Ron Artest: "I'm definitely going to play for the Jets"

Even though he doesn't have a contract finalized, Lakers forward Ron Artest declared his intention to play for the British Basketball League's Cheshire Jets.

"I'm definitely going to play for the Jets," Artest said in a phone interview Thursday night. "I'm definitely going to play for the Jets."

That brings near closure to a series of negotiations that Artest said lasted for two months and expects to finalize soon. At first, he remained wary about that possibility because the uncertainty on how long the NBA lockout lasts. His agent, David Bauman, wanted to seek insurance for Artest in case he was injured. But with the league and players union appearing to make little progress on a collective bargaining agreement, Artest said he asked himself one question: "I thought, 'Where can I go to play ball and enjoy myself' "

That answer apparently includes more than just the Jets.

Their team website indicates that their season begins Sept. 30 and runs through April 22, 2012, but Artest said he won't join the team until late November because he plans to appear in an unspecified number of exhibition games with the Loimaa Bisons, a professional basketball team in Finland, during one week in September. Naturally, Artest also said he'll spend that week hosting an unspecified number of comedy shows and making appearances promoting various mental health charities.  Per FIBA rules, Artest would have to return from any overseas venture to rejoin the Lakers as soon as the NBA lockout ends.

As reported by The Times on Tuesday, Artest still plans to be in Britain from Aug. 18-23, where will he talk with Jets officials, hold a news conference, mingle with fans and, in his words, "make sure it's a good fit." Artest said he will make between $1,500 to $2,500 a month playing for the Jets, although that's not definitive since the deal isn't finalized. As reported by ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the team will try to land Artest unspecified music gigs and television roles because of its tight finances, including helping him land a possible appearance on a British soap opera.

Artest said he isn't concerend that this could be a distraction, arguing, "I'm going first and foremost to the U.K. to play for the Jets." 

"It's a lockout," said Artest, who has three years and $21 million left on his contract with the Lakers. "I can't do anything. I play for the Lakers. I can't play for the Lakers because there's a lockout. There's no obligation to play anywhere, but you can play professional ball. You can play professional ball overseas so I'm going to play in the U.K."

But why not play for a team that has bigger name recognition and better talent?

"If people want to play the best defensive player of the game, come to the U.K. I'm going to be right there," Artest answered. "I'm not chasing anybody. If teams want to play one of the best defenders in the history of the NBA on the wing, come to the U.K. I'll be right there. I'm going to be right there. I'm not going to other countries. I'm from New York City. I play in L.A. U.K is a big country. I'm going to fit right in. I'm going to play hard. If people want to play against Ron Artest, play basketball and not chase the money and play passionate basketball against Ron Artest, come to the U.K. I'm going to be there and we're going to be going hard."

And in a sort of logic that only makes sense for Artest, he compared his venture to the Jets to two years ago when he joined the Lakers, where he took a paycut by signing a five-year, $33-million deal at the mid-level exception.

"It wasn't about I want to make this amount of money or I want to go to another team because the Lakers are paying me only [this]," Artest said. "If I go play somewhere, I have to enjoy it. If I'm not going to enjoy the game, I'm not going ... Right now I'm really happy with the passion of the team. I'm really happy with the passion of the league. It's not the best league in Europe. But it's a league that has potential. I'm looking forward to being a part of a start."