ESPN

Since signing with the Lakers he’s changed his jersey number his name, but Metta World Peace hasn’t been able to change the fact that he’s declining as a player.

After an impressive performance in the Lakers’ 96-91 win over the Clippers on Wednesday, World Peace at least wanted to change the narrative of why his play has been slipping.

“The defense, I got to bring it back,” World Peace said after practice Thursday, a day after putting up three points, seven assists, five rebounds, two steals and a block while playing a season-high 38 minutes. “I got bored with defense because it was so easy for me to stop people over the years. I got real bored with it. When you’re playing against guys and you’re stopping guys every single time, what else are you going to do [but get bored]? It caught up to me, but this year I’m doing better. This year I’m almost back to where I want to be.”

As wild as his premise might sound (“bored” could explain why he changed his name from Ron Artest, however), Kobe Bryant actually agreed with World Peace’s logic.

“I can relate to that,” Bryant said. “That’s happened to me before as well. That’s human nature sometimes. You have to have [and] you have to find challenges that kind of get you going and keep your energy.

“It’s about finding your edge. You have to find your edge. It’s not something that’s farfetched. He was a great defensive player. Things sometimes become too easy. Offensively, things for me get really, really easy sometimes and the game just feels boring. But you have to find that edge, you have to find something that’s going to push you.”

What pushed World Peace against the Clippers was the chance to push tough guys Reggie Evans and Blake Griffin around a little bit.

“Once the guys [on the Clippers] started talking to me, I had to come out of my shell a little bit,” World Peace told 710 ESPN’s “Mason & Ireland Show” on Thursday. “So, they kind of woke me up.”

The wake-up call was appreciated by World Peace’s teammates.

“I think [Wednesday] night it was definitely a positive,” said Pau Gasol. “I don’t think you might need that necessarily every night, but his aggression and aggressiveness and level of energy last night really made an impact and that’s something that we look forward to from Ron. Because, he might not be having a great shooting night, but if he has a couple steals, gets into a couple guys’ faces, puts his body on people, knocks somebody around a little bit here and there, plays physical … He’s as physical as it gets at the small forward position. You don’t get a much stronger guy than him, so you got to use his body to be a factor.”

World Peace’s body is finally back in top form after coming into training camp admittedly out of shape. Coach Mike Brown called him “heavy” and reduced World Peace’s minutes from 29.4 per game as the starting small forward last season to 20.9 this year in a reserve role. Brown even sat World Peace out the entire game against Cleveland less than two weeks ago, surprising considering World Peace played in all 82 of the Lakers’ games a year ago.

“I just think I’m getting in shape,” World Peace told 710 ESPN. “I planned on playing really hard this season, but I couldn’t do that early on because I was out of shape and then when I got in shape, I wasn’t getting no minutes so I wasn’t able to show the things that I was able to do.”

He insists that his career low averages of 5.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.2 blocks on just 33.9 percent shooting has more to do with his minutes being cut and his body rounding into shape than it does with his not being fully engaged.

“It really hasn’t changed,” World Peace said. “I’ve just been out on the floor. On the bench, I was really enthusiastic on the bench. Bench players don’t get credit for clapping. I had a lot of energy on the bench.”

After the Clippers game, Bryant said he wants to see more of the old, aggressive Ron Artest and less of the passive World Peace.

“Ron was his feisty self on the perimeter,” Bryant said Thursday. “He just needs to be who he is. We brought him in there for him being himself, so he just has to be himself.”

World Peace wants people to know the definition of who he is doesn’t include any malicious intent.

“On the court, I’m definitely not a mean person. I’m still the same person. I play extremely hard,” he told 710 ESPN. “You won’t be seeing that much. I can play basketball with just as much energy without talking smack and still being energized and having fun with the fans.”

Gasol put it thusly: “He’s World Peace now. He can’t be too aggressive or too violent out there. He’s preaching peace.”

Still, whatever player wore No. 15 for the Lakers last night-- the docile Metta World Peace, the rambunctious Ron Artest, or some combination of the two -- was sprung to life by the Clippers. And Clippers-Lakers games are sure to be just as lively for every player involved moving forward.

“I love it,” World Peace said. “It’s a L.A. rival. It’s here. I’m happy the Clippers are doing well. I’m happy we got a chance to [be like] New York that has the subway series with the Yankees and the Mets. I’m happy to be a part of this Clippers and Lakers rivalry. I hope we meet each other in the playoffs. That would be great for the city.”

Dave McMenamin covers the Lakers for ESPNLosAngeles.com. Follow him on Twitter.

If there's a position on the floor where the Lakers have quality depth, it's power forward. When reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lamar Odom is the backup, clearly things are going well. Between L.O. and Pau Gasol, L.A. likely sports the league's best two-man rotation at the 4. Still, it wouldn't hurt for them to find a viable third PF for the roster, not so much to bolster the Gasol/Odom combo -- though someone to lighten the load is always welcome -- but as a hedge against injury, whether at the 4 or the 5.

The time Andrew Bynum spent sidelined last season proved pivotal, sucking heaps of energy from Gasol's legs and setting the table for what would eventually become a physical and mental meltdown in the postseason. While he has a chance to start next season healthier than virtually any in his career, Bynum still can't be counted on to stay that way. The Lakers have to assume he'll miss some games, meaning they clearly need a backup center more viable than Theo Ratliff proved last season. It also means a little more support at PF could constitute a reasonable use of roster space and resources, even while representing a lower rung on the priority ladder.

We've touched on the point guards, shooting guards and small forwards. As is always the case, it will be virtually impossible for the Lakers to land any of the pricier names available without a major discount or a sign-and-trade. Unlike other areas of need, though, attracting higher end talent, even players starving for rings, will be tougher because available playing time at power forward is so limited. A little positional flexibility-- meaning a guy who can shift between either the 4/5 or 4/3 -- would be a nice touch, helping open some options. Still, without serious structural changes to the current core, it's a tough sell.

So without further ado...

HEY, THESE GUYS ARE GOOD AND/OR WANT/DESERVE BIG ROLES! MEANING THEY WON'T BE IN L.A. NEXT SEASON, UNLESS THE LAKERS MAKE MAJOR CHANGES!

• David West (Unrestricted Free Agent, New Orleans)
• Carl Landry (UFA, New Orleans)
• Jeff Green (Restricted Free Agent, Boston)
• Glen Davis (UFA, Boston)
• Kenyon Martin (UFA, Denver)
• Kris Humphries (UFA, New Jersey)
• Chuck Hayes (UFA, Houston)

West is coming off serious knee surgery, but is a former All-Star and when healthy is clearly the best player on this list. Landry would never give up the opportunity to continue his habit of eviscerating the Lakers by actually signing with them. Davis isn't a starter, but remains a very valuable role player who is too good for the role the Lakers can offer. Green has been extended a $5.9 million qualifying offer by the Celtics, meaning he's already been priced out of L.A., not that he's an overwhelmingly attractive option, anyway. Martin is not a guy you want sitting on the bench, potentially becoming unsatisfied with his role. He played center in Houston because the Rockets didn't have any other options, but his size makes PF Hayes' natural spot. Either way, he was among the more underrated players in the NBA last season. Again, too good for what L.A. can give.

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Oh, Canada! this is not a good basketball team. The Raptors were a barely mediocre-in-the-Eastern Conference squad last year, and that was with Chris Bosh. Without him, they're awful, among our northern neighbor's most depressing exports since Leonard Cohen.

If there's a knock on the Lakers and their 5-0 start, it's that they haven't really played anyone of quality. Yes, Houston is well respected, but are off to a terrible start. Phoenix is adjusting to life without Amare Stoudemire, Memphis was missing Zach Randolph, while Golden State and Sacramento are lottery teams. Tonight's date with the Raptors will do nothing to counter that charge. If this was college football and the BCS, the Lakers would likely fall in the rankings just for playing them.

But they can only play the teams on the schedule, and Friday provides another opportunity to earn short minutes for the headliners ahead of Sunday's game with Portland. Here's what to watch...

1. Reggie Evans- If you look through the early season rebounding metrics, the Raptors aren't exactly terrible in many categories, and are actually pretty good in a few. For this, they can thank Evans. While he's still more widely known for grabbing... other stuff, Evans has also put his hands on a ton of rebounds. Toronto has played four games, and Evans has 55, a 13.8 per night average. The next most proficient rebounder on the Raptors is Andrea Bargnani, at 4.5 a game. By comparison, the Lakers have four players averaging 6.8 boards and above, including two (Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol) are at 11 or higher.

Evans is particularly ferocious on the offensive glass, grabbing a league-leading 5.3 a night. I noted before Wednesday's game, while the Lakers have been very strong generating second chances off their misses, they've also been pretty weak preventing them. Sacramento had nine by halftime, accounting for the extra points needed to keep the game competitive. Obviously Evans, then, becomes a factor, someone needing to be accounted for.

The good news? Evans is pretty bad at everything else. He rarely shoots (a 28.6 percent mark from the floor could explain why), doesn't pass all that well, can't put the ball on the floor, and so on. Plus, he fouls a lot. While Evans is undoubtedly good at rebounding and works his tail off, his limitations as an offensive player help explain the gaudy numbers since his lack of other discernible skills makes it easy for whoever guards him to leave and help on another player. To help cut down on cheap points, the Lakers will need to resist the temptation. If they control Evans, they likely control the glass as a whole.

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