<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Pacers president Donnie Walsh said he expects to hear from the Knicks when the bidding for Indiana star Ron Artest heats up, but they are by no means the preferred bidder even though Artest said he would like to play for the Knicks in an "ideal world." "Ron changed that statement," Walsh said yesterday in a telephone interview. "He said he'd go anywhere, and I wouldn't feel I had to do that [deal with the Knicks] anyway. I'm going to take the best offer." As of 5:30 p.m. yesterday, Walsh said he had heard nothing yet from Knicks president Isiah Thomas, but he certainly expects to hear soon from the man who coached Artest for two seasons with the Pacers. "We just started the process, but I'm waiting to hear what they have to say," Walsh said of the Knicks. Walsh declined to discuss specifics, but when asked if he likely would demand some or all of the Knicks' three first-round rookies as part of any deal, Walsh said, "I'm not in the market for veterans. It has to make sense either for our future or financial sense or both." Reading between the lines, that means the only way the Pacers would take one of the Knicks' veteran contracts would be if Austin Croshere, who has two years worth $18.5 million left on his contract, were part of the deal. It's virtually certain that Walsh would want rookie forward Channing Frye, the eighth overall pick of the 2005 draft, as part of a deal. He also might expect to pick from among Knicks rookies David Lee and Nate Robinson and second-year player Trevor Ariza.</div> Source
