Metta World Peace Could Make Early Return from Knee Surgery on Tuesday


There had been some optimism regarding Metta World Peace’s recovery from a torn meniscus, and now it appears that the Lakers forward will make a surprise and very early return from surgery for his increasingly desperate team. Per the LA Times: “Coach Mike D’Antoni says Metta World Peace has an 80% to 90% chance of playing Tuesday night when the Lakers host the New Orleans Hornets at Staples Center. World Peace tore cartilage (meniscus) in his left knee March 25 against the Golden State Warriors. He had surgery March 28 with an initial recovery timeline of at least six weeks. He participated in a three-on-three scrimmage Monday. As long as he doesn’t suffer any setbacks Tuesday, World Peace is expected to be back into the lineup less than two weeks after knee surgery. […] ‘It’s not about how strong I am playing tomorrow night,’ said World Peace. ‘It’s about how strong I was playing three games ago. I was ready to play.’ The doctors ‘were amazed at how the swelling didn’t even exist. That’s off of meniscus surgery,’ he said. ‘You can play, but it’s the swelling that keeps you from playing. I didn’t have [any swelling] and that’s why I wanted to play right away.’ The Lakers are coming off a crucial loss to the Clippers, falling to ninth place in the Western Conference, behind the Utah Jazz. If the Jazz don’t lose another game, the Lakers won’t catch them in the standings — even if they win all five of their remaining games.”