The man accused of sparking the brawl between players and fans at The Palace of Auburn Hills in 2004 was convicted of assault Monday for punching Ron Artest.

He wanted to put his checkered past with the Indiana Pacers behind him. He wanted to show off his offensive versatility. He thought the Pacers would be a better team without him.

The next Reggie? Peja Stojakovic had 26 points and 13 rebounds in his home debut, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Lakers 105-79 on Wednesday night to snap a six-game losing streak.

In a 20-minute interview Saturday, Artest for the first time publicly said he wants to be traded. He calmly described the issues he has with his role on the team, his head coach and his past, and said the team would be better off without him.

Stephen Jackson, who is black, said the NBA's new rule about jewelry targets young black males because chains are associated with hip-hop culture, and he said the league is afraid of becoming "too hip-hop."