The Lakers “Fantastic Four” came up short in a recent poll done by Sports Illustrated. The magazine polled 19 league executives (10 general mangers) on their favorites for the 2013 season, and surprisingly the league executives believe the Heat will repeat as NBA champions. A lot has yet to be proven by the Lakers, as season hasn’t started, and expectations of a team don’t necessarily mean action by a team. With Howard also unable to start the season, these executives must have been wary to pass the crown over to Los Angeles just yet.
What is even more remarkable, for all the notoriety the Lakers as a franchise have, and for the team location in Los Angeles, the Lakers didn’t even rank as the #1 most recognized jersey. That is right; of a rank of 30 NBA jerseys, the Lakers took the third spot, with the arch rival Boston Celtics coming in at number one. The top five were the Celtics, Spurs, Lakers, Warriors, and Jazz.
In honor of summer ending, I wanted to give a special shout out to my favorite Laker who always keeps me entertained on and off the court. For those of you who have been keeping up with his shenanigans, Metta World Peace has given us an incredible past few months filled with Twitter mishaps, children’s programming, and really bad television pilots. The age of Ron Artest is no more; despite rumors that the Lakers small forward was changing his name back, this is not the case. Instead we are left with this all encompassing goof ball I have grown to love, and I am really okay with that. This got me to thinking this morning how almost every team, industry, etc. has their own “Metta World Peace”… here are some of my favorites:
R. Kelly is the Metta World Peace of R&B music.
The Kardashians are the Metta World Peace of famous families.
Manny Ramirez is the Metta World Peace of the MLB.
Goldfish are the Metta World Peace of the animal kingdom.
Tweet me at @ajmoyal and Lakers Nation at @lakersnation with your _____ is the Metta World Peace of _____.
Lakers Nation News
Metta World Peace Says He’s Not Changing Name Back to Ron Artest
NBA News: Doug Collins Wants to Turn Spencer Hawes into Pau Gasol
Could Dwight Howard’s Absence Lead To A Less Than Perfect Pau Gasol?
Video: Let’s Be Honest – Blockbuster Beard and Rookie Hazing
Kevin Durant Surpasses Kobe Bryant in NBA 2K13 Player Ratings
NBA News: Lakers’ Jersey Ranked Third Best in League
Dwight Howard Rejects Opponents Shots in Pop-a-Shot
NBA News: League Executives Predict Miami Heat to Win 2013 Title
Lakers News
Concern Growing About Lakers Games Not Being on TV [OC Register]
Coach: The Challenge of Offensive Integration [Hoopsworld]
The Forum: How Good are the Lakers? [ESPN]
Lakers will Unveil Statue of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar During Season [LA Times]
Behind L.A.’s Scouting Staff [NBA]
How Should the Lakers Adjust to Dwight Howard’s Possible Absence? [LA Times]
Assessing the Lakers’ Potential Pitfalls on Road to an NBA Title [LA Times]
How Will Kobe Bryant Mesh with the Lakers’ Revamped Roster? [Sports Illustrated]
Dwight Howard Plays Around and Cheats in Pop-a-Shot [LA Times]
Hold Off On Crowning The Lakers [Hang Time Blog]
Lakers Chat: Do the Lakers Have the Most Talented NBA Team? [LA Times]
NBA News
Myths of the Hardwood [Hardwood Paroxysm]
Washington Wizards Officially Sign Martell Webster [Eye on Basketball]
Nets to Work Out Eddy Curry [ESPN]
Reggie Miller Picked his Sister to Present Him at the Hall of Fame [The Basketball Jones]
Kris Humphries Sued by Woman Claiming He Gave Her STD. Eww. [ProBasketballTalk]
Donte Greene Fractured his Ankle, Putting Nets Signing on Hold [Eye on Basketball]
Optimism Returns to New Orleans With New Owner, No. 1 Pick [NBA]
Kendall Marshall Plays Angry Birds Before Games [Sports Illustrated]
Sacramento Kings Can’t Even Keep Open their Official Online Team Store [Eye on Basketball]
The Inbounds: How the West Will Almost-But-Not-Actually Be Won [ProBaskteballTalk]
Charles Barkley Karaoke Sings ‘End of the Road’ with Boyz II Men [Eye on Basketball]
Lingering Issues For The Heat? [Hang Time Blog]
Have a look at tiny, pre-unibrow Anthony Davis [The Basketball Jones]
Larry Bird to Get Statue at Alma Mater, Will Tower over Magic [ProBasketballTalk]