http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/13967271p-14801344c.html
Notes: Countryman has faith in Stojakovic
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, December 11, 2005
SEATTLE - They talk more life than basketball, so Seattle forward Vladimir Radmanovic has no particular insight into the work mind-set of the Kings' Peja Stojakovic.
But they are friends of the closest kind, proud products of Serbia-Montenegro with phenomenal shooting talents who know that hard times in hoops come to all.
And if anyone knows what Stojakovic is facing this season, it's his countryman.
Faced with free agency last season, Radmanovic opted to accept a contract option on the cheap with Seattle and re-enter the market again next offseason. Since then, his minutes and production have been touch-and-go, the plan not working out as smoothly as he had hoped.
"Peja's a great player," said Radmanovic, who has heated up of late. "Ever since he's been in the league, everybody's been saying he's a one-dimensional player, just shooting the ball. I guess scoring 20-plus points every night without teams figuring it out is all right."
The last time the Kings were in Seattle, Stojakovic had it all figured out. He scored 25 points in the first half, hitting 9 of 10 shots to the awe of all watchers. But by the third quarter, he sat on the bench, his anguished face covered by the crumpled Kings shirt he shoved in his mouth. His shooting hand had been reinjured by the heavy hand of Sonics forward Danny Fortson, who attempted to strip the ball but took a pinky instead.
After going scoreless in the second half, he missed the next three games with the injury and since returning had hit just 21 of 71 shots and 8 of 29 three-pointers entering Saturday. But he sank 8 of 14 shots and scored 23 points in the Kings' 123-104 romp.
"Everybody's doubting you, the team, what you can do, but the bottom line is you just have to play, and that's all you can do," Radmanovic said. "One day (fans) are going to put you in the sky, and then when things are going bad, they'll start to question you. That's how it works."
The comrades missed their routine dinner reunion Friday, as the Sonics were busy beating Utah. There, another known shooter was going through a rough patch. Seattle's Ray Allen was 6 for 22, bringing him to 33 for 98 in a four-game stretch, all while shooting a career-low 32 percent from three-point range for the season. Saturday, he had 24 points on 10-for-21 shooting.
Forget him not - Fortson wasn't around for a rematch with Stojakovic, having been suspended for giving into his temper once again Friday. The forward was benched for one game by the league for "verbally abusing a game official and failure to leave the court in a timely manner following an ejection and knocking over a water cooler while leaving the court."
A mouthful, indeed, for the player who's quite a handful.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
Notes: Countryman has faith in Stojakovic
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, December 11, 2005
SEATTLE - They talk more life than basketball, so Seattle forward Vladimir Radmanovic has no particular insight into the work mind-set of the Kings' Peja Stojakovic.
But they are friends of the closest kind, proud products of Serbia-Montenegro with phenomenal shooting talents who know that hard times in hoops come to all.
And if anyone knows what Stojakovic is facing this season, it's his countryman.
Faced with free agency last season, Radmanovic opted to accept a contract option on the cheap with Seattle and re-enter the market again next offseason. Since then, his minutes and production have been touch-and-go, the plan not working out as smoothly as he had hoped.
"Peja's a great player," said Radmanovic, who has heated up of late. "Ever since he's been in the league, everybody's been saying he's a one-dimensional player, just shooting the ball. I guess scoring 20-plus points every night without teams figuring it out is all right."
The last time the Kings were in Seattle, Stojakovic had it all figured out. He scored 25 points in the first half, hitting 9 of 10 shots to the awe of all watchers. But by the third quarter, he sat on the bench, his anguished face covered by the crumpled Kings shirt he shoved in his mouth. His shooting hand had been reinjured by the heavy hand of Sonics forward Danny Fortson, who attempted to strip the ball but took a pinky instead.
After going scoreless in the second half, he missed the next three games with the injury and since returning had hit just 21 of 71 shots and 8 of 29 three-pointers entering Saturday. But he sank 8 of 14 shots and scored 23 points in the Kings' 123-104 romp.
"Everybody's doubting you, the team, what you can do, but the bottom line is you just have to play, and that's all you can do," Radmanovic said. "One day (fans) are going to put you in the sky, and then when things are going bad, they'll start to question you. That's how it works."
The comrades missed their routine dinner reunion Friday, as the Sonics were busy beating Utah. There, another known shooter was going through a rough patch. Seattle's Ray Allen was 6 for 22, bringing him to 33 for 98 in a four-game stretch, all while shooting a career-low 32 percent from three-point range for the season. Saturday, he had 24 points on 10-for-21 shooting.
Forget him not - Fortson wasn't around for a rematch with Stojakovic, having been suspended for giving into his temper once again Friday. The forward was benched for one game by the league for "verbally abusing a game official and failure to leave the court in a timely manner following an ejection and knocking over a water cooler while leaving the court."
A mouthful, indeed, for the player who's quite a handful.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
