Having been bullied from the last two postseasons by the muscle of the Utah Jazz - losing the decisive Game 7 last season and the critical Game 4 this season on defensive rebounds they could not secure -- the Rockets have long considered the thought-to-be-available strength of Ron Artest.

Nothing much ever came of those considerations. They checked on the price in January and found it too high and checked again in February without ever considering themselves able to make a competitive offer.

They considered themselves so far off, the chances of getting Artest so limited to hypothetical, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey never got a firm opinion on coaching Artest from Rick Adelman.

When Artest said last month that he regretted not opting out of his contract to become a free agent and rumors quickly spread that the Kings would consider trading him again, it was believed the Kings would be seeking something the Rockets would not or could not offer -- a veteran difference-maker.

While keeping tabs through the Las Vegas summer league, the Rockets considered Artest out of their reach, signed Donte' Greene and began work to mold him from talented prospect to player.

That changed, however, when the Kings could not land Lamar Odom from the Los Angeles Lakers or Josh Howard from Dallas and shifted their pursuit to prospects they hoped could grow with them to that sort of player.

That's when the Rockets knew they had an opportunity. The Kings have coveted each of the players the Rockets acquired in the last two drafts, point guard Aaron Brooks, whom the Rockets selected in 2007, and Greene, whom they acquired through a series of draft-night trades in June.

The Rockets had acquired Bobby Jackson and his expiring contract at last season's trade deadline to give themselves a chance to trade for the sort of player they could not get through free agency, but they thought they were more likely to find such a deal during the season.

Adelman had coached Artest for just 40 games, but when told he could get Artest without giving up anyone certain to be in his rotation, he signed off on the deal. Rockets owner Leslie Alexander, frustrated by the Rockets' 11 seasons without a playoff series win, quickly gave his blessing. The Kings, who considered taking Greene with the 12th pick they used for Jason Thompson, insisted on Greene.

The deal came together quickly from there, then for several days seemed stalled, almost dead as the Kings considered whether to make such a large change in their plans. By July 29, it was back on and came together with remarkable speed.

The trade itself was made official on Aug. 14, when Greene was eligible to be traded one month after signing his rookie contract.

In Artest, they hope to have the muscle they lacked, a versatile man-to-man defender who can match up at a variety of positions and a scorer that can get his own offense or offense for others -- something they so desperately needed when Tracy McGrady was hurt or out of games.

They got a third scorer who has averaged 20 points per game. At a time the Western Conference contenders seemed to be pulling away, they put themselves back in the mix.

Most of all, they gave themselves a full season to put it all together for the next time they chase that elusive playoff win.

Copyright (C) 2008 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.