Metta World Peace Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Monroe, World Peace, Nelson

March 22nd, 2015 at 8:38pm CST by Will Joseph

Citing the Celtics’ need for a “true, low post scoring threat,” Greg Monroe, who will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, would be a good fit in Boston, Jackie MacMullan of Comcast SportsNet opines (video link). The Pistons big man is averaging 16 PPG and 10.4 rebounds this season. Only 24, Monroe is expected to receive plenty of interest from potential suitors this summer.

“I think he will fit in with anyone’s style of play,” MacMullan said. “I know the Detroit Pistons will do everything they can to keep him. Imagine Greg Monroe on one block, Jared Sullinger on the other and all those perimeter players you have. Who wouldn’t like that?”

Here’s more from around the world of basketball:

The head coach of the Italian league team Metta World Peace will reportedly sign with confirmed that the team has been in talks with the former NBA player, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia relays. “We are talking with Metta World Peace but we have not signed him yet. I did not read what media said. We are talking with a few players and he is one of them. He can bring us experience and also a lot of curiosity around his name. On Monday our GM will sign a player: it could be Metta World Peace or another one,” said Acqua Vitasnella Cantù coach Stefano Sacripanti, according to the report. World Peace last played in the NBA with the Knicks in 2013/14.
Jameer Nelson, who has a player option on his contract with the Nuggets for next season, said he still feels a strong attachment to Orlando, though he added he has moved on, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Nelson, 33, spent his first 10 seasons in the league with the Magic. “My heart is still here for sure,” Nelson said in reference to Orlando.

And-Ones: Kilpatrick, World Peace, Ellington

March 21st, 2015 at 11:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sean Kilpatrick was in the right place at the right time to get a 10-day contract with the Timberwolves, writes Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. The short-handed Wolves were looking for a player who could get to Thursday’s game in New York quickly, so they turned to Kilpatrick, who was 45 minutes away in Delaware, where he played for the 87ers of the D-League. Despite missing shootaround, Kilpatrick played 10 minutes. “I was just trying to fit in,” he said. “You just go out there and try to play defense. You want to do the right things to stick out and that’s something I wanted to do.”

There’s more from around the world of basketball:

Metta World Peace will sign with Pallacanestro Cantu of the Italian league, according to his brother, as Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia relays. The one-time NBA player, formerly known as Ron Artest, reached an agreement by phone and will leave Wednesday for Italy, his brother said. World Peace last played in the NBA with the Knicks in 2013/14.
Lakers coach Byron Scott said the team will “absolutely” consider bringing back free agent Wayne Ellington, according to Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Scott noted Ellington’s improved shooting and defense, but said the Lakers still have to set their priorities in the draft and free agency. “He made himself a valuable part of this team,” the coach said. “We don’t know what next year holds. But he has shown 30 teams he knows how to play the game.”
The time may be right for Duke freshman point guard Tyus Jones to enter the NBA draft, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Zagoria quotes an unidentified NBA scout who says, “He should leave because his stock will never be higher.”

And-Ones: Dragic, Whiteside, World Peace, Kobe

January 25th, 2015 at 4:59pm CST by Charlie Adams

Goran Dragic reportedly feels better about his situation with Phoenix now than he did during the 2013/14 campaign, but he admits that there’s no guarantee he’ll return to the Suns once he becomes a free agent this summer, as he tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “Every team in the NBA is an option to me, because it is a privilege to play for any team in the NBA,” Dragic said. “When the time comes I’m going to sit down with my family and my agent and try to make the best decision for myself.” We’ll round up more from around the NBA below:

Hassan Whiteside is opening eyes with the Heat, having posted a triple-double today with 14 points, 13 boards, and 12 blocks. The Knicks had some interest in the big man last year but eventually signed Lamar Odom instead, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.
Metta World Peace‘s stint in China has come to an end, as the veteran forward passed along on Twitter. The Clippers were rumored to have interest in inking World Peace to a late season deal.
Kobe Bryant spoke and said he would be a major part of the Lakers’ recruiting efforts this upcoming summer, observes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. “It’s a pretty simple message. It’s the best organization in the world, best brand in the world,” Bryant said of the Lakers. “We win championships. That’s what we do. It would be much more than … X’s and O’s and style of play, things of that nature. There’s no place like winning in Los Angeles, man.”
Jonathan Givony of Draft Express released his latest prospect rankings, with Jahlil Okafor unsurprisingly still topping out the list.

Daniel Orton In, Metta World Peace Out In China?

December 9th, 2014 at 8:44am CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 8:44am: The Blue Whales insist that they have no plans to waive World Peace, as the club announced via Sina Weibo (translation via Xiang Bin of China.org.cn). World Peace took to Twitter to relay that he’s undergone just a “simple procedure” but that the Blue Whales remain his only focus, and that he’ll turn his attention to the NBA after the season. He’ll be out for at least a week, Sichuan GM Geng Jie said, confirming that the team is bringing in a player from overseas to replace World Peace while he’s out, as Bin relays. Presumably, that’s Orton, but World Peace’s return would create a logjam, since the team can’t carry more than two healthy American players at once and American Mike Efevberha leads the team in points, rebounds, assists and blocks.

MONDAY, 2:57pm: Orton’s deal in China is guaranteed for the rest of the season, tweets Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.

9:45am: Daniel Orton has signed with the Sichuan Blue Whales, who are set to let go of Metta World Peace, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. World Peace will only be sidelined for a short time after receiving a scheduled treatment on his knee, Charania hears, but apparently the Blue Whales have nonetheless elected to let go of the 35-year-old former Ron Artest. Orton had signed with China’s Shanxi Zhongyu in October, briefly after the Wizards released him, but the sides later parted ways at the end of what was only a temporary deal, Charania points out. Orton is receiving a “lucrative” deal with Sichuan, though the terms are unclear. There were conflicting reports about the value of World Peace’s one-year contract with the team, which was either $1.43MM, according to Charania, or $700K, as David Pick of Eurobasket.com heard.

Metta World Peace has said that he received offers from NBA teams before he signed with Sichuan in early August. He worked out at the Clippers facility this summer, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com pointed out last month when he followed up on a dispatch from World Peace’s brother indicating that the Clippers had interest in the 15-year NBA veteran. Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers didn’t give the impression that such was the case soon after the report surfaced, however. World Peace reportedly sought this summer to play for the Clippers, Lakers or Knicks, but he said in November that he’d “rather play in Angola” than join the struggling Lakers or Knicks, and he later pointed to conflict with Knicks swingman J.R. Smith as reason why New York didn’t ask him back this year. World Peace averaged 19.6 points and 6.2 rebounds in 28.4 minutes per game across 13 appearances for Sichuan, though he made only five starts.

Orton was the 29th overall pick in the 2010 draft, but he’s averaged only 10.6 minutes per game in just 51 NBA contests for his career. He played 22 games last season for the Sixers, who waived him in January, and later that month he wound up with the Celtics D-League affiliate, where he played in 24 contests.

Eastern Notes: World Peace, Sixers, Humphries

November 15th, 2014 at 8:47am CST by Eddie Scarito

Metta World Peace believes it was a post-game locker room confrontation with J.R. Smith last year that led to him not being re-signed by the Knicks this season despite his familiarity with the triangle offense, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “I don’t understand why they didn’t [sign] me,’’ World Peace said. “But then again, I’m very direct. I think I was too direct in the locker room, too direct to J.R. Smith. It wasn’t from a bad place. If someone is not playing defense or not giving effort, that’s my specialty. I don’t hold back on my words. Nobody wants to talk direct to them. We don’t give it to them straight. I said some things directly to J.R. Smith in the locker room and he challenged me back, said some direct things to me. But he understood where we came from.”

Here’s more from the east:

As the Sixers‘ losses continue to mount, head coach Brett Brown still feels pride in what the franchise is working for and constantly reminds the players of the team’s plan, Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle writes. “It is hard, but it it’s something you remind yourself – why did you take the job?” Brown said. “What are the true realities of the roster we have? What’s the possible outcomes if we can navigate through the first few years we have to face? Sometimes its hard with the personnel that we have. I gotta coach them. I gotta remind them every single day that they have to be focused on the process, not the result.”
Raptors big man Jonas Valanciunas‘ production has been under a higher level of scrutiny this season but head coach Dwane Casey is quick to defend his young player, Mike Ganter of The Toronto Sun writes. “He’s a young kid and his curse is two years ago when he got here everybody said he was the second coming,” Casey said. “Everybody was expecting that sort of impact. As a staff, all we expect is he’s going to grow at the right time, at the right pace and [eventually] he’ll get there. But everybody is waiting for him or wanting him to be more than what he is ready to be right now. He’s right where we need him to be.”
Sign-and-trade acquisition Kris Humphries has added a needed level of toughness and physicality to the Wizards‘ frontcourt, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post writes.

Clippers Eye World Peace For Late-Season Deal?

November 14th, 2014 at 2:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 2:05pm: Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers didn’t give the impression that he has interest in World Peace while speaking with reporters today, notes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links).

WEDNESDAY, 11:27am: The Clippers have been monitoring Metta World Peace for a while, Marc Stein of ESPN.com said this morning on SportsCenter (video link), following up on a tweet from Daniel Artest, World Peace’s brother, who said Tuesday that the Clippers have interest. World Peace, who signed a one-year deal in the offseason with China’s Sichuan Blue Whales, wouldn’t come back to the NBA until the Blue Whales season is over, as Stein points out, but Sichuan’s final regular season game is February 1st. That would leave plenty of time for World Peace to return to the NBA before the end of its regular season in April, barring a long playoff run for his Chinese club, and World Peace said recently that he plans to return to the NBA as soon as later this season.

The Marc Cornstein client worked out at the Clippers facility over the summer, Stein notes, and World Peace reportedly sought deals with the Knicks, Lakers and Clippers this past offseason. The Knicks considered the possibility, and while it’s not clear if either the Lakers or Clippers did, World Peace said this month that he’d “rather play in Angola” than sign with the Knicks or Lakers upon his return from China.

World Peace is off to a strong start in his first Chinese season after 15 years in the NBA, averaging 22.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in about 31 minutes per game across four appearances. His last NBA game was with the Knicks in February shortly before he asked for and was granted his release from the team amid a sharp decline in playing time. He averaged just 13.4 minutes per game last season after receiving 33.7 MPG the year before with the Lakers.

The Clippers are in danger of paying the luxury tax and they’re also not far beneath their $80.829MM hard cap for this season, as Stein mentions, so they’ll have to be particularly judicious with any additions they make. They’re also limited to handing out the minimum salary to free agents, but the minimum prorates throughout the season, meaning that if World Peace were to join the team for the stretch run, his deal would give him less than $1MM.

And-Ones: White, Kerr, Green

November 6th, 2014 at 10:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Metta World Peace insisted that he had offers from NBA teams before he signed with China’s Sichuan Blue Whales, as he said today in an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show (video link). World Peace, who turns 35 this month, added that he plans to return to the NBA, perhaps later this season when the Chinese schedule is over, but he said that he’d “rather play in Angola” than sign this season with the Knicks or Lakers, his two most recent teams.

Here’s more from around the league:

The one-month deal that D.J. White signed with Laboral Kutxa Vitoria of the ACB is set to expire this weekend, and the forward is looking to catch on with an NBA team, David Pick of Eurobasket reports (Twitter link). The Sixers are the only team currently rumored to be in the market for another big man, though with the way injuries are piling up this season, that could change in a flash. White’s last taste of NBA action came last season when he appeared in two games for the Hornets.
Rookie head coach Steve Kerr has made a number of risky decisions involving his starting lineups, but they have all worked out thus far, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. The Warriors head man is revitalized by his return to competition, notes Amick. Kerr weighed in, saying, “I’m alive. I love feeling this way. I love the competition. I love being part of the group. I love trying to build something together. The intensity — you can’t even come close to matching. On TV, you’re talking about what somebody else is doing. Now we’re talking about what we’re doing. So we’re in the fight, and that’s what makes it fun.”
ESPN basketball analyst Jeff Van Gundy has nothing but praise for Warriors forward Draymond Green, Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com writes. Van Gundy suggested that Green, who is set to become a restricted free agent next summer, would command an annual salary between $10MM-$12MM, Poole notes. For his part, Green was quick to dispel any discussion of his next contract, saying, “But it’s four games into the season. If I start worrying about $10 (million) or $12MM right now, I’m going to get $2 (million).”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Metta World Peace, Chinese Team Agree To Deal

August 4th, 2014 at 7:55am CST by Chuck Myron

MONDAY, 7:55am: World Peace took to Twitter to confirm the deal, posting a photo of what appears to be him next to Blue Whales officials, set to put pen to paper on a contract.

FRIDAY, 10:01am: Multiple sources tell David Pick of Eurobasket.com that World Peace’s contract will only be worth $700K (Twitter link).

THURSDAY, 2:40pm: The deal is worth $1.43MM, according to Shams Charania of RealGM. It’s indeed for just one season, and World Peace will look for work in the NBA once it’s done, Charania hears (Twitter links).

11:18am: Free agent forward Metta World Peace has an agreement in principle with the Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association, the team’s GM confirms to Sina.com (hat tip to Sportando’s Enea Trapani). It’s a $1.3MM arrangement, according to Trapani. Presumably it covers one season. Ian Begley of ESPN.com wrote earlier this week that the sides had been close to a deal.

The Knicks had been thinking about giving World Peace an invitation to training camp, and the 34-year-old has expressed regret about buying out his contract with New York last season before the team hired Phil Jackson as president. The Marc Cornstein client had also been eyeing the Lakers and the Clippers, but it didn’t seem like those teams reciprocated that interest.

The deal with Sichuan will give him slightly less than the $1,448,490 he would have made on a veteran’s minimum deal with an NBA team, but his Chinese salary appears to be guaranteed. Going to China will also probably give World Peace the chance to return to the NBA for the stretch run, since China’s season ends as early as February.

World Peace put up career lows in several categories thanks to a drastic cut in minutes this past season. He averaged just 13.4 minutes per game compared to 33.7 in 2012/13, which helps to explain why he engineered the buyout.

Metta World Peace To Play In China?

July 29th, 2014 at 9:07pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Free agent forward Metta World Peace is close to signing a contract to play for the Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).

The 34-year-old forward last played for the Knicks in 2013/14 but was waived in late February. In March, World Peace sought a return to New York not too long after the team hired Phil Jackson as president of basketball operations; the latest we heard was that the Knicks were only mulling a training camp invite on a non-guaranteed deal. We also passed along that the Queensbridge native also had interest in returning to Los Angeles to play for the Clippers or Lakers, although talks about re-joining the purple-and-gold weren’t considered to be serious.

The Marc Cornstein client statistically had his worst season to date last year in a handful of categories, averaging a career low in points (4.8), rebounds (2.0), steals (0.8), and minutes (13.4) through 29 games. It’s interesting to wonder just how much World Peace has left in the tank after not playing much last season, especially considering his productive stat line when he was a mainstay in the Lakers’ rotation under Mike D’Antoni in 2012/13 (12.4/5.0/1.6/33.7).

And-Ones: Wiggins, Allen, Brooks

July 19th, 2014 at 12:56pm CST by Cray Allred

Kobe Bryant told reporters including Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com that he was happy with the Lakers offseason efforts, even though they didn’t yield a star addition like Carmelo Anthony (Twitter links). “I think [GM Mitch Kupchak] has responded quite efficiently [from missing on ‘Melo and Pau Gasol] by picking up some of the pieces he has,” said Bryant, who was not as supportive of the front office’s tactics earlier this year. Here’s more from around the league:

Andrew Wiggins tells Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk that he’s unfazed by the rumors swirling around his name and a potential Kevin Love trade (Twitter links). “I let my agent and my support system handle [rumors]; I just love playing the game of basketball and I know the NBA is a business,” said the Cavs No. 1 pick. “I just play basketball, man, wherever I go.”
Marc Stein of ESPN.com (video link) speculates that the Cavs will ultimately wind up landing Kevin Love. Stein believes Cleveland is currently debating whether or not to sign Wiggins before a deal, since his salary would help even the trade, but would delay the process for trading him another 30 days.
Ray Allen isn’t in a rush to make a decision on retiring or returning for another year, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
The Knicks are considering offering Metta World Peace a training camp invite on a non-guaranteed deal to give the veteran a chance at making the team this year, reports Marc Berman of The New York Post. World Peace is eager to reunite with Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher in New York after being coached and playing alongside the duo during his time in Los Angeles.
The Bulls have renounced Kirk Hinrich in a maneuver to help provide wiggle room for Chicago’s influx of signings, tweets Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com. Hinrich’s agreement to re-sign with the team will be unaffected by the move.
Free agent MarShon Brooks has hired a new agent, Wallace Prather, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The shooting guard was formerly represented by Seth Cohen of the Original Creative Representation agency.
Brooks tells Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee that he’s trying to prove he’s an NBA player this summer, after earning a reputation as an undisciplined offense-only talent over his first three years in the league.