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You had to feel for Jeff Twiss last night. He's the Celtics' venerable public relations chief and, until about 6:30 p.m., figured tomorrow night's game would be a fairly uneventful one.

Then came the dreaded news -- Ron Artest was not only a Sacramento King, but also more than likely would be in uniform tomorrow night against the Celtics.

Wouldn't you love to see Twiss's call-back list for credentials? Aside from the usual suspects -- ESPN, Sports Illustrated, the national papers -- there are probably going to be some unfamiliar phone numbers, like those from ''Inside Edition," ''Access Hollywood," MSNBC, Fox, MTV, ''The Best Damn Sports Show," and God knows what else.

It will indeed be news when Artest sets foot on the Garden parquet, playing for the first time since early December. The Indiana Pacers promptly deactivated him (he did have a sore wrist at the time) after his trade demand and then spent six-plus weeks trying to accommodate him.

They finally did yesterday when the Kings agreed to take Artest, or vice versa, and sent Peja Stojakovic to Indiana.

It was sort of an anticlimax after what had transpired over the previous 24 hours. First, the Pacers and Kings had a deal. Then the deal fell apart when Sacramento understandably got cold feet about Artest's willingness to live and play in what Phil Jackson once called a ''semicivilized" environment.

But after meeting yesterday morning with Indiana executives Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird, Artest decided that if Arnold Schwarzenegger could live in Sacramento, then so could he. And the deal finally went down.

''There's no doubt in our mind," Walsh said in a statement, ''that he [Artest] will have an immediate impact on their team."

Read that any way you like.

''He's one of the more unpredictable guys in the league," Paul Pierce said of Artest. ''You just hope he shows up, puts his uniform on, and [he is] in the starting lineup. [If] they do that, you know he's on."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he fully expects to see Artest in uniform tomorrow night. ''I'm sure he'll play," Rivers said. ''I'd be surprised if he didn't. I'm assuming it'll be a zoo here." And he wasn't referring to the All-American Rejects, who are scheduled to perform after the game.

What about it, Paul? How will it feel being guarded by one of the league's best defenders?

''That'd be great. I'm just happy to see him put on an NBA uniform again," Pierce said. ''We've had a lot of good battles over the years. I miss playing against him. He's a competitor. I'd like to see him, especially while he's out of shape."

Artest played 16 games this season for the Pacers before he went public with his trade demand and was summarily banished. But while he stayed away from the team, he still collected his paycheck. Said Rivers, ''I think that's an amazing thing that Indiana did. Six weeks with pay? If you can get that job, I think everyone should apply for that."

The Kings will be Artest's third NBA stop (following Chicago and Indiana). It was with the Pacers that he developed into an All-Star-caliber player; Indiana uberscout Kevin Mackey called Artest the best two-way player at his position in the world. He's probably right.

It was also with Indiana that Artest's quick-trigger temper manifested itself on numerous occasions, the most infamous being the Nov. 19, 2004, decision to enter the stands at the Palace of Auburn Hills, a decision that cost him the rest of the 2004-05 season and basically ended what the Pacers felt was a legitimate chance at an NBA championship.

The Pacers stood by their man through it all and so did their fans. If there were one place that Artest could survive and thrive, it was thought to be in Indiana.

But after returning from his 73-game suspension, he made it through one month -- and then everything unraveled. Teammates turned on him. Bird said he felt ''betrayed." Walsh sifted through offers, determined not to give away Artest. A deal for Corey Maggette of the Clippers fell through and then the Stojakovic deal, which has been on and off, rekindled.

It's a bit of risk for both teams; the Kings have to deal with Artest, and Stojakovic is in the last year of his contract. But it's done.

''I'm glad it's over. I'm glad for the league that it's over," Rivers said.

''I think our league has made some pretty good strides and when we have that kind of stuff, I don't think that's good for our league. It's more 'spoiled athlete' stuff and that we have to get rid of. I'm just glad the league can move on. Let's talk about Kobe's 81. Let's talk about Chris Paul. Let's talk about Shaq. Those are good things."