.

Tim Duncan

Timothy “Tim” Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976 in Christiansted, St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6′11″ (2.11 m), 260-pound (118 kg) power forward/center is a four-time NBA champion, a three-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, and the current captain of the Spurs. He has also won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award twice, and has been voted into ten All-Star games, 11 All-NBA teams, and 11 All-Defensive teams.

Duncan started out as a swimmer and only began playing basketball in ninth grade, and had difficulties adapting. However, he soon became a standout for St. Dunstan’s Episcopal High School, and had an illustrious college career with the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons, winning the Naismith College Player of the Year, USBWA College Player of the Year and John Wooden awards in his final year. Duncan graduated from college before entering the 1997 NBA Draft as the number one pick, and his list of accomplishments and leadership in the Spurs’ NBA title runs in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007 have led basketball experts to consider him to be one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.

Off the court, Duncan is known for his quiet and unassuming ways, as well as his active philanthropy. He holds an honors degree in psychology and created the Tim Duncan Foundation to raise general health awareness and fund education and youth sports in various parts of the United States.

Tony Parker

William Anthony “Tony” Parker (born May 17, 1982(1982-05-17)) is a French professional basketball player with the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs and member of France’s national basketball team. Brought up in a family with close ties to basketball, Parker played for two years in the French basketball league before entering the 2001 NBA Draft. He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs and quickly became their starting point guard, helping the Spurs win three NBA Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

Deploying his pace and high field goal percentage to great effect, Parker has been selected as an NBA All-Star twice and was the 2007 NBA Finals MVP. He married actress Eva Longoria, best known for her role in the ABC television series Desperate Housewives, on 7 July 2007.

Jason Kidd

Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball player in the NBA who currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks.

He led the New Jersey Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals appearances (2002 and 2003) and is considered to be one of the best players of his generation. His on-court versatility also makes him a regular triple-double threat, and he is in third place all-time for regular season triple-doubles in the NBA with a career total of 100 (as of April 16, 2008) and second in playoffs triple-doubles with a career total of 11 (as of May 12, 2007).

Steve Nash

Stephen John Nash, OC, OBC (born 7 February 1974), is a Canadian professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nash, who was born in South Africa but grew up in Canada, enjoyed a successful high-school basketball career, and he was eventually given a scholarship by Santa Clara University. In his four seasons with the Broncos, the team made three NCAA Tournament appearances, and Nash was twice named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year.

After graduating from Santa Clara as the team’s all-time leader in assists, he entered the 1996 NBA Draft and was selected as the 15th pick by the Phoenix Suns. He made a minimal impact, and was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998. By his third season with the Mavericks, he was voted into his first NBA All-Star Game and had earned his first All-NBA selection. Together with Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley, Nash led the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals the following season. However, he became a free agent after the 2003–04 season and returned to the Phoenix Suns.

In the 2004–05 season, Nash led the Suns to the Western Conference Finals, and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was named MVP again in the 2005–06 season, and missed out on a third consecutive MVP title to Nowitzki the next season. Named by ESPN in 2006 as the ninth greatest point guard of all time, Nash has led the league in assists and free-throw percentage at various points in his career, although he has occasionally been criticized for his poor defence. He is also ranked as one of the top players in league history for three-point shooting, free-throw shooting, total assists and assists per game.

Nash, who is married, is involved in charity and humanitarian work, and he is also interested in soccer and film-making. In 2006, Time magazine named Nash as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. On 28 December 2007 it was announced that Nash would receive Canada’s highest civilian honour, the Order Of Canada, and on 3 June 2008, it was announced that Nash would receive a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.

Paul Pierce

Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977 in Oakland, California), nicknamed The Truth,[1] is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He earned All-America First Team honors in his junior year at Kansas, and has been a starter every season since being selected by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft.

He is a 6-time All-Star and led Boston to an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2002 and the 2008 championship. He was named the 2008 NBA Finals MVP in his first trip to the NBA Finals.