KEY POINTS

  • Metta Sandiford-Artest says the Los Angeles Lakers have a shot at winning the title due to their combined experience
  • The Lakers' average age has been one of the more important talking points this offseason
  • LeBron James says age should not matter as long as they remain competitive

Despite having a roster full of veterans, the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the favorites to win the NBA title and a former Laker believes it can happen.

Metta Sandiford-Artest, formerly known as Ron Artest and Metta World Peace, went on Twitter to give his full take on why the Lakers have reasonable shot at winning the title this season.

“The [Los Angeles] Lakers are the oldest team in the league, but they’re not super old. They’re not all, you know, 39, 40. They’re right on the edge of being old. So with that being said, they’re in a unique situation,” said the 2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

“We won a title [when] we were like 29, 30. [Michael] Jordan won his last title, he was probably like 34. With that being said, you got a bunch of Hall of Famers who [are] just exiting their primes. They have the intelligence; they still have the physical capabilities.”

Artest’s reasons do hold weight as age is not the end-all, be-all when competing for a title in the league.

This year’s Lakers core is made up of Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo and Russell Westbrook, some of the most established and accomplished players the league has ever seen.

The additions of Malik Monk, Kendrick Nunn and Kent Bazemore will help alleviate major concerns for much of the regular season.

Sophomore Talen Horton-Tucker will most likely be given more minutes down the road as the Lakers rest some of their key players for the playoffs.

Even "The King" acknowledges how old their roster is.

“I actually really do laugh at them–I’m not just saying that,” quipped James via the Orange County Register.

“Some of the memes and some of the jokes have been extremely funny.”

James recognizes that his championship window is slowly closing as he gets closer to 40, turning 37 himself on December 30.

Age will not deter their aspirations of a title but gives them a better shot at winning, as Sandiford-Artest said.

“We’ve got a bunch of guys who have been in this league for quite a while that understand and know what it takes to win,” James mentioned in late September.

“That’s the business that we’re in–of winning.”

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