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http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/12144035p-13014197c.html
Ailene Voisin: What's up with Peja? Not his confidence
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, January 26, 2005
He is a better player than this. He has already proven that much. Yet throughout the first half of 2004-05, Peja Stojakovic has offered only glimpses of his former self, erupting for a three-point barrage here, accelerating for a series of back-door cuts there, amassing clusters of rebounds almost nowhere.
But what is most revealing about the three-time NBA All-Star's schizophrenic season?
His body language. His slumping shoulders. His drawn features. His confused looks. His lethargic movements and tendency to stand in the corners, waiting for someone to notice rather than demanding the ball.
"It has been an inconsistent year," Stojakovic acknowledged, nodding, "but I'm trying. Sometimes I have bad games, bad quarters, and I have to do a better job playing through it. When we play team ball, there are enough shots for everyone. I know I can be better."
And now he's hurt, now he's ailing. Just when it appeared Peja had recovered from whatever else was troubling him - the emotional departure of mentor Vlade Divac, the stinging criticism from a teammate, the adjustment to becoming a father, and a once-fluid offense that has changed significantly - he strained his lower back three weeks ago in Salt Lake City and remains plagued by spasms and lingering discomfort.
This partly accounts for his slower pace and the inordinate number of layups the 6-foot-10 small forward has short-armed in recent weeks, as well as his single-digit performances in two of three games before Tuesday.
But it doesn't explain everything. It doesn't explain his passive resistance when the inside/outside balance becomes nonexistent, when his teammates and coaches fail to fully utilize his long-range shooting and reward his constant movement, when his opportunities dissolve and the Kings revert to the dreaded one-on-one style of play.
Indeed, this remains a two-stroke dilemma, the burden resting both with the player and the system: Peja has to be assertive without forcing shots. His teammates have to recognize where he is most effective and react accordingly. And somehow, these two elements have to be reconciled, because the Kings aren't nearly as formidable when Peja is an afterthought.
The league's No. 2 scorer one year ago (24.2 points per game), he is averaging 20.2 points but shooting 44.4 percent, down from 48 percent in each of the last three seasons. Additionally, he is collecting only 4.3 rebounds, a decrease from 6.3 boards last season.
The drop-off has placed his Western Conference All-Star berth in jeopardy, with competition featuring prolific forwards Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion, as well as Chris Webber.
There is that, too. The Webber-Stojakovic connection continues to function erratically and inequitably, with Webber launching 19.7 shots per game to Stojakovic's 15.7, and a discrepancy of almost 100 attempts.
The result has been a 2004-05 season of two teams: When the vastly improved Webber sets up teammates, rebounds, defends and takes a reasonable number of shots, Peja's field-goal attempts increase and his overall performance improves noticeably. Conversely, when Webber's mentality is to dominate the ball and engage in a shoot-first display, it often precludes any semblance of balance, in essence minimizing the potency of Stojakovic, Brad Miller, Mike Bibby and now Cuttino Mobley.
Were any of these Kings possessed of combative personalities, a major clash would be inevitable. But these are the Kings, a basically reserved and unassuming bunch.
"One of the things people have to remember," basketball president Geoff Petrie said, "is that we aren't going to be the way we were. We aren't going to find another passing center like Vlade. This team is changing. There are adjustments to be made all the way around. When we get up against teams that take away some of what we can do, we need to reverse the ball. We don't always do that."
But why should that mean such sharply reduced roles for the struggling Miller - an excellent passer and initiator from the high post - and Stojakovic? Why is Peja, who along with Bibby was so adept at drilling clutch shots during Webber's extended injury absences, so seldom involved in last-second possessions?
Although Rick Adelman repeatedly presses for Peja to be more aggressive and his teammates to be more inclusive, too often he is the decoy. As one NBA scout observed recently, "Shooters are very sensitive. When they don't get the ball when they expect it, and in the places they are most comfortable, they tend to lose confidence. And from what I see, they don't set great screens for him, either."
Ultimately, though, this is about whether Peja is content to reside on his current plateau or determined to rejoin the game's elite. If so, this requires responding to the challenges, to all of them. To demanding the ball more often and in rhythm. To grabbing more rebounds. To becoming more forceful on the floor and in the locker room. To adding live dribble-moves to the assortment of runners, floaters and jump-stops that he has displayed this season. To remaining arguably the team's most consistent defender.
This will be about him, about Peja, about his ability to find additional ways to contribute. Petrie's right. Vlade's gone. Not everyone can play with Duncan, Garnett, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, players with an intuitive grasp of when to shoot and when to pass. The NBA isn't nirvana. Now 27 and in the prime of his career, Peja has to find his voice.
Ailene Voisin: What's up with Peja? Not his confidence
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, January 26, 2005
He is a better player than this. He has already proven that much. Yet throughout the first half of 2004-05, Peja Stojakovic has offered only glimpses of his former self, erupting for a three-point barrage here, accelerating for a series of back-door cuts there, amassing clusters of rebounds almost nowhere.
But what is most revealing about the three-time NBA All-Star's schizophrenic season?
His body language. His slumping shoulders. His drawn features. His confused looks. His lethargic movements and tendency to stand in the corners, waiting for someone to notice rather than demanding the ball.
"It has been an inconsistent year," Stojakovic acknowledged, nodding, "but I'm trying. Sometimes I have bad games, bad quarters, and I have to do a better job playing through it. When we play team ball, there are enough shots for everyone. I know I can be better."
And now he's hurt, now he's ailing. Just when it appeared Peja had recovered from whatever else was troubling him - the emotional departure of mentor Vlade Divac, the stinging criticism from a teammate, the adjustment to becoming a father, and a once-fluid offense that has changed significantly - he strained his lower back three weeks ago in Salt Lake City and remains plagued by spasms and lingering discomfort.
This partly accounts for his slower pace and the inordinate number of layups the 6-foot-10 small forward has short-armed in recent weeks, as well as his single-digit performances in two of three games before Tuesday.
But it doesn't explain everything. It doesn't explain his passive resistance when the inside/outside balance becomes nonexistent, when his teammates and coaches fail to fully utilize his long-range shooting and reward his constant movement, when his opportunities dissolve and the Kings revert to the dreaded one-on-one style of play.
Indeed, this remains a two-stroke dilemma, the burden resting both with the player and the system: Peja has to be assertive without forcing shots. His teammates have to recognize where he is most effective and react accordingly. And somehow, these two elements have to be reconciled, because the Kings aren't nearly as formidable when Peja is an afterthought.
The league's No. 2 scorer one year ago (24.2 points per game), he is averaging 20.2 points but shooting 44.4 percent, down from 48 percent in each of the last three seasons. Additionally, he is collecting only 4.3 rebounds, a decrease from 6.3 boards last season.
The drop-off has placed his Western Conference All-Star berth in jeopardy, with competition featuring prolific forwards Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Marion, as well as Chris Webber.
There is that, too. The Webber-Stojakovic connection continues to function erratically and inequitably, with Webber launching 19.7 shots per game to Stojakovic's 15.7, and a discrepancy of almost 100 attempts.
The result has been a 2004-05 season of two teams: When the vastly improved Webber sets up teammates, rebounds, defends and takes a reasonable number of shots, Peja's field-goal attempts increase and his overall performance improves noticeably. Conversely, when Webber's mentality is to dominate the ball and engage in a shoot-first display, it often precludes any semblance of balance, in essence minimizing the potency of Stojakovic, Brad Miller, Mike Bibby and now Cuttino Mobley.
Were any of these Kings possessed of combative personalities, a major clash would be inevitable. But these are the Kings, a basically reserved and unassuming bunch.
"One of the things people have to remember," basketball president Geoff Petrie said, "is that we aren't going to be the way we were. We aren't going to find another passing center like Vlade. This team is changing. There are adjustments to be made all the way around. When we get up against teams that take away some of what we can do, we need to reverse the ball. We don't always do that."
But why should that mean such sharply reduced roles for the struggling Miller - an excellent passer and initiator from the high post - and Stojakovic? Why is Peja, who along with Bibby was so adept at drilling clutch shots during Webber's extended injury absences, so seldom involved in last-second possessions?
Although Rick Adelman repeatedly presses for Peja to be more aggressive and his teammates to be more inclusive, too often he is the decoy. As one NBA scout observed recently, "Shooters are very sensitive. When they don't get the ball when they expect it, and in the places they are most comfortable, they tend to lose confidence. And from what I see, they don't set great screens for him, either."
Ultimately, though, this is about whether Peja is content to reside on his current plateau or determined to rejoin the game's elite. If so, this requires responding to the challenges, to all of them. To demanding the ball more often and in rhythm. To grabbing more rebounds. To becoming more forceful on the floor and in the locker room. To adding live dribble-moves to the assortment of runners, floaters and jump-stops that he has displayed this season. To remaining arguably the team's most consistent defender.
This will be about him, about Peja, about his ability to find additional ways to contribute. Petrie's right. Vlade's gone. Not everyone can play with Duncan, Garnett, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, players with an intuitive grasp of when to shoot and when to pass. The NBA isn't nirvana. Now 27 and in the prime of his career, Peja has to find his voice.
I agree.
