Metta World Peace: 'Lakers are going to go to the NBA Finals'

Metta World Peace, who was amnestied by the Lakers this offseason and signed with the Knicks, said his former team will make it to the NBA Finals this upcoming season. (Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

Metta World Peace, who was amnestied by the Los Angeles Lakers this summer before signing with his hometown New York Knicks, said his former Laker team will be in the NBA Finals this season.

According to a report from Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com, World Peace laid out his high expectations for Los Angeles, a team that barely made it into the playoffs last season as a seventh seed and was ousted in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs:

"I think the Lakers are going to go to the NBA Finals...I think Kobe [Bryant's] gonna be healthy, they're gonna get Pau [Gasol]. The Lakers are gonna make a big trade like they always do. They're gonna get another good player, boom, boom, and they're gonna go to the Finals. I believe it. Kobe's gonna come back, he's gonna play team ball, and Pau's gonna play well."

If World Peace is correct and he also believes his new teammates in New York, it will be a Lakers-Knicks Finals in June. Earlier this summer, Knicks swingman J.R. Smith guaranteed his team will win the NBA championship in June, a sentiment echoed by teammate Beno Udrih, who signed with the Knicks this summer and said he believes the Knicks can make it to the Finals.

World Peace added that in the days following his release from the Lakers, he got calls from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers, two teams expected to contend in the Western Conference Finals, but turned them down because he knew he wanted to play in New York to win a ring.

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