ORLANDO, Fla. — Metta World Peace is taking a page from Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez as his wild adventure in his first season with the Knicks just got woollier.
World Peace, who missed his second straight game Monday in Orlando with a sore left knee, said he would undergo a blood-spinning procedure on Jan. 6 in New York.
Bryant underwent the procedure — known as a “PRP” or platelet-rich plasma — 15 months ago in Germany, and A-Rod, on Bryant’s advice, also had it done in Germany.
World Peace was to fly to Germany three weeks ago, but said this particular blood-spinning technique was patented in the United States. He wouldn’t disclose the name of the New York doctor willing to do it, but said the doctor is not affiliated with the Hospital for Special Surgery, which is the Knicks’ official hospital.
After the procedure, World Peace will miss as much as two weeks but hasn’t determined whether he will play games before the procedure. There’s been some controversy attached to the procedure because one of its pioneers, Canadian doctor Tony Galea, was under investigation for administering HGH.
The procedure, designed to speed healing, involves spinning patient’s blood in a centrifuge to isolate platelets and plasma, which are then combined to form platelet-rich plasma (PRP). The PRP has high concentrations of natural growth factors.
World Peace had his knee drained twice last month and revealed he had it done again a third time before last week’s game in Milwaukee. He estimates since training camp opened, he has had his knee drained four or five times.
World Peace has not spoken to Bryant, his former Lakers teammate, about the procedure, but has talked with other players and the Knicks medical staff.
“It will do a lot of things,’’ said World Peace, who termed his knee condition ‘‘chronic.’’ “It helps with ligaments, helps the cartilage, helps with arthritis. So many things that could benefit.’’
He believes his issues could stem from coming back too soon from a torn meniscus surgery last March when he sat out less than two weeks when six weeks is recommended.
“Everyone comes back from meniscus,’’ World Peace said. “I was dumb enough to come back in 10 days. [But] my cartilage is great.’’
World Peace said he would have gotten the procedure this week, but the doctor is away.
World Peace hasn’t ruled himself out of playing Christmas Day against Oklahoma City but said he isn’t certain he wants to play until the procedure. Before the scheduled procedure, the Knicks also have two games against Toronto and the three-game Texas swing.
“After Jan. 6, they suggest you wait a couple of weeks,’’ World Peace said. “Some doctors don’t suggest it. I pretty much have to be smart. And I’ll talk to [trainer] Roger [Hinds] and let him know how I feel. Some doctors think you can play right away, like the next day. Some of the doctors don’t believe it.’’
“I don’t want to be stupid. My vision and goal is a championship. I don’t want to play now and in the playoffs I’m paying for it. I know when we’re in the playoffs, we’ll be really tough to deal with if clicking on all cylinders.’’
Earlier in the day, Woodson talked about World Peace getting a procedure, but did not mention the PRP, which World Peace revealed just before the game.
“I don’t know where he’s going in terms [getting a procedure,]” Woodson said. “He’s in tune with our medical people. I’m sure they’ll figure it out if he decides he wants to do something. I don’t know the severity of it. I know he’s had his knee drained a couple of times and that’s it. Then he rests a few days and then he plays. We just have to take it a game at a time, see how he’s feeling and if he tells us he’s ready to play we’ll play him.’’
After a solid preseason, World Peace has not been consistent on either end once the regular season began and his lack of impact is a minor reason for the Knicks’ ineptness. He was out of the rotation two weeks ago before Kenyon Martin went down with an abdominal strain. World Peace had a fine outing in Milwaukee Wednesday with four first-half steals, but came up lame.
“Has it affected him? I think a little bit,’’ Woodson said. “I think it’s slowed him down some. Metta’s a workaholic. It’s hard to sit him down and rest. He probably needs rest. Sometimes that could be good and sometimes that could be bad. I think in his case he probably needs a little more rest than all the work that he puts in outside of what we do.’’