Ron Artest’s Agent: No Plans to Play in Finland

Sadly, it looks like the glorious fantasy of Ron Artest playing ball in Finland is just that … a fantasy. The LA Times reports: “Amid various Internet reports indicting Lakers forward Ron Artest plans to play for a Finland professional basketball team, agent David Bauman said they aren’t true and are nothing more than a ‘publicity stunt.’ ‘I’m his agent and nothing has come across my desk,’ Bauman said. ‘Although Ron has asked me to explore all options over in Europe in the event of a prolonged lockout, there are several legal and business considerations that have to be addressed. The biggest one involves insurance. None of those have been addressed and I don’t even know who this guy claiming to have an agreement is. Final thing is what if the league has a lockout for say two weeks and then end up getting a deal. It becomes a moot point.’ Artest currently has a three-year, $21-million contract remaining with the Lakers, making the possibility to play overseas during a possible lockout even more difficult.”