Former Laker Metta World Peace Talks New Look Lakers and the James Harden Elbow
Laker fans definitely remember Ron Artest, now named Metta Sandiford-Artest, and known as Metta World Peace for a time. He helped the Lakers win the 2010 NBA finals. He was a 4 time NBA all-defense, the 2003-04 Defensive Player of the Year, and a one time All-star.
Artest is also known for his on the court and off the court controversies as much as he's remembered for his game. As time has passed this might be at least slightly unfair to Artest, but sometimes your actions live larger than your intentions or apologies.
As a Laker, here are two of Artest's biggest Laker moments.
The Lakers signed Artest to help compete and defend against guys like Paul Pierce and LeBron James. He did just that. While he'll inevitably be remembered for things like the elbow to James Harden and the infamous "Malice at the Palace," he was a good player and by all accounts a great teammate. Recently, he spoke with Bally sports, per Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson. As for the Harden elbow, he is still apologetic.
Artest's rage was always a question mark when he was in the NBA, but his most well-known problem (the malice at the palace) came when he was actually resting on the scorer's table trying to avoid an on the court fight. He should not have climbed into the stands and fought fans, but the fan should not have thrown a beer at an NBA player, either.
Artest also had some thoughts about the current Lakers. He made a unique comparison about Anthony Davis to another player known for his on-the-court issues.
Davis clearly has a more refined offensive game than Wallace did but Wallace had a decent post game. Still, Davis can go off the dribble, pull-up off a dribble, and moves quicker than Wallace did. But it's not a bad comparison. Both players have strong jump shots and post games, and Wallace probably was a stronger defender when he wasn't complaining about being called for fouls.
Artest also had thoughts on the 2021-22 Lakers.
It's a bit of a clunky quote, but Artest does have a point. People's biggest concern when high-usage scorers team up on the same team tend to resemble quotes like, "not enough balls to go around on that team." Artest's point is that there is only one ball during a game, and as long as the Lakers effectively share the ball and play defense, this roster will work.
Artest's legacy may never be what he wanted it to be, but he was a great defensive player and helped the Lakers win championship, and that makes him a Laker forever.
