The Los Angeles Lakers surprised a lot of people this offseason when they signed Metta World Peace to a contract. Even after they had signed him as a training camp invitee, not many people expected him to make the team, but he did and has stuck around all year.
The Lakers like having World Peace on the team because he is a veteran presence for the young players on the roster, and he has really taken to being a leader. On the court, World Peace has not had much of an impact because he has largely been out of the rotation, but he still feels as though he has a lot left in the tank.
Prior to this season, World Peace couldn't even find an NBA team to give him a contract, which led to him playing in China, but now, he feels confident that he has a couple more years in the NBA left in him.
"I still want to get in the playoffs again. I want to do a couple more years," World Peace said. "This year I didn't play much so I kind of saved myself. I'm going to come back next year strong."
By all accounts, World Peace has handled his lack of playing time very well and has been a great teammate. It is just a matter of whether any team will want to give a contract to a 36-year-old with much diminished skills. This offseason, the Lakers signed MWP to a one-year contract that initially was not fully guaranteed. World Peace eventually had his contract guaranteed, but it is far from a certainty that he will be able to find another team to do the same next season.
The man formerly known as Ron Artest has appeared in just 28 games this season, averaging 4.3 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 28 percent from the field. Those poor numbers did not stop head coach Byron Scott from saying that World Peace was playing a big role for the Lakers earlier in the season.
World Peace is a fun guy to have in the NBA because of his personality and the way he is with the media, but the reality is that he is not a good basketball player anymore. There is still a possibility that a team could add him to their roster next season as a veteran presence, but for the most part, teams don't like to waste roster spots on players that can't really provide much on the court.
