Now, they might be ready to give Peace a chance. Or another chance, rather.
The Purple and Gold are reportedly pondering bringing veteran forward Metta World Peace back to Tinseltown, though L.A.'s level of interest is difficult to gauge.
League sources told Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski that the Lakers are "seriously considering" signing the 35-year-old forward, but a league official told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times that the two parties have only had "casual conversations" about a reunion.
Either way, there's some attraction here. And the sources for both hoops scribes all agree that franchise face Kobe Bryant would welcome his teammate from 2009-13 with open arms.
That shouldn't surprise anyone.
World Peace not only started for the Lakers' last championship-banner-raising squad (2010); he also impressed Bryant with his competitive drive.
"He's the one guy that I can rely on night in and night out to compete and play hard and play with that sense of urgency and no fear," Kobe Bryant said of World Peace in May 2012, via Mark Medina, then with the Los Angeles Times.
Maybe that's reason enough for the Lakers to bite.
They've been heavily criticized for living in the past, but they're presently paying Bryant $25 million for the upcoming campaign. To modify a popular phrase, a happy Mamba could mean a happy life in La-La Land.
That said, not everyone is buying Bryant appeasement as an argument for signing the baller formerly known as Ron Artest.
"It is hard to understand why the Lakers would even think about offering a contract to Peace," wrote CBS Sports' Ananth Pandian. "He doesn't fill a hole or a need, ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
