Ron Artest Will ‘Definitely’ Play for England’s Cheshire Jets

The Cheshire Jets wooed the Lakers’ forward by appealing to Ron Artest’s interests in music and movies. And it seems to have worked, as Ron-Ron tells the LA Times that it’s only a matter of time until he skips across the pond: “I’m definitely going to play for the Jets,’ Artest said in a phone interview Thursday night. That brings near closure to a series of negotiations that Artest said lasted for two months and expects to finalize soon. At first, he remained wary about that possibility because the uncertainty on how long the NBA lockout lasts. His agent, David Bauman, wanted to seek insurance for Artest in case he was injured. But with the league and players union appearing to make little progress on a collective bargaining agreement, Artest said he asked himself one question: ‘I thought, ‘Where can I go to play ball and enjoy myself’ That answer apparently includes more than just the Jets. Their team website indicates that their season begins Sept. 30 and runs through April 22, 2012, but Artest said he won’t join the team until late November because he plans to appear in an unspecified number of exhibition games with the Loimaa Bisons, a professional basketball team in Finland, during one week in September. Naturally, Artest also said he’ll spend that week hosting an unspecified number of comedy shows and making appearances promoting various mental health charities. Per FIBA rules, Artest would have to return from any overseas venture to rejoin the Lakers as soon as the NBA lockout ends.”