The New York Knicks have signed New York native Metta World Peace to a two-year deal, according to reports. Al Iannazzone of Newsday has reported World Peace will receive the Knicks' midlevel exception, and will have a second-year player option.
There was much speculation about where the mercurial forward was headed after the Los Angeles Lakers used their amnesty provision on him in order to clear close to $15 million of cap space, and the Knicks were frequently mentioned as a No. 1 or No. 2 choice, along with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Metta World Peace's claim to fame in his NBA prime was his ability and willingness to lock down the opposing team's top wing scorer, as well as provide a little offense himself.
Lately both of those qualities have diminished somewhat with age, and his antics on and off the court persist. Still, the Knicks have use for a defense-oriented perimeter player to take the pressure off Carmelo Anthony, and who has more size than shooting guard Iman Shumpert. World Peace also knows how to handle the New York spotlight, having come over from another big market and having starred in college for St. John's.
Prior to signing, World Peace was making bizarre claims of possibly playing in China, telling media, "I want to do something unique and fun. China has over a billion people. It's fun. I want to be adventurous. I've been thinking about it."
The Knicks may also have eyes for Nate Robinson, who began his career in blue and orange and spent over four seasons in New York. Robinson found his niche as a bench scorer for the Chicago Bulls, then filled in admirably as a replacement in the points column when Derrick Rose missed the whole year with a torn ACL and Luol Deng fell ill in the postseason.
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