Peja- clearing the air

[J-Dizzle]

Im as big a Peja fan as anyone. I think this guy has an un-Godly amount of talent if he could decide to add anything to his jumpshot. Purely talent wise, he passes well, ballhandles decently, and even plays defense every once in a while when asked. I just wish he'd put as much effort into those other parts of his game as he puts into shooting. i also wish he'd learn how to create his own shot, it seems like Bibbs is the only King who can do that.

But does anyone else notice how this team is now set up? You have two world-class jumpshooters in Bibby and Peja. They drafted Francisco as the third shooter off the bench. Other than that the team is full of bruisers. Even Bonzi Wells, hard working, tough-nosed, blue-collar guys. Kenny Thomas, Brad Miller, Brian Skinner, Maurice Evans (if re-signed), Wells, Darius Songalia, Corliss Williamson.....all "bruisers". Even Jason Hart is a blue-collar guy to back up Bibby.

(I'd expect that pickup to do a lot more for the team than expected. With Hart running the point at the end of games, they'll be able to run a lot more screens to get Bibby open looks. Before when we tried to do that with Eddie House or Cuttino Mobley, they'd shoot way too much. KT or Brad can come up and set a screen and Hart can hit Bibby or Peja on the perimeter. Also Hart is a defensive-first pgs to off-set Bibby's defensive liability. But that's beside the point...)

Peja is not ever going to be a leader in the locker room. That's become a given. However the way this team is set up, he's going to have to take us through the third quarter most nights to keep us in the game before "bibby time". That means he is our PRIMARY OFFENSIVE WEAPON.

A leader doesn't necessarily have to say much, he just has to get the job done. Last year Peja looked out of whack all season. he just looked lost. If he can get that momentum back, the Kings will be a force. How he fares will dictate how good the Kings can be. Obviously Bibby or Brad is going to have to be the team's vocal leaders. But if Peja can get anywhere near his form from two years ago, he will be leading without having to say anything.

 

[acisking]

i feel that his comment about the trade sounds a bit fake...i find it hard to believe that he asked to be traded in order to improve the team he was leaving

 

[mr. moustache]

i feel that his comment about the trade sounds a bit fake...i find it hard to believe that he asked to be traded in order to improve the team he was leaving

I actually believe him. He felt didn't like the dynamic when Webb got back and figured they'd both be happier if they traded him. The team was built around Webb, so trading Webb would(in his logic) be rebuilding.

By trading Peja, the Kings could continue to make a run at the title using the squad they built around their leader.

That's Peja. He's a nice guy. Unhappy? Instead of telling them to get rid of Webb, he told them to get rid of himself. Very passive-nonaggressive.

 

[Padrino]

Very passive-nonaggressive.

thats peja for you. too bad he plays ball the same way...

 

[AleksandarN]

I actually believe him. He felt didn't like the dynamic when Webb got back and figured they'd both be happier if they traded him. The team was built around Webb, so trading Webb would(in his logic) be rebuilding.

By trading Peja, the Kings could continue to make a run at the title using the squad they built around their leader.

That's Peja. He's a nice guy. Unhappy? Instead of telling them to get rid of Webb, he told them to get rid of himself. Very passive-nonaggressive.

I think you are the first person that truely understands what Pedja said when he asked for the trade. You said what I could not. Very well done.

 

[piksi]

I think you are the first person that truely understands what Pedja said when he asked for the trade. You said what I could not. Very well done.

Pedja explained that several times - people just wouldn't listen

 

[Bricklayer]

I actually believe him. He felt didn't like the dynamic when Webb got back and figured they'd both be happier if they traded him. The team was built around Webb, so trading Webb would(in his logic) be rebuilding.

By trading Peja, the Kings could continue to make a run at the title using the squad they built around their leader.

That's Peja. He's a nice guy. Unhappy? Instead of telling them to get rid of Webb, he told them to get rid of himself. Very passive-nonaggressive.

I don't buy that for a second. If that's the way you play it a) you make the offer in PRIVATE; and b) when the team tells you they don;t want to do it, you say ok, and shut up.

Not the way it works. Peja WAS unhappy with the dynamic, but this was no selfless offer on his part. It was a SELFISH and passive-AGGRESSUVE effort. "I'm not happy, trade me." That's athlete 101 when their little egos get bruised because the poor little darlings don't get to shoot enough. Peja certainly does not have it in him to fight anything or anyone, but he can mope with the best of them to get hs way -- whetehr it be getting traded, or getting OTHERS traded so he can feel comfortable.

And ironically Peja's one defense on that whole front comes if I, a critic, have the right read on him essentially being a pampered child throughout his "adult" life shielded by Uncle Vlade and Papa Petrie from the rigors of being a man and standing on his own two feet. In that scenario, then maybe the child is in shock from the loss of Uncle Vlade and scared about having to go forward alone and usnure how to control his own destiny other than by demanding A trade. In that scenario there is hope because maybe Peja was forced to grow up by finally making him stand on his own, and maybe he learns how to actually stand on his own.

 

[GoGoGadget]

I like how history has now been twisted around to support the idea that Peja politely asked to be traded -- and as a sacrificial lamb to help the Kings, no less.

He stated, several times throughout the summer, that he wanted to be traded. He stated that he didn't care where he went as long as he went. The Maloofs said they weren't going to trade him, and there he was again publicly announcing that he wanted to be traded. When he still wasn't traded, he put his house on the market (a passive-agressive move if ever I've seen one).

But now, one year later and one power forward removed, Peja was just making a subtle suggestion. He's really dedicated to the people of Sacramento. So much so that he was willing to go to some undetermined team just so that we could get ourselves a championship. Garsh, what a selfless guy.

 

[SactoGreg]

Please!

The thought that Peja asked for a trade to "Better the team" is ridiculous! Just another NBA ego that didn't like the way things were unfolding for him.

And the way he back-tracked is very similar to his style on the court: Rattle him, and he'll fold like a paper napkin.

I really don't give a crap what he says or does off the court. What I want to see is a player that acts like he wants to win, or gets pissed when he loses.

Peja does neither...

 

[Stojakovic]

Pedja explained that several times - people just wouldn't listen

Yeah I'm sure that's it. Poor little Peja, such a nice guy ... probably would have given everybody a massage on his way out, right ?

Give me a break.

 

[love_them_kings]

I actually believe him. He felt didn't like the dynamic when Webb got back and figured they'd both be happier if they traded him. The team was built around Webb, so trading Webb would(in his logic) be rebuilding.

By trading Peja, the Kings could continue to make a run at the title using the squad they built around their leader.

That's Peja. He's a nice guy. Unhappy? Instead of telling them to get rid of Webb, he told them to get rid of himself. Very passive-nonaggressive.

Honestly? Demanding to be traded to another team was going to help the Kings how?? Keeping in mind that Peja is underpaid, and we would not have gotten anywhere near equal talent in return, this statement does not make sense.

If he wanted to help the Kings he would have been better off shutting up & concentrating on recapturing the chemistry the team had before Webb's injury. Or, as Bricklayer said, quietly approached the Maloofs and/or Petrie and let them know his ideas. Instead, he publicly asked to be traded, and reiterated his statement (personally and through his agent) even after the Maloofs had indicated that they intended to keep him.

Peja's request was not selfless, and it was not intended to help the Kings. He wasn't happy and he wanted out. Kind of the equivalent of when my 3 year old stops playing with her friend because her friend isn't playing the way she wants. Except that at least she isn't trying to get out of a multi million dollar contract that she made.

I liked Peja tremendously before his request. I still believe he is a great player and can add a lot to this team. But he lost a lot of my respect with this move.

 

[6th]

Honestly? Demanding to be traded to another team was going to help the Kings how?? Keeping in mind that Peja is underpaid, and we would not have gotten anywhere near equal talent in return, this statement does not make sense.

If he wanted to help the Kings he would have been better off shutting up & concentrating on recapturing the chemistry the team had before Webb's injury. Or, as Bricklayer said, quietly approached the Maloofs and/or Petrie and let them know his ideas. Instead, he publicly asked to be traded, and reiterated his statement (personally and through his agent) even after the Maloofs had indicated that they intended to keep him.

Peja's request was not selfless, and it was not intended to help the Kings. He wasn't happy and he wanted out. Kind of the equivalent of when my 3 year old stops playing with her friend because her friend isn't playing the way she wants. Except that at least she isn't trying to get out of a multi million dollar contract that she made.

I liked Peja tremendously before his request. I still believe he is a great player and can add a lot to this team. But he lost a lot of my respect with this move.

love_them_kings, the two statements I highlighted above state my opinions exactly. Peja was upset and immediately made his displeasure known. When the Maloofs finally convinced him that he was not going anywhere, he tried to spin it into a selfless act in order to save face with the fans.

I loved Peja Stojakovic as the purist shooter in the game of basketball of his time. I was so proud to call him a Sacramento King. Now, although I will support him as long as he is wearing our uniform, I really don't care whether the Kings trade him or not. I will still enjoy every beautiful "swish" that comes from his hands, but I can no longer be blinded and overlook his faults.

It's a shame. Peja caused me to be disallusioned with him. He will have my 100% support while wearing the Kings jersey, but he will never again have my devotion.

 

[VF21]

love_them_kings, the two statements I highlighted above state my opinions exactly. Peja was upset and immediately made his displeasure known. When the Maloofs finally convinced him that he was not going anywhere, he tried to spin it into a selfless act in order to save face with the fans.

I loved Peja Stojakovic as the purist shooter in the game of basketball of his time. I was so proud to call him a Sacramento King. Now, although I will support him as long as he is wearing our uniform, I really don't care whether the Kings trade him or not. I will still enjoy every beautiful "swish" that comes from his hands, but I can no longer be blinded and overlook his faults.

It's a shame. Peja caused me to be disallusioned with him. He will have my 100% support while wearing the Kings jersey, but he will never again have my devotion.

And those comments, my dear friend, are a pretty good assessment of my feelings, also...

And there's the problem. Peja caused this himself, IMHO, and instead of owning up to it, he's repeatedly tried to spin it to make himself look innocent.

I would have a LOT more respect for him IF he had simply come out and said, "Hey, I messed up. I was upset over the trading of Vlade. Besides that, everybody knows the chemistry wasn't the same as before. I just thought maybe I should go somewhere else. Once things settled down, I realized I shouldn't have made such a big deal of it. I started with the Sacramento Kings. I'm proud to be a Sacramento King. I hope I can spend my entire career as a Sacramento King."

Had he EVER said anything like that, I would be 100% supportive of him because Lord knows we all make mistakes. Unfortunately, the mistake Peja continues to make is to deny the original one, compounding the error...

 

[thesanityannex]

I could care less what he has done and said, I just want to see him act like a MAN and show some HEART on the basketball court.

 

[vj9999]

I'm staying out of this one

I'm getting to the point where I will only feel comfortable commenting on the team and not players. At least that way it is easy to stay impartial.

 

[VF21]

At least that way it is easy to stay impartial.

You mean it's easy to APPEAR impartial.

 

[Londonking]

^^ you coward VJ, lol . Join me, grab a blindfold and meander, defenslessly spouting hopeful, unsubstantiated comments about how he's going to prove them all wrong and show true mvp attributes this season...

 

[vj9999]

You mean it's easy to APPEAR impartial.

That's it

 

[VF21]

Hey, just remember:

Zivot je lep!