<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>When Ron Artest attended the National Basketball Players Association meetings in the Bahamas recently, some of his most respected colleagues implored him to opt out of his contract and join forces with their respective teams. When Artest attended Game 6 of the NBA Finals in Boston, he instantly sparked speculation that he could be the missing piece alongside Kobe Bryant for a Los Angeles Lakers team that fell short in its title run. But when the small forward and his agent, Mark Stevens, had a conference call with Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie on Tuesday morning, one day after Artest decided to play the final season of his contract with the Kings for $7.4 million, the hoops love Artest had been feeling was nowhere to be found.</div> Sacramento Bee
