Conquer to achieve World Peace

“Some people believe for us to achieve world peace the only way that can be achieved is through sheer will and through force of nature so sometimes you just have to go and conquer the territory and that's when you establish world peace.” – Kobe Bryant

            Kobe Bryant said that to Metta World Peace after finishing “that Clippers battle” at the Staples Center recently.  That quote shades World Peace’s vicious elbow to the head of James Harden a little differently, doesn’t it?

            While replays were being shown of World Peace’s clearly intentional attack, Tweeters everywhere were collectively shaking their heads in disgust at a man who doesn’t seem willing or capable of changing.  What World Peace did was terrible; he deserves the heavy suspension he will get.  But I’m not so sure he deserves all of the blame that will come his way the next few days.

            Metta World Peace obviously has deep-rooted issues connected with basketball; this is a man whose inspiration for playing hardnosed was witnessing the murder of a basketball player on the basketball court.  He has viciously elbowed players before.  He ran into the freaking stands to punch a guy.  He does not act or react the way normal people do.

            Shooting a measly 39% from the field and getting progressively slower as the years pass, World Peace has still been able to contribute to teams as a physical, defensive presence.  This is what commentators, Mike Brown, and Kobe Bryant have praised World Peace for doing this year.  Every good team has a guy who will battle for rebounds, grind on defense, and commit a hard foul if it needs to be done.  The only difference is every other good team doesn’t have a crazy person doing these things.

            Kobe Bryant said to a radio show that he told World Peace in a one-on-one conversation that World Peace needed to go out and “kick butt and then you establish some order.”  World Peace elbowed head and then he established some order.  I’m not saying Kobe Bryant told Metta to elbow James Harden in the head, or that he even implied something like that.  Kobe Bryant probably thought like a rational person, that World Peace should play tough and not back down from opponents.  And maybe at the time World Peace understood the message Kobe tried to send.  But should we really trust a person with no semblance of perspective or self-awareness to deliver this message?  Ron Artest is crazy for acting so violently so frequently, but we’re crazy for  expecting him to play such a physical brand of basketball without ever lashing out again.