Metta World Peace Lucky To Only Get Seven Game Ban

All things being considered both the Lakers and Metta World Peace lucked out with the NBA’s ruling on the elbow felt round the NBA. Seven games is almost an insult even if the bulk of those will be playoff contests.

The league could have easily taken the past transgressions of a then Ron Artest into account but clearly they didn’t.

The Lakers themselves could have handled the matter internally by banning Metta from the team all together but they didn’t.

Metta could have simply removed himself from the team as self-punishment but he didn’t.

Instead Metta will miss seven games total one of which will be the season finale in Sacramento the rest to be served during the playoffs. Now nothing guarantees the Lakers will even play six postseason games so for all we know Metta might not be seen again this season.

There are plenty of fans in Lakerland counting those chickens before they’ve hatched thinking we’ll have World Peace back for the second round.

Slow your roll.

Unless the first round goes seven games then the Lake Show is minus Metta for the first round for sure. No matter who the Lakers draw in round one it will not be a given that they can advance especially without the services of their defensive enforcer.

So before you start thinking long-term keep in mind that this suspension looms large for L.A.’s round one opponent.

The reality is the league could have easily shutdown World Peace for the entire postseason and some of next season and this Laker fan wouldn’t have been shocked. In fact for me it’s time to move on from Metta. If anything a seven game ban is surprising in itself. With the way the NBA is sensitive to concussions these days and given Metta’s past it comes off as soft that only seven games were deemed the most that could be done.

But so be it. This situation is what it is at this point.

I can appreciate the work Metta has done to correct many of the problems that have plagued his career. Clearly there is still more work to be done. For the Lakers they’ve got to be thankful the league didn’t make this mess even uglier with a lengthy ban. So if this team can manage without him we’ll see World Peace again in round two…if the Lakers are lucky enough to get there.