It has been yet another less than stellar offseason for the Purple and Gold, as they struck out on top tier free agents, settling for ample role players instead to fill in their roster.
At the very least, the Los Angeles Lakers have assembled a more competitive team than last year, but reaching the playoffs in a superior Western Conference is far-fetched. At the end of the day, they have a very young, inexperienced team surrounding the aging Kobe Bryant and still have some cracks to fill.
One area of concern throughout the offseason has been their small forward position. The Lakers did not do anything to fulfill their need at the three spot, which has many wondering who will be the starting small forward when the season begins.
There have been rumbles that Bryant is most likely going to man that position. But is he the appropriate fit at the starting three position?
Bryant, 37, has suffered a few major injuries the past couple of seasons, sidelining him for enormous portions of a season. Whether he likes it or not, his body isn’t as durable as it used to be which is hurting him on the defensive end. Placing him at the small forward slot is only going to cause more defensive complications.
How can he possibly defend some of the elite small forwards in this league such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony? Those guys are much younger, quicker, and more explosive than Bryant. At this juncture of his career, it is better to play Bryant at his natural position and have him defend players who aren’t much of an offensive threat, primarily spot up shooters.
Bryant definitely shouldn’t be the starting small forward, but who can handle that position instead? Rookie Anthony Brown is too young and unproven to earn a starting role at this time, and Nick Young is better suited off the bench.
However, there is one guy who used to don a purple and gold uniform which the Lakers have been reportedly interested in and are close to signing, and he goes by the name of Metta World Peace.
World Peace isn’t going to make the Lakers playoff contenders by any means, but he will at least be a suitable starting forward. The 35-year old’s offensive skills are probably mediocre at best, but the Lakers don’t need him to score much. They simply need World Peace’s size on defense and his overall tenacity.
What the Lakers could do is, have World Peace become a starter who plays bench minutes. Basically, he could play the first five minutes of each quarter and share the rest of the minutes with Swaggy P. That way, Young is still coming off the bench as the immediate offensive weapon, and the Lakers are still benefiting off World Peace’s defensive abilities, whatever is left of it.
Bottom line is, World Peace is a natural small forward and was once the Defensive Player of the Year. Certainly, he is nowhere near a top defender anymore, but he is good enough for a substandard team like the Lakers.
For what it's worth, he averaged 19 points, six rebounds, and 2.3 steals per contest when he played in China last year.
Nonetheless, the idea that World Peace could help the Lakers is downright laughable, but when a team is desperately in need of more help, even the formerly known Ron Artest could come to the rescue.