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WEEKEND EDITION, MARCH 24-25, 2007
BASKETBALL
Sacramento’s Artest says he’s not guilty BY DON THOMPSON Associated Press Writer
AUBURN Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest pleaded not guilty Thursday to misdemeanor charges stemming from a domestic dispute with his wife earlier this month. A Placer County Superior Court judge also ordered him to stay at least 100 yards away from his wife and children until further notice. Artest’s attorney, William Portanova, entered pleas of not guilty to charges of battery and corporal injury to a spouse, false imprisonment and dissuading a witness from reporting a crime. Artest sat in the audience section of the small courtroom among other defendants and members of the media. He spoke only when asked direct questions by Judge Francis Kearney, responding no when asked if he owned firearms and yes when asked if he understood the conditions of the restraining order. Thomas Leupp, an attorney for Kimsha Artest, told the judge Artest’s wife was not requesting a restraining order. Artest will be allowed to communicate with his family by telephone, e-mail and letter, the judge said.
“We all decided that was the right thing to do for the family,” Portanova said. “That is the right thing for now.” Artest is due back in court April 5. He was arrested March 5 at his estate in Loomis, 25 miles northeast of Sacramento. He is accused of grabbing, pushing and slapping his wife during an argument. The couple’s 3-year-old daughter was home at the time. Artest has since apologized to his family and his teammates, and sat out two games. He did not answer reporters’ questions after Thursday’s hearing. Artest planned to fly to Phoenix to join his team for Thursday night’s game against the Suns, but his flight was diverted to Ontario, Calif., because of thunderstorms. Further flight delays in California led Kings president Geoff Petrie to tell Artest to head back to Sacramento. Artest’s only interaction with others in the courtroom came when a fellow defendant turned to Artest and said “good luck” as the hearing began. John Carpenter, who lives in the Sacramento suburb of Roseville and was in court facing his own domestic violence charges, then gestured to Artest, holding out his fist. Artest responded with a fist pump.
SPORTS BRIEFS PRO BASKETBALL
Kentucky center Morris signs with Knicks Kentucky center Randolph Morris signed a free-agent contract with the New York Knicks on Friday, another big loss to a program already dealing with the departure of coach Tubby Smith. Morris averaged 16.1 points and 7.8 rebounds for the Wildcats this season and was a firstteam All-Southeastern Conference. He will join a team fighting for an Eastern Conference playoff berth. The Knicks played in Cleveland on Friday night. There was no immediate word on when Morris would join the team. Morris’ decision comes one day after Smith left to become the head coach at Minnesota. Kentucky spokesman Scott Stricklin said athletic director Mitch Barnhart met with Morris late Thursday night and asked Morris to wait until a new coach was in place before deciding whether to leave. Morris declared for the 2005 NBA draft following his freshman season, but went undrafted. He returned to the Wildcats after sitting out an NCAA-mandated 14-game suspension, averaging 13.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in 21 games. Morris blossomed this season, becoming the most consistent player for the Wildcats, who went 22-12 and lost to Kansas in the second round of the NCAA tournament last weekend. Morris said he “expected” to return to the Wildcats following the loss, but didn’t completely rule out leaving for the NBA. A provision in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement prevented Morris from reentering the NBA draft and he was given free agent status throughout the 2006-07 season. ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRO FOOTBALL
Eagles coach ready to resume full-time duties Andy Reid sounded a lot like a football coach when he talked about his sons’ legal troubles. Take everything one day at a time. Hit trouble head on. Eliminate distractions. Sounds like someone who’s prepared for both the Giants and a giant personal crisis. Reid returned from a temporary leave of absence Friday, five weeks after leaving the Philadelphia Eagles because his two oldest sons face criminal charges. Reid returned to his duties full time, in time for the NFL owners meetings in Arizona next week. Reid took leave on Feb. 12 because his sons were embroiled in legal troubles stemming from separate arrests on Jan. 30. “It’s good to be back,” Reid said. “I thought it was very important that I took a little time and had the chance to spend the time with my family.” While Reid used a leave of absence to pull his family together, his sons’ serious legal issues are far from over. Britt Reid, 21, faces a felony charge of carrying a firearm without a license and misdemeanor drug charges stemming from a road rage incident in which he allegedly pointed a gun at another motorist. Garrett Reid, 23, faces charges he injured a woman in a traffic accident while under the influence of heroin. Because of the pending legal issues, Reid said little about his sons and his personal life. Speaking in his usual quiet, calm tone, and wearing a button-down striped shirt with an Eagles logo, Reid asked a jam-packed auditorium to try to keep the questions related to football. AP
SURF CONDITIONS
WATER TEMP: 57°
SWELL FORECAST ( 4-6 FT ) Today, we're expecting some 14-16 second period ground swell from 295 from a system that traversed the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere this week. Sunday, the NW ground swell is expected to fade, but waist to possibly chest high at times at west facing breaks seems to be a reasonable call.
LONG RANGE SYNOPSIS NW TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, IN QUESTION...
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SANTA MONICA