Ron Artest to Star in a British Soap Opera?

By now you must know that the Cheshire Jets of the British Basketball League are hot on the trail of Ron Artest…soon to be Metta World Peace.  Maybe you heard that they’ve upped the ante by offering Ron Ron a stake in the club. But that was just the tip of the iceberg in the British club’s offer.

Gotta give it up to the Jets. They know what moves Artest and they’re throwing the kitchen sink at him.

ESPN.com reports that the club knows they’re not going to be able to give Metta the world when it comes to cash. So instead they’re giving him something no other club on the planet could possibly offer – a role on a British soap opera.

Jets’ director Peter Hawkins told ESPN that they’re committed to helping Ron Ron raise his public profile across the pond as a means to makeup for the lack of compensation they can offer.

"“You’ll appreciate that we haven’t got the means to entice someone of Ron’s standing on financial grounds. Our commitment is to help raise Ron’s profile in the UK in order to help him develop his music and movie career over here while playing basketball.”"

The report goes on to cite a source with regards to Ron’s acting career in the UK.

"One possibility, according to a source with knowledge of the Jets’ plans, is trying to find Artest a role on a British soap opera."

And to think his agent was against Ron playing in England. I don’t see Besiktas promising Kobe his own Turkish talk show or Deron Williams a role in a Turkish sitcom.

Artest will be in the U.K. in just about a week where he’s expected to make time to sit and listen to all the Jets have to offer. No word on whether or not Guy Ritchie has a part in mind for Artest but we can only hope.

I’d like to be the first to suggest a name for Ron’s character on the British soap. How about Steel McQuade?