"Amid various Internet reports indicting Lakers forward Ron Artest plans to play for a Finland professional basketball team, agent David Bauman said they aren't true and are nothing more than a "publicity stunt."

"I'm his agent and nothing has come across my desk," Bauman said. "Although Ron has asked me to explore all options over in Europe in the event of a prolonged lockout, there are several legal and business considerations that have to be addressed. The biggest one involves insurance. None of those have been addressed and I don't even know who this guy claiming to have an agreement is. Final thing is what if the league has a lockout for say two weeks and then end up getting a deal. It becomes a moot point.""