NBA Insider with Ken Berger

So Geoff Petrie says he's never heard of Isiah Thomas, much less held trade talks with him about Ron Artest.

Artest says he's never heard of the Knicks or Madison Square Garden, much less asked to be traded there.

I exaggerate, of course, but only to illustrate my point. Don't believe everything you read about the possibility of Artest being traded this summer being dead.

Consider it shelved for a while, but not dead. There are too many factors in favor of the Kings parting with their tempestuous small forward to ignore. The stuff going on in public between Thomas and Petrie? Maybe it really does foreshadow that things won't work out between the Knicks and the Kings. But until I see Artest suit up for the Kings in training camp, I'll consider it little more than posturing by two poker-playing general managers.

Thomas was trying to lowball Artest's market value by allowing it to be leaked that he won't trade David Lee. Petrie responded by essentially stomping his feet and saying, "Oh, yeah? Well I haven't even talked to anyone about trading Ron-Ron and I'm not trading him. So there."

Ron-Ron chimed in yesterday in a poolside interview in Vegas with what Filip Bondy likes to call the "evil Post," saying that he wants to retire as a King. When? Next week, so he can focus on his rap career?

Give the Artest cloud a few weeks to blow over. When the posturing and gamesmanship are over, it'll blow back. If nothing else, the likelihood of Artest being traded will increase dramatically as we approach the February trade deadline. Why? By then, Artest will be able to play the opt-out card that he's claiming now he won't play. Remember: Artest is nothing if not unpredictable. If he decides after a few months that things aren't as rosy in Sacramento as he thinks they are today, he could easily force his way out by threatening to opt out after next season.

Which brings us back to Petrie's statements about not wanting to trade Artest this summer. Being the shrewd G.M. he is, Petrie must realize that he'll get more for Artest now than he'd get in a potential fire sale at the deadline. The Knicks and Heat realize that, too, and will be willing to wait Petrie out. The longer it goes, the lower the price.

Some other things you need to know:
* Chris Webber apparently only wants to play for the Mavericks or Pistons
* Derek Fisher is expected to sign with the Lakers
* The Clippers have emerged as the most likely destination for Steve Francis once he's bought out by the Trail Blazers.
* A Blazers fan site called www.blazersedge.com is touting Channing Frye as a potential quote machine. Nice guy, Channing is, but keep dreaming. Frye generated the comment with the following quote about what he'll bring to Portland: "I bring everything...a little personality, a little leadership, a little shooting, a little defense. I'm a buffet of goodness." Channing's assessment of his own game was pretty accurate. He brings a little of everything, the operative word being "little."

UPDATE: Francis' buyout was completed today, and he's hitting waivers at 12:01 a.m. In seven days he'll be a free agent, and he got more than $30 million of the $33.6 million he was owed. Not bad. So the Knicks' trade for Zach Randolph looks even better from their perspective (they traded only Channing Frye for him), and from Francis' point of view. The Heat, Clippers and Mavericks are the leading destinations for Francis, with the Lakers and Bucks also interested.