Artest Signed !!!

"Artest admitted that he had always wanted to be a Laker and now he had been given that opportunity after signing a five-year guaranteed contract for $33.95 million -- he has a player option for the fifth season."

"It sure was a long time coming," Artest said. "I always wanted to be a Laker -- not coming out of college; I wanted to be a Knick. As I started to compete against the Lakers and against Kobe [Bryant], just really out of respect for him I always wanted to be a teammate of his."

After he announced that he was going to play for the Lakers, Artest said he called Bryant."We've had this conversation before, about trying to team up, so it was nothing new," Artest said. "It's been ongoing. It was kind of a no-brainer for me to be a Laker. You throw [Lakers coach] Phil Jackson in the mix, who would pass on an opportunity to play under Phil?"

Welcome to LA, Artest.

Source: LA TIMES