The Knicks Set Their Sights On Metta World Peace [UPDATE]

UPDATE (3:43 pm EST): Reports from ESPN and Yahoo confirm that World Peace has agreed in principle on a 2-year deal with the Knicks.

Now the former Ron Artest can never be confused with some plain Jim. No what makes Peace tick isn't easily diagnosed. What do I mean> Well when  asked what Metta would do after being amnestied by the LA Lakers, Peace had this answer " I want to play for the Knicks, or go to China or play Arena Football." I am not kidding ladies and gentlemen. Talk about having varied interests. That best describes Metta.

Perhaps soon you can add- Forward for the New York Knicks. The Knicks are interested and why shouldn't they be.

The Knicks are cap strapped. They are 1 of 7 teams not to have signed any players via free agency. Course the Knicks did acquire forward Andrea Bargnani from Toronto in a trade. However Peace's favorite team growing up in New York does have a slot for about 1.7 million to offer Peace. There is nothing out on the market for that price the Knicks could acquire at this time that would contribute more. In face Metta brings a few things the Knicks desperately need...

For example some rebounding. You can never have enough guys to crash the glass.

There is defense. Again you never have enough of that. The Knicks could use a role player or 2 to fill in salary slots. Peace also adds some toughness. Peace does bring baggage with him, plenty of baggage, but he has seemed to calm down from some of his antics as he has gotten a bit older and hopefully wiser. However that doesn't mean that Peace ticks to the same clock as most.

I mean what do China, the Arena Football league, or the Knicks have in common that Peace talked about doing? Not a thing. Not a common threat to pick apart or delve into. That is the strangeness of Metta World Peace, but the interesting part as well. I mean if Dennis Rodman can ask for a Nobel Peace Prize for his " trip" to North Korea to "negotiate" with communist dictator Kim Jung Un, well why not have aspirations of playing in China while harboring thoughts of playing AFL ball, or oh yeah the Knicks sound ok too.

The addition of Peace might not make the Knicks better then the Brooklyn Nets, but it certainly makes them interesting, and yes a little bit better.