Trading for Indiana Pacer forward Ron Artest would either be a smart move or huge mistake for the Clippers.

The Pacers would want Maggette, whom the Clippers have declined to include in trade proposals.

Dunleavy and General Manager Elgin Baylor are fond of hard-working Maggette, whose scoring average increased his first six seasons in the NBA. Dunleavy and Baylor declined to comment on trade talks, but they have rejected offers for Maggette and second-year point guard Shaun Livingston, Clipper sources said.

"With nine out of 11 at home, we're at the stretch of the schedule we were pointing to all year long," Dunleavy said. "You never want to have injuries, and we hoped we would be totally healthy now, but everybody has injuries.

"If you make a move now, that you make because of injuries, you're making it out of desperation or panic. In my opinion, the only move we make has to be a move that we'd make without the injuries, because we have a lot of guys with a lot of upside."

Minnesota is offering Indiana anyone on its roster not named Kevin Garnett in the hope of pairing Artest with KG. That's because the Wolves are as desperate as the Lakers to make a splashy move -- in their case to keep KG energized and confident in the club's direction -- and because they see KG and Artest (assuming Ron-Ron could actually be counted on) as a devastating combo.

If Artest wants to score more, as stated in his original trade demand, Garnett is unselfish enough to make that happen. And if Artest is ever going to defer to a teammate, KG also (theoretically) has the juice and presence to make that happen. The Wolves, though, have been trying to pull a third team into the mix to better their chances of assembling a package Indy likes.

Golden State might actually have more pieces to deal directly with Indiana than any active suitor ... barring a change of heart from Jerry West in Memphis and an 11th-hour willingness to part with Shane Battier.

The Warriors also have a GM known for dice-rolling; just go back to last February's trade deadline when Chris Mullin was willing to take on Baron Davis in spite of a contract and health history that scared many teams off.

One sticking point here: Indiana would undoubtedly want Ike Diogu (see Box 2) as part of any package, and the rookie bruiser is approaching untouchable status already.

Indiana Pacers point guard Jamaal Tinsley missed Friday night's game against the Toronto Raptors with an elbow injury.
 
Tinsley, who hurt his right elbow in Tuesday's game at San Antonio, worked out before the game at Conseco Fieldhouse but decided he couldn't play.

Tinsley's injury left the Pacers without two of their regular starters.

This whole Raptor-Knick, Rose-Hardaway-draft pick thing got a whole lot murkier this week.

As anyone with Internet access knows, the talk of trading Toronto's Jalen Rose for New York's Penny Hardaway is still hot, with the stumbling block apparently being the Raptors' aversion to tossing in a first-round pick in the deal.

The big benefit for the Raptors would be about $17 million (U.S.) salary cap relief next summer; Hardaway is hardly going to turn into a regular rotation guy with the Raptors.

If the pick would be Denver's, which Toronto got in the Vince Carter trade a year ago, news that Marcus Camby of the Nuggets is out indefinitely after surgery on his finger clouds the issue greatly.

With Kenyon Martin bothered by a bad knee, Nene out for the season probably after a knee operation and now Camby on the shelf for a while, the Nuggets will be hard-pressed to hang on and make the playoffs in the Western Conference, which would give the Raptors two lottery picks next June.

If Jalen Rose rumours aren't enough on their own, he's also now linked to Ron Artest and his imminent departure from Indiana.

Yesterday, it was Rose to the Lakers, either Devean George or Slava Medvedenko to Toronto along with Austin Croshere from the Pacers.

It's not likely to happen, according to Raptor sources; just the next in a long list of Rose rumours.

Mark Stevens, the agent for Ron Artest, said Wednesday about the possibility of playing for the Lakers, "We will embrace anyone who wants to embrace us."

But Stevens did not have any feel for whether the Lakers will put together a trade package attractive enough to acquire Artest.

The Timberwolves contacted the Indiana Pacers last week and are interested in acquiring all-star Ron Artest, a source said Tuesday.

The discussions have not turned serious, and no formal trade offers have been made, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Wolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale declined to comment through a spokesman, citing league rules against tampering with players under contract with other teams.

Artest's agent said his client would be excited to play with Wolves all-star Kevin Garnett.

"Ron, he loves K.G.," agent Mark Stevens said. "He loves his game. It would be an honor and a privilege to play by his side."

Donnie Walsh, the Indiana Pacers' CEO and president, said about 10 teams are involved in the Artest discussions.

It would make sense that the Pacers, considered an Eastern Conference heavyweight, would want to trade Artest to a Western Conference team such as Minnesota. That would mean the Pacers wouldn't have to face Artest and his new team in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Walsh said more Western Conference teams are involved in the Artest talks than Eastern Conference teams.

"For sure I want to get this narrowed down by the end of the week to see what's real and not real," Walsh said. "You really don't have a deal until you do it. As of right now, there's a lot of interest. There's no deal close."

The Clippers aren't expected to be finalists in the Ron Artest derby. A source says the team isn't offering Corey Maggette. Indiana reportedly has some interest in Chris Wilcox but wants more.

After standing by Ron Artest through the aftermath of the Brawl at Auburn Hills last season, Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird is finally speaking out about his oft-troubled forward's most recent request that the organization trade him.

On Monday, Bird spoke with the Indianapolis Star, the newspaper that first reported on Artest's desire for a trade.

"I don't know if this is the right wording, but I felt betrayed," Bird told the Star. "We're disappointed. Things happen, maybe it's a good thing. He's a very talented player. I always liked working with him and how he went about things on the basketball court. He's a top-12 player in the league, but we're in a situation where we have to move on.

"I think enough is enough. ... I think Ronnie will do fine but not here."

Bird recently returned from a 10-day scouting trip in Europe, which could be one of the reasons a trade for Artest has yet to be completed.

Further complicating trade possibilities is the fact that Artest is due to make $6.8 million this season, a bargain for someone of Artest's talent. Indiana now has to figure out a way to trade for maximum talent without going over the team's salary cap.

Bird told the Star that he and CEO Donnie Walsh would prefer to send Artest to a Western Conference team.

"Any time you deal a player, you would like him to go out of the conference," Bird said to the newspaper. "We're looking at the West, but if it's the East, that's how it's going to be. Whether we get a draft choice or a player, we're going to make sure it's the right deal. We've done enough to back Ronnie. We're in a position where we have to protect the franchise now."

Indiana CEO Donnie Walsh hopes to pull the trigger on a deal to move Ron Artest in the coming days. As Walsh explained last week, it would take something "unusual" for him to back off his decision to trade Artest.

"And I haven't even given any thought to what 'unusual' is," he said. "No, I don't see myself coming up with that."

So Artest is going to get his wish. He's in limbo now. The Pacers are keeping him as far away from teammates as possible. Apparently, that's the way the players want it. Last week, he sent word that he wanted to meet with teammates to give his side, but they turned him down.

In the meantime, Walsh is considering many options.

"With as many teams that have called me about Ronny, they obviously don't think he's going to be a problem," Walsh said. "The surprising thing is that most of the interest I've gotten has come from teams out West. Which makes some sense, because if you look at the standings, there are 10 or 11 teams in contention. If you put Ron Artest on any one of those, I'll guarantee you that they will jump up in the standings."

Some of the teams Walsh referred to include the Clippers, Timberwolves, Nuggets and Warriors. Even the Lakers are said to have interest. The Pacers feel they have enough players to man the point-guard spot. So they're looking to package backup Anthony Johnson in any deal. They're also well over the salary cap this year ($79 million) and next season ($69 million), so they'd also like to move some bad contracts when they deal Artest.

Walsh would prefer to get a young player and a draft pick in return. But don't look for him to bring in another small forward, not after what he's seen out of rookie Danny Granger.

"He's got a chance to be a player on the par of Ron Artest someday," said Walsh of his first-round pick, taken 17th overall in June. "He's not that right now. But the way he's playing, it's making it easier for us not to rush into any deal."