Metta World Peace wants to bring NBA team to Las Vegas

Former Lakers great wants to partner with the Maloof family to be part of the ownership group for a Las Vegas NBA expansion team.

Nov 08, 2022

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1. Metta World Peace wants to help bring NBA team to Las Vegas

Metta World Peace, the former Lakers great, exclusively tells The Sporting Tribune that he wants to partner with the Maloof family to be part of the ownership group for a Las Vegas NBA expansion team.

Metta World Peace believes the NBA will place an expansion team in Las Vegas in the near future and he would like to partner with the Maloof family to make up part of the team’s ownership group.

“I’m very interested in talking with different groups to see if they would allow us the opportunity to get involved,” World Peace told The Sporting Tribune. “I think you have to somehow involve the Maloofs. I think the Maloofs set the tone for Las Vegas.”

2. New Aloha Stadium in a holding pattern

A state government that spent a wad on upkeep of rusted and creaky 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium has done a disservice to the people of Hawaii for too long now, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Nick Abramo, who has the latest from Honolulu on what’s happening (or not happening) with Aloha Stadium.

It wouldn’t be fair to blame one individual, but for those who hold Gov. David Ige responsible for the most recent doomed strategy for replacing the 47-year-old hunk of junk, you may just have a point. At the very least, as the state’s “head coach,” Ige’s time management and latest game plan has been horrendous.

3. Lakers get blown out by Jazz again

The Lakers couldn't stop the Utah Jazz offense in 139-116 blowout loss and are now 2-8 on the season. The Sporting Tribune’s Rey Moralde has the latest on the Lakers’ struggles.

Well, that wasn’t great at all for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Utah Jazz spanked them for the second time in four days, 139-116. Yes. 139 points. The Lakers didn’t have Patrick Beverley for the second straight game. And then we learned that they weren’t going to have Lonnie Walker IV and LeBron James. It was going to be an uphill climb against the Utah Jazz.

4. Rebels runnin’ under the radar

Kevin Kruger and UNLV are hoping for a year of growth that culminates with an NCAA Tournament bid come March. The Sporting Tribune’s Steve Carp has the latest from Las Vegas.

Sometimes, flying under the radar can be a good thing. UNLV’s men’s basketball team was picked to finish sixth in the Mountain West preseason poll. There’s no target on the back of Kevin Kruger and his Runnin’ Rebels. That fate falls to San Diego State, and to a lesser extent, Wyoming, which also received four first-place votes.

“We’re just trying to get better each day,” said Kruger, the son of former UNLV head coach Lon Kruger who went 18-14 (10-8 MW) in his first season. “I like the way we’re competing in practice. It’s a good group of guys.”

5. Clippers rising, Lakers falling in TST’s Power Rankings

Despite missing Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers have won four of their past five games with their lone loss coming to conference-leading Utah Jazz. Meanwhile the Lakers have started the season 2-8. The Sporting Tribune’s Brandon Deutsch has the Clippers in the top half of the league (No. 13) while the Lakers are all the way down at No. 25.

The Lakers have the worst eFG% and TS% in the NBA at 48.9 and 53.1 respectively. Matt Ryan hit a big shot in the Lakers win against the Pelicans last Wednesday night, but he can’t solely be relied upon as the only 3PT shooter. Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker, and Kendrick Nunn need to step up to hit 3’s, but more importantly Lebron James, who has been killing them from beyond the arc (21% from 3, just 44.1% from the field in general) needs to play better offensively.

6. Chargers lose DT Austin Johnson for the season

Chargers coach Brandon Staley announced Monday that defensive tackle Austin Johnson is out for the season with a fractured knee and an MCL injury. The Sporting Tribune’s Fernando Ramirez has the latest:

Johnson suffered the injury around the end of the third quarter of the Chargers’ 20-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. He couldn’t walk off the field without help, and the Chargers learned his fate on Monday.

“I’m disappointed because Austin has been fantastic since he’s gotten here,” Staley said. “We love coaching him, but this is part of the NFL.” Johnson signed a two-year deal worth $14 million in the offense. He made 22 tackles, a sack, three quarterback hits and a pass breakup in eight games.

7. Odds and Ends presented by Circa Sports

Here are some odds at Circa Sports if you’re thinking about placing a wager today:

8. Ticket Time presented by TickPick

Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today:

Minnesota Wild at Los Angeles Kings: $28

9. On the Air presented by Pirnia Law

Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region:

7:30 p.m. – Minnesota Wild at Los Angeles Kings – Hulu

10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune

On Monday’s show, the crew talked about LAFC winning the MLS Cup, the Rams’ Super Bowl hangover and the Chargers continuing to find a way to win games with The Sporting Tribune’s Alysha Del Valle and Fernando Ramirez.

Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Fan in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher.

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That’s it for today. Talk to you all tomorrow!