According to reports, Metta World Peace has been working out at the Los Angeles Lakers' practice facility and is moving closer to signing a one-year deal.
The last time World Peace was with the Lakers, LA got booted out of the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs in the immediate aftermath of Kobe Bryant's Achilles rupture. World Peace would be cut under the amnesty provision shortly thereafter, and the uniquely spirited basketball star spoke about playing arena football and heading off to China when NBCLA.com caught up to him.
Well, World Peace did eventually end up in China -- and in Italy, too. On his recent trips to Staples Center, though, the man who hit a big three-pointer in Game 7 to help beat the Boston Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals would regularly intimate his desire to return and play with the Lakers. Now, it appears he may finally get his wish.
So, is signing the 35-year-old power forward a good idea for the Lakers on a rebuild?
I'm told from a league source close to Metta World Peace that there's confidence a deal with the Lakers will happen — Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) September 9, 2015
World Peace's prospective return to the Lakers brings about two starkly different responses.
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On one side, fans and analysts question why the Lakers would want to bring in a 35-year-old to a team that is clearly in the midst of a rebuilding process with Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson as the three highly touted youngsters. When the idea of veteran leadership is floated to this crowd, the response includes pointing to Kobe Bryant, Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bass, Lou Williams and even Nick Young as players that have plenty of experience to share with the youth.
This side focuses on the opportunity cost of signing World Peace and missing out on adding another young player that could help the Lakers beyond one season. These people generally say World Peace can slide into being an assistant coach if he truly wants to help develop Randle.
The other response to adding World Peace features the exact opposite reaction: one of understanding and support. This camp views the opportunity cost of signing another young player that will sit on the bench and provide no real impact on the team or its developing stars. Instead, World Peace can be a positive example that can show Randle how to manage his way through an 82-game NBA season.
More than anything else, World Peace has been known as an exceptional teammate in the locker room and a respected personality on the bench. Showing a young kid how to go about the business of basketball and acting as a mentor inside the locker room, on the practice court and in the hotel room is a role that no other 15th guy on the roster can provide the Lakers' top draft pick of 2014.
Going through the season with a teammate versus an assistant coach are worlds apart when it comes to having an impact on a young player.
Those in favor of World Peace understand the player that graced the Lakers' locker room in the recent glory years. While he may distract with outlandish quotes and unbelievable stories of his past, World Peace is better known on the player circuit for playing hard and unequivocally sacrificing himself for his teammates.
Folks in favor of World Peace returning to the Lakers, which apparently reportedly includes the Lakers, note that World Peace never once caused a disturbance while Dwight Howard and Bryant failed to see eye-to-eye in that lone forgettable "Dwightmare" season. Instead, he went about the business of basketball in his own uniquely professional manner. More than most other teams, the Lakers appreciated their time with World Peace.
For a player like Randle, who has apparently already built a practice relationship with World Peace, having a respected veteran and a champion along for the ride in his first true NBA season could pay far greater dividends than adding a prospective D-League player who cannot find his feet on the court or provide any measurable progress for the future.
Make no mistake, though he may only be around for one year, World Peace can provide the Lakers with a lasting impact that helps them accelerate their rebuilding process.
