The last time Metta World Peace played for a basketball team in New York, he had a different name and a different mind-set.
Fran Fraschilla recruited the player formerly known as Ron Artest to St. John’s and coached him for one season. Mike Jarvis, now the coach at Florida Atlantic, was World Peace’s coach in 1999, when he took the Red Storm to the precipice of a Final Four.
Years later, both speak of World Peace with an affection reserved for someone who has made an indelible impact on their lives. Both believe that by coming home to New York to play for the Knicks, the Queensbridge product has a chance to write a happy final chapter to his tumultuous NBA career.
“Tony Bennett may have left his heart in San Francisco, but Metta left it in New York,” Fraschilla said in a phone interview last week. “I’m so happy for him. It should be a happy homecoming. I think at this point in his career, he has the maturity to make this work.”
Said Jarvis: “It could be a happy homecoming and I hope it will be. Ron has figured out a lot of things about himself. I think it’s a good time for him to come home.”
In many ways, World Peace is not the same player or person the Knicks infamously passed on selecting in the 1999 draft because of concerns about whether the then-19-year-old had the maturity to play in his hometown. Now he’s 33. His game may be a bit weaker but his psyche is decidedly stronger.
World Peace, who legally changed his name two years ago, never has come out and said he suffers from a specific mental health condition, but he has been a vocal supporter for the cause in recent years.
In an on-court interview after the Lakers won the NBA title in 2010, he thanked his psychiatrist for helping him “relax” during the tough series with the Celtics. He auctioned off his championship ring in 2010, raising more than $500,000 to provide mental health awareness and treatment services for children. He also has made a number of public service announcements and traveled to Washington to speak to lawmakers about the need to provide mental health services to children in schools.
Before that, his temper tantrums were legendary. The most well-known, of course,was the “Malice at the Palace,” for which he was suspended 73 regular-season games plus 13 playoff games without pay for charging into the stands in 2004 to go after a Detroit fan after he was hit with a cup of soda while lying on the scorer’s table. (He went after the wrong fan and later reached out to and became friendly with the man who did throw the cup.)
But that was far from the only incident. After a Pacers loss to the Knicks at the Garden in 2003, he threw a video monitor and smashed a camera. He also has been involved in a handful of on-court altercations, most recently getting suspended for seven games in 2012 for viciously elbowing the Thunder’s James Harden in the head after World Peace dunked in a playoff game.
When World Peace met with reporters last week, he said he is ready to play whatever role the Knicks need.
“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “I don’t care if I’m starting. I don’t care if I’m sweeping the floors. You hear me? I want to win.”
And win in the city he loves most. Fraschilla couldn’t think of a better way for Artest to finish his career than to do it in a Knicks uniform.
Sports, Pages 29 on 07/21/2013