love_them_kings
Starter
Well, this whole conversation about Peja being "clutch" or "not clutch" has me a little stumped. In my memory, it wasn't as much about Peja missing game winning shots as him disappearing in the 4th quarter (through his fault or the fault of his teammates not going to him) and not even taking most of the shots when the game was on the line. And, that is fine. I admit there were many times where I felt Peja should step up & demand the ball. However, we always had players (Bibby, Webber) that WANTED the ball, and they willingly took the risk & accepted the glory, or the criticism, when the shot did or did not fall. And, I think they did a heck of the job. So, was Webber clutch? Was Peja clutch? For goodness sakes, who knows who would have/could have/should have done better in game deciding situations, but in my experience, Peja did not typically get the ball in those situations, despite being (arguably) our best shooter. Was it because he shied away from the opportunity? Did his teammates not trust him? Was the defense covering him too closely? Who will ever know. Suffice to say, on the Kings team, in the last few minutes he was not typically "the man" to go to. If he is "the man" on his new team, and wants and accepts the responsiblity that goes with it, more power to him. I wish him the best of luck, and like all former Kings, I will always appreciate & respect what he did for our team, the Kings, who I love. That said, I think that our team needs what Artest brought more than what Peja was giving us, so it's all good. This may be one of those "win-win" situations, where everyone is a winner.
For me, I honestly believe that when the game was on the line, I wanted the ball in Bibby or Webb's hands. No matter how many game winning shots Peja hits for his new team (and the playoffs aren't here yet
) that wasn't his role on our team. I continue to wish Peja the best, but I'm glad it's Ron Artest that suits up as a King every night. I don't think the two are mutually exclusive.
For me, I honestly believe that when the game was on the line, I wanted the ball in Bibby or Webb's hands. No matter how many game winning shots Peja hits for his new team (and the playoffs aren't here yet
) that wasn't his role on our team. I continue to wish Peja the best, but I'm glad it's Ron Artest that suits up as a King every night. I don't think the two are mutually exclusive.
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