The West Coast was the best coast last night, as the NBA’s Los Angeles and New York teams squared off in a pair of contests. The Clippers handled the Knicks even after Chris Paul left the game early with a hamstring strain, and the Lakers edged the Nets in spite of Jason Kidd‘s best efforts. Here’s more out of L.A.:
- After he was amnestied by the Lakers in July, Metta World Peace seriously considered signing with the Clippers, as he tells Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles. “I was at the Clippers’ facility the whole summer, but I just felt like the biggest challenge in the world is New York City,” said the Knicks forward. World Peace went on to say that he hopes to see former teammate Lamar Odom return to the NBA, whether it’s with the Clips or another club.
- The man formerly known as Ron Artest also had some thoughts on Kobe Bryant‘s extension with the Lakers, telling Markazi that he thinks Kobe could have secured a larger salary from the team: “He could have gotten whatever he wanted. Whatever he would have asked for, he would have probably gotten. It’s good because it leaves them money to bring in another player, so it was very smart of them.”
- Jordan Farmar, who took a pay cut this summer to leave Turkey and return to the NBA on a minimum-salary deal, has been a great bargain for the Lakers so far, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles. Farmar is only on a one-year contract, so if he keeps playing this well, it may prove difficult for L.A. to keep him beyond this season.