And why, even as he nudged Artest out the door, Pacers boss Donnie Walsh wished him well.

“Maybe this was not the right team for a guy like Ronnie,” Walsh said. “Really, Ronnie couldn’t get out from under it and I hope he does in Sacramento because everyone needs a fresh start.”

Artest conceded as much Thursday in a rambling interview with ESPN from his home. He wished the Pacers and their new hire, Peja Stojakovic, well. He said he would miss Indianapolis and that his wife and four kids wanted to stay there. He left out the part about jettisoning most of last season and the first half of this one, but he’s apologized enough for that.

Even though he’s scheduled to join the Kings for Friday night’s game in Boston, Artest said he still felt like a “Hoosier.” He was, as always, completely sincere.

“The Pacers, you know, they’re going to feel like it’s a load off their shoulders. ... So everybody can get back, you know, focus in on basketball and other sports: college basketball, football, we’ve got the Super Bowl coming up. ... Being a little more mature, it’s helping me make decisions, smart decisions.”

Go back and find as many stories as you can about Artest’s return to the Pacers after his central role in the “Malice at the Palace” episode.

He talked about being content and ready to go. About spending time at home with family and maturing. About learning his lesson, loving Indianapolis and the way everybody treated him before and after the brawl.

Pacers president Larry Bird, who’s nearly impossible to con, talked back then about how much he admired Artest.

“Not for what he did,” Bird said, “but how he’s come back and worked and he’s done things to improve himself.”

Then he posed with a smiling Artest for the cover of Sports Illustrated’s NBA preview. Only Bird’s expression doesn’t give away anything — perfect for a man about to call somebody’s bluff.

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