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Rockets Enter the Race

The February trade deadline is only a few weeks away and it seems that the Indiana Pacers are not any closer to dealing Artest than they were a month ago. As talented as Artest is, a lot of GM?s are weary of his unpredictable nature to the point where they refuse to part with any of their more desirable commodities to get him. If the fight in Detroit wasn`t enough to make other teams second-guess acquiring him, this latest trade demand certainly should. Artest is a head case.

At the same time, he is an All-NBA defender, an All-Star, and the kind of player who should do well in Jeff Van Gundy`s defensive system. The latest team to have shown interest in Artest is the Huston Rockets. The Rockets need help in every position other than center and small forward. Even when everyone`s healthy the Rockets are a player short of being serious contenders.

The Rockets need a third threat. Even when everyone was healthy Swift hardly made an impact on the team`s horrible offensive struggles. So perhaps Artest is worth the risk. The Rockets obviously think so. Certainly his 19 points per game, his long range game, and his rebounding - which is as good as Swift`s has proven to be - won`t hurt, either.