Metta World Peace, whom the Lakers signed in September partially because of his veteran leadership, wants to be a coach after his playing career is over and his goal is to be a head coach, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes in an extensive profile of the small forward’s character evolution. The Lakers, according to Medina, have been thoroughly impressed with the way World Peace has mentored second-year player Julius Randle. World Peace is not ready to hang it up just yet, Medina writes, but many around the Lakers believe his transition to coaching will be “seamless.”
“He’d be a good coach,” Kobe Bryant said, per Medina. “He’s extremely intelligent and communicates very well and is not afraid to hold guys accountable.”
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- World Peace has become more assertive in instructing Randle about developing a mid-range game and becoming more aggressive consistently on the boards, Medina writes in the same piece.
Randle is averaging 11.5 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game this season. - Speaking of Bryant, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times interviewed several former players about transitioning to life without basketball and the consensus was that the transition might be hard for Bryant, given how much he has devoted to the game. In on-camera interviews, however, (and this is simply my observation) Bryant has appeared at ease with his decision and seems set on pursuing different opportunities like filmmaking outside of basketball.
- Bryant is, in fact, at peace with his decision, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes, since the superstar said he “has known for a while” that this would be his final season. To further drive the point home, Washburn adds that Bryant is no longer interested in the preparation required to play in games.