MWP: Feeling, Playing Better

[kblo247]

LOS ANGELES -- Injuries have been the story of the Los Angeles Lakers' season as much as anything, from Dwight Howard's back and shoulder to Pau Gasol's knees and foot to Jordan Hill's hip, Steve Nash's leg, Steve Blake's groin and now Kobe Bryant's ankle.

And there was another injury that went unreported and hampered L.A., as well.

After scoring 22 points on 10-for-13 shooting against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, Metta World Peace revealed he had been playing through a right leg injury for more than two months.

"I popped something in my fibula, but it didn't tear," World Peace said, saying he suffered the injury when the Lakers hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 11.

World Peace said he took a charge on San Antonio's Tiago Splitter on Jan. 9 and got kneed in the pelvic region, which led to the leg injury in his next game.

"Messed up my alignment," World Peace said. "Most injuries come from when you're pelvis is not aligned. People don't know that."

The injury, combined with an injury to his right arm around the same time that made it difficult to bend his elbow, prevented him from doing his normal in-season weight lifting routine.

"I had to sacrifice some of my exercises, some of my strength and conditioning," World Peace said. "I couldn't do as much, so then I was getting weaker a little bit. I was getting weaker throughout the season.”

“As I got healthy, then I was able to get back,” he said. “Now I'm able to lift again and do my exercises and agility and stuff. Now I'm able to guard guys again. I'm moving my feet well, and I have a lot of strength down low."

It was so bad that Mike D'Antoni didn't feel comfortable putting World Peace on the opposing team's best wing scorer anymore -- his bread and butter. Instead the Lakers coach moved him to big man defensive duties.

"I thought he was really having trouble guarding perimeter guys and that's why I kind of moved him to the 4,” D'Antoni said, “but now he's guarding perimeter guys fine.”

Prior to the string of injuries, World Peace had scored 20 or more points in four out of nine games and was finding a consistent role in the offense.

"If you look back at that Houston game [before it] and the San Antonio game, I was getting to the hole," World Peace said. "If you look back at that game, I was getting to the hole anytime I wanted, going coast to coast. After that game, it was kind of downhill and I started to miss layups. And when I started to miss layups, I had to resort to shooting 3s."

It took a while to get back to form, but World Peace is clicking once again. He estimated he is 98 percent better. He has scored in double digits in eight of the Lakers' nine games in the month of March.

"I'm moving now again," World Peace said.

It's showing on both ends of the court.

"He's playing a very high level defensively," D'Antoni said. "If he can do that, then when Pau [Gasol] comes back, that's really going to help a lot with him being able to guard the perimeter."

Been telling people John Ireland said he got hurt on that Texas b2b without the bigs late. It shows now as he is moving again like he was to start the year and that's huge for our playoff hopes all together

[kblo247]

http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/...playing-better

[LakerPride]

good to know... he played tremendously well in that Pacers game

[kblo247]

It makes sense. Anyone hurts their pelvis and they know they are pretty much screwed physically in a sport that relies on bumping and banging. It also explains why he was crowding guys from the left side and just now back to defending to the right where his left hand can be if use. I guess he felt the need to try to body up best he could with the injury

[Tymathee]

awesome, its all coming together at the right time! Kobe and Pau fresh, metta healthy, blake and jamison playing out their minds and if we make it to the 2nd round, could have our energy guy off the bench, sweet 9-10 man rotation.

[GREATNESS ONE]

Just keep playing better.

[GetShrutedOn]

3 good games and all of a sudden this guy is a good player? Please. He is still garbage. He's sucked the past three years. Guy can't shoot the ball in a ****ing ocean.

[Big Moves03]

3 good games and all of a sudden this guy is a good player? Please. He is still garbage. He's sucked the past three years. Guy can't shoot the ball in a ****ing ocean.

He hasn't sucked at all. He hasn't been an all star caliber player, but he's been pretty decent since joining the team and this year, he was playing at a pretty high level the first 2 months of the season.

[GetShrutedOn]

He hasn't sucked at all. He hasn't been an all star caliber player, but he's been pretty decent since joining the team and this year, he was playing at a pretty high level the first 2 months of the season.

First off, I knew you were going to reply to my post because you seem to have some sort of Metta fetish. Second, an all star caliber player!?!?! That is just ridiculous. He has not been decent since joining the Lakers. The first year with us, he was decent but still no where near what people expected him to be. The next two years he was just God awful. Just terrible. This year he had a hot start and went back to normal as time has passed. His PPG is higher this year case he is a bonafied chucker. The guy averages more shots than Pau, Nash, and Dwight. He takes bad shots every game and forces things and that's inexcusable for a guy who shoots 38-39 percent ever year.

[LAKobeBryant]

He's a good defender and spot up shooter but just makes bad decisions and the ball will never leave his hands if he gets it. Just bad decision maker.

[GetShrutedOn]

He's a good defender and spot up shooter but just makes bad decisions and the ball will never leave his hands if he gets it. Just bad decision maker.

Good spot up shooter?? The dude misses the most wide open shots in the NBA.

[bluefire7002]

He's a good defender and spot up shooter but just makes bad decisions and the ball will never leave his hands if he gets it. Just bad decision maker.

Yea, you have to take the bad along with the good from MWP. You know he will play hard everynight and not take a possession off, you just tend to notice it more when his shots are falling. However, ive said it before... He's a very low IQ player and tends to not know when to give up the ball.

[bluefire7002]

Good spot up shooter?? The dude misses the most wide open shots in the NBA.

He's not Reggie Miller but id say he's about an average 3 point shooter out there. Sometimes when his shot is falling, on that night, He's a pretty good shooter.

[LaLa_Land]

During the past 7 games I've counted over 10 air balls. Half of those were on wide-open shots during which he unnecessarily fades away ALL THE TIME.

He's an above average three point shooter when his feet are set, especially from the corners. Other than open-spot up three's, the only thing he should be doing is posting up when in a mis-match. He shouldn't be wasting any energy on offense at all, as his biggest contribution to the team is aggressive, physical DEFENSE!

So quit talkin about "O" Ron - just play D. "...goin' coast to coast..." lmao his coast-to-coast attacks make me start shaking and force me to pucker up out of sheer nervousness.

[Showtime Steve]

When he (like most avg players) have their role defined, they can flourish. Jamison Blake are the same reason. When he tries to crossover someone or anything outside of defense and hustle and the occasional open jumper, he fails. Stay your lane. This team doesn't need someone thinking they have to save the day.