Too many incidents have left Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak wondering what just happened after meeting with Metta World Peace.
The Lakers eccentric forward arrived at his exit interview last month wearing a Cookie Monster T-Shirt. Kupchak struggled containing his laughter two years ago at a press conference hours after the former Ron Artest changed his legal name. Kupchak did the same thing after witnessing his infamous press conference following his Game 7 heroics in the 2010 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.
“It’s not hard to get comments and it’s not hard to talk to him,” Kupchak said recently. “He’s very endearing to be around and talk to, but a lot of times you walk away not as clear-headed as you’d like to be.”
The latest example: Kupchak still hasn’t received word whether World Peace will exercise his $7.7 million player option. If he does so, World Peace could be waived via the amnesty provision. If World Peace opts out, the Lakers could refuse to resign him since they want to have cap flexibility for the 2014 season. World Peace has until June 25 to officially decide what he will do.
“Sometimes I wonder if he does to me in purpose,” Kupchak said with a smile. “But when I talk business with him, he’s pretty good.”
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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter. E-mail him at mark.medina@dailynews.com