HOUSTON – The legacy of Ron Artest continues.

Believe it or not, that's not a bad thing.

For all the veteran small forward's transgressions throughout his eight-year career, the fascinating truth is that those who played with or coached him are hard-pressed to speak ill of him when he is gone. As the Kings prepared to see their former teammate for the first time tonight since he was traded to Houston in August, they were no different.

"The first thing I'm going to do is give him a big hug," Kings forward Mikki Moore said. "And then I'm going to tell him to behave himself down there. I've already heard a couple stories and stuff. But I'll congratulate him, tell him to keep his head right and just move forward."

While the effect of his absence on the floor is easily quantifiable, the debate over how greatly Artest impacted the Kings in the locker room – whether positive or negative – isn't so easy to gauge. During the 2005-06 playoff run in which he inspired an entire team in the season's second half, his competitiveness and championship-or-bust mentality drove an unexpected turnaround. Yet for much of the two seasons thereafter, his approach often conflicted with the organization's overall outlook. Put simply, Artest wasn't into rebuilding with youth.

He wanted to reload with veterans, lamenting the loss of Bonzi Wells to free agency in 2007 and wishing former Kings coach and current Houston coach Rick Adelman hadn't been let go that summer. His frustration with the organizational direction often manifested itself in the locker room, where coaches and teammates came to expect tantrums after losses.

While his departure took longer than many anticipated, the movement toward youth and a new core of talent left him out of the blueprint. As Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie said in the news conference announcing the trade that gave the Kings Donté Greene, Bobby Jackson and a 2009 first-round draft pick: "You know, if you have a big shade tree, shade is good to a point. But if there's too much shade, then the grass doesn't get to grow."

For better or worse, the grass that is the team's younger players has every opportunity to grow now.

"Ron is a big personality guy," Kings coach Reggie Theus said. "He has a very strong personality and had an effect on our team. Sometimes that's good, sometimes that's bad, because Ron is a little up and down.

"The (lack of) consistency is what kept everybody off balance. I'm trying to say this in a way that is fair to Ron, because I don't see his personality and presence as a complete negative. But all the best players in the league have that effect on their teams, and that's a good thing also. When that guy is somewhat of your leader, then he also comes in and gets everybody going the right direction where everybody seems to be on the other side.

"Kevin Garnett is always grinding his guys. Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird all grinded their guys. Their personality, their presence had a major effect on their team. Now, they were more stable in terms of their personalities than Ron. … "

Kings shooting guard Kevin Martin represents the dichotomy of the Artest effect. While so many in the league and the media believed Artest's presence hurt him, Martin consistently credits his former teammate with aiding both his on-floor skills and his attitude and approach to the game.

"He (had) his moments," Martin said of Artest after the Kings blew a 17-point lead in a loss to the Clippers on Wednesday night. "Like tonight, you don't know what we would've walked into (in the locker room). But that's not a bad thing. That's what I loved about him. … You just never know until that moment."

Moore, who was a confidant of sorts for Artest in their one season together, said Artest's hatred of losing often led to his outbursts.

"Ron doesn't like to lose, regardless if it's a rebuilding stage or not and we're expected to win 35 or 40 games," he said. "If he (felt) like we went out there and we gave the game away, he's going to go crazy."

With Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming supporting Artest and the Rockets a realistic NBA title contender, it appears Artest's new environment is a far better fit for the ex-King.

"He's in a better place because he's around guys who are deemed around the league as the same level as him," Theus said. "He's not going to have the same effect on those guys as he had on our guys."

Read the Kings blog at www.sacbee.com/kingsblog.