VF21 said:He did something in the last game I haven't seen him do very often. He made an assertive two-handed dunk that looked pretty good.
So next year...Peja, the dunk-monster?
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Venom said:Bozzwell, I have to disagree with points 2 and 3 from your previous post. Peja, and every other King, could benefit alot from an offseason weight program. Lifting increases athleticism a great amount. Football players do not have 40" verticals because they dunk basketballs all day, but because they do Olympic lifts like cleans. Those improve jumping ability tremendously. He is also at the perfect age to really start a dedicated program. At about 27-28 is when that "old man" strength starts to set in. If he intends to get in the post every now and then next year, he really must work on his legs.
VF21 said:hrdboild - I think you're mistaking bashing for criticism, at least in some cases. And I don't think any player on the Kings is above criticism. For some reason, Peja never seemed to be the one being criticized. He was always the "golden child," if you will.
The BASHING that went on stopped. Now, some people are not happy with him and they're expressing it, which I think they have a right to do. Just like people had a right to discuss their frustration, etc. with Webber when he came back last season. There's a line people shouldn't cross that turns criticism into bashing and I think we all do a pretty good job around here of trying to remember where that line is.
Having said that, I think you've made some really good points about Peja and our expectations for him. I just hate to see it end with the "I think it's wrong to bash the guy"...
One more thought just popped in. You said, "He's done so much for us in the past." Well, that might be true but this is sports. It isn't about the past, it's all about what have you done for me lately and what can you do for me in the future...
hrdboild said:I agree with you to a certain extent. Even bashing really doesn't bother me, people interpret things how they like. I guess what I meant by that is that I'm seeing a lot of criticism of Peja lately without any corresponding acknowledgement that he remains one of the top shooters in the league as well as an above average passer for his position and at least an average rebounder for a perimeter player. He's active on defense even if he isn't the fastest guy on the court and sometimes gets burned. It's the overwhelming majority of the criticism that bothers me a bit because I think people would miss him a lot more than they think on the court.
Actually, it has more to do with the trade proposals than anything else. Somehow he's become 'the guy to trade which will make this team better' and I just don't see it. If you look at some of the other fans' trade proposals across the league, almost every one of them that involves the Kings involves Peja. What does that tell you? Other fans want this guy on their team. He's just as important to our offense as Brad and Bibby are, and probably a better defender at his position than those guys are too. And I also wanted to point out that his productivity is directly dependent on how good of a job his teammates do of getting him the ball. Why does he tend to disappear in the fourth quarter? It's because the other guys panic and start forcing up shots instead of staying calm and moving the ball. Watch for that the next time there's a game (if Peja's still here that is). He looks invisible because he isn't touching the ball, he's running around getting open and nobody on the team is finding him. Maybe that's lock down defense by the other team, denying him the ball. But if that's the case, the rest of the team should attack the basket to force them to guard them more.
So yeah, I didn't mean to say criticism is wrong. I just wanted to point out that I think a lot of the criticisms of Peja really miss the point. Why criticise somebody for something they've never been? Especially when what they have been is an all-star? Mike Bibby has his weaknesses and yet his value to this team is clear. Personally, I think the same is true of Peja and Brad.
hrdboild said:I agree with you to a certain extent. Even bashing really doesn't bother me, people interpret things how they like. I guess what I meant by that is that I'm seeing a lot of criticism of Peja lately without any corresponding acknowledgement that he remains one of the top shooters in the league as well as an above average passer for his position and at least an average rebounder for a perimeter player. He's active on defense even if he isn't the fastest guy on the court and sometimes gets burned. It's the overwhelming majority of the criticism that bothers me a bit because I think people would miss him a lot more than they think on the court.
Actually, it has more to do with the trade proposals than anything else. Somehow he's become 'the guy to trade which will make this team better' and I just don't see it. If you look at some of the other fans' trade proposals across the league, almost every one of them that involves the Kings involves Peja. What does that tell you? Other fans want this guy on their team. He's just as important to our offense as Brad and Bibby are, and probably a better defender at his position than those guys are too. And I also wanted to point out that his productivity is directly dependent on how good of a job his teammates do of getting him the ball. Why does he tend to disappear in the fourth quarter? It's because the other guys panic and start forcing up shots instead of staying calm and moving the ball. Watch for that the next time there's a game (if Peja's still here that is). He looks invisible because he isn't touching the ball, he's running around getting open and nobody on the team is finding him. Maybe that's lock down defense by the other team, denying him the ball. But if that's the case, the rest of the team should attack the basket to force them to guard them more.
So yeah, I didn't mean to say criticism is wrong. I just wanted to point out that I think a lot of the criticisms of Peja really miss the point. Why criticise somebody for something they've never been? Especially when what they have been is an all-star? Mike Bibby has his weaknesses and yet his value to this team is clear. Personally, I think the same is true of Peja and Brad.
I enjoyed reading this. Nicely put VF21.VF21 said:You're going to continue to see criticism, just as you'll see criticism of Bibby for his lack of defense, Miller for his lack of rebounding (especially lately), Cuttino for his lack of passing (if he stays), etc. NO PLAYER IS PERFECT. What happens sometimes is the pendulum swings too far first one way so people feel they have to overcompensate in the other direction. (BTW, I don't think you can use average rebounder to describe Peja. He's 6'10" for God's sake. He should be able to get more boards...)
Why do people mention him in trades? Well, partially because there's just not much discussion about the potential for improvement with a Daniels/Tag trade. As far as his productivity based on other guys getting him the ball and they don't do that in the 4th because they panic, hogwash. That's an excuse, not an explanation. Peja has - MORE THAN ONCE - gotten the ball for a key shot and instead of taking the shot, he's passed the ball away. That could be a reason they don't pass to him as much.
Why criticize somebody for something they've never been? Because there is ALWAYS room for improvement. Peja COULD become a better rebounder. And the all-star label thing is getting very old, very fast. Peja HAS to be good because he's an all-star? Maybe, but that doesn't mean he can't improve.
If you go back a year, Peja brought all of this on himself. He's the one that first put the trade scenario out there. Before that, virtually no one talked about trading him. Now, the cat's out of the bag, so to speak, and it's perfectly acceptable to talk about trading him.
My hope is that my cousin Mr. Carril and Rick have already pointed that out to them. If they haven't, then maybe we really do need a coaching change, yes.VF21 said:Good comments and I wish someone close to Peja could get him to read them. If he could, for example, develop a consistent pull-up 15 foot jumper I'd certainly be impressed!
Yoda said:My hope is that my cousin Mr. Carril and Rick have already pointed that out to them. If they haven't, then maybe we really do need a coaching change, yes.
mbkings10 said:During his time off, Peja should watch some tapes of Dirk Nowitzki. Here is a 7 ft man who can shoot just as well as peja, draw fouls by taking the ball to the hoop against bigger defenders and punish smaller defenders with his post up game and little fade away shot. Plus he isn't afraid to rebound in traffic, almost 10 boards a game the past few years. Dirk went to the free throw line 708 times this past year, an average of 9 trips per game, Peja only 275, an average of 4 trips per game. With Peja being such a good free throw shooter, there is no excuse why he shouldn't be more aggressive and take the ball the the basket more. Yes his one on one game is a bit suspect, but that is one part of the game he should really work on.
VF21 said:So you're saying Peja is better than Dirk? Or worse? Or what?
From purely a non-statistical viewpoint, I think it's widely believed that Dirk is considered - and I think rightly so - to be much more valuable as he is much more flexible and brings more to the table.
VF21 said:I didn't understand the listing of a bunch of numbers... you're assuming everyone would recognize them, and I didn't.