Mark J. Rebilas-US Presswire
Metta World Peace is at it again. Peace said in an interview that the goal of the Los Angeles Lakers this year is to beat the Chicago Bulls’ record of 72 wins. He claims that part of their motivation is to try and snatch the record with a 73-win regular season. Peace has also said that he thinks he’s one of the best players in the league and that he doesn’t mind being overlooked and not marketed because he does that on his own.
He has always been a character and his interviews have always been fun, if not a little far-fetched. I believe that his sentiments are clearly just for himself. He wants to surpass the 72-10 Bulls. I don’t really believe that the Lakers’ goal is to win 73 games in the regular season. This is a championship or bust year for them. I don’t think they really care about surpassing the Bulls’ record, although we can never tell how the season turns up.
His sentiments about being one of the best players in the NBA were also quite funny. On the Lakers’ depth chart, Peace is probably just their fourth best player. I don’t deny that he is still a capable defensive player, but he may not even belong in one of the best defensive players in the league. He is getting old and his efficiency has really gone downhill. He is also no longer as quick and explosive as he once was. This is probably just a case of Peace trying to draw attention for the sake of drawing attention.
The 72-10 record Peace is alluding to is a very tough record to beat. You have to love the confidence the guy is showing, but nobody is going to touch that record for a long time. Peace is just trying to prop himself and his team up.
You also have to take into account that Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Peace are all over at least 30 years old. Dwight Howard will miss the start of the season due to injury. Even if the Lakers start the season strong, as soon as they win their division, they will rest their star players to prepare them for the playoffs. In the end, Peace is just trying to bring excitement to his team and we may never see the 72-10 broken for a long time.
