Metta World Peace gets serious about winning a championship with Knicks

Simmons, Howard/New York Daily News

Metta World Peace talks up his new Knicks teammates, especially Carmelo Anthony.

Metta World Peace was a fountain of one-liners during media day on Monday, refusing to give straight answers on most topics and generally toying with reporters. He was funny. He cracked up his teammates, and it was unusual to see someone so uninhibited on the club.

Was that going to be the routine all season? Would World Peace ever get serious?

He changed his tone on Thursday, giving perhaps the most heartfelt, insightful talk of any player so far in training camp.

Three days after admitting the most comfortable he ever felt as a player was when he was in his bed, World Peace revealed a serious side in discussing what it will take for the Knicks to win a championship.

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He still doled out jokes. But this time they were thoughtful - if somewhat debatable - one-liners.

He compared Coach Mike Woodson to Phil Jackson, whom World Peace won a title with for the Lakers in 2010. He disputed the view that Mike D'Antoni is a mediocre defensive coach. And he took a veiled shot at the Pat Riley-coached Knicks teams of the early '90s that won games with suffocating defensive pressure, saying these Knicks don't need to play that way to win.

"I know New York fans love old, physical teams," he said. "New York is a physical place. But New York don't have a championship in the last - how many years? '73? It's about time we become intelligent. It's about time we change that. All that old, physical stuff that all these fans are talking about - I'm from New York. It's not winning championships. You have to bring some type of intelligence."

And in talking about the old Knicks, the former St. John's product seemed to also be talking about himself, how World Peace has evolved from a player who was once part of the worst brawl in league history, the 2004 "Malice at the Palace" against the Pistons when he was with Indiana, to a savvy veteran and trusted teammate.

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After watching the Knicks lose in the second round of the playoffs to a tougher Indiana team last year, World Peace, whom the Knicks picked up in free agency, gave a spirited defense of his current teammates, and why it was foolish to doubt they could win a championship. He referenced titles won by newly acquired point guard Beno Udrih in San Antonio and Tyson Chandler in Dallas and his own contribution to winning a title in Los Angeles. And he defended Carmelo Anthony, who has been criticized for his ability to lead a team.

"Melo has the killer instinct," World Peace said. "He has that championship special character about him. You need a player like Melo - someone that you can't really see what's in his heart. You can see his stats but you can't really measure how big his heart is. It has no limit. So obviously he has championship capabilities."

But he saved perhaps his biggest compliment for Woodson, comparing him to Jackson, who holds the record for NBA championships with 11. World Peace said that both Woodson, who won a title with Detroit as an assistant, and Jackson make similar demands of their players and thrive at coaching both ends of the floor.

"I think Woody, he reminds me of Phil Jackson a little bit, with the exception that Phil ran the Triangle," he said. "Phil had a couple of different concepts, but as far as holding each other accountable, figuring it out on the floor - Woody will put in the sets on defense and offense and he expects us to play together and play smart and in that sense he reminds me a lot of Phil."

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He defended D'Antoni's ability to coach defense, saying the players were at fault if they couldn't stop their opponents.

World Peace was still his defiant self, saying, in response to a question concerning Woodson's stated goal of scaling back the veterans' minutes to keep them fresh later in the season: "I'm not toning back," he said. "No toning back. That's how I play. You go all-out, play smart first and you go all out and that's it. And when you can't do that anymore, then you have to wrap it up."

And of course, he still had time for a couple funny one-liners, but this time they were used on a serious topic - his long-term health.

"You only age when you eat bad," he said of why he still felt young at 33. "When you don't take care of your body, too many alcoholic beverages and things like that. And anybody can agree with that."

PEACE TALKS

The Knicks' Metta World Peace opens up on Thursday: 'You only age when you eat bad. That's it. You age when you eat bad, when you don't take care of your body, too many alcoholic beverages and things like that. And anybody can agree with that.' 'I'm not big on talent. It's hard work and fundamentals. I could care less about talent. Taking in what the coaches are giving you. Putting that in your intelligent bank.' 'I know New York fans love old physical teams. New York is a physical place. But New York don't have a championship in a last - how many years, '73. It's about time we become intelligent. All that old, physical stuff that all these fans are talking about - I'm from New York. It's not winning championships. You have to bring some type of intelligence. You have to be together.' 'I don't like to think about being injured. When I tore my meniscus, once I got off the operating table, I immediately stood up and started to walk because we had to get into the playoffs.'