Sacramento is loving Artest

The difference in the Kings play can be credited to the addition of forward Ron Artest, who was acquired from Indiana for sharp-shooting Peja Stojakovic on January 25th. With Artest in the lineup, Sacramento has compiled a 14-7 record and has played with a new intensity and passion that has the m moving up in the standings.

Artest has fit right in with his new teammates. The Kings already had a talented point guard in Mike Bibby along with center Brad Miller, who had played with Artest in Chicago and Indiana. Swingman Bonzi Wells, forwards Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kenny Thomas and guard Kevin Martin give Sacramento talent and depth on its roster.

By trading Stojakovic, the Kings rid themselves of a player who is very talented but was unhappy with his current situation in Sacramento. Even though Artest is not the outside shooter that Stojakovic is, he is one of the best defenders in the NBA and is very capable on the offensive end of the court as well.

Originally selected out of St. John’s by Chicago in the first round (16th overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft, Artest has averaged 18.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.43 steals in 21 games in a Sacramento uniform. He has helped the Kings in areas where they struggled, such as their interior and perimeter defense.

The Kings improved to 32-31 and moved into the eighth and final playoff spot in the West when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 85-80, at ARCO Arena. They have won four straight games and seven of their last eight contests overall.

Artest played over 43 minutes and finished with 15 points, while Miller netted 17, pulled down 10 boards and handed out six assists in the win over Dallas. Bibby scored 12 and dished out four assists and Martin ended with 14 points on 5-of-9 from the floor.

"I’m really proud of our team tonight," said head coach Rick Adelman after the win over the Mavericks. "I think we came with the right attitude playing this team. It’s an excellent team, they got on us pretty well in the third quarter. I thought we missed so many shots in the third quarter, we just couldn’t get any of them down but we stayed with it and scrambled defensively. In the fourth quarter we finally got some stops and it was a great win.

"This is the type of home game that really gives you a boost. You’re going to have to win these if you’re going to make the playoffs. We talked about winning on the road but this is the type of game you have to win at home. We have another big one on Tuesday. I’m just really proud of the way the guys competed and played tonight."

The win over Dallas lifted the Kings over .500 for the first time in the 2005-06 campaign.

Sacramento will play nine of its final 19 games at home this season. The Kings are a solid 21-11 at ARCO Arena, but are just 11-20 as the visitor. Indiana and Washington are the only two games remaining on the scheduled against Eastern Conference opponents.

With Artest on the court, Sacramento is a different team. The Kings are capable of making a big stop defensively and there appears to be more of an intense effort on defense.

The acquisition of Artest was a gamble that has paid off.