Bricklayer said:
Mike Bibby has nothing to prove on that front -- he needs to make no statement. He's given us more big clutch performances in the last three weeks than Peja has in 7 years.
Peja NEEDS to make a statement whether he is man or mouse. And playing a "pretty" game entirely inside his comfort zone doesn't answer that in the least. The open question with Peja is, to put it bluntly, does he have a pair? When the going gets tough, where does Peja go? Peja needs the statement game to prove that he is not the kid you beat up on the way to school for his lunch money.
Well, I was looking for an answer in tonight's game which you don't have. l guess I'll have to settle for your thinking that he did play a "pretty" game tonight.
None of which is to say that I don't think he has plenty of room for improvement, or to say that I agree with you that he has never been clutch but we have different opinions on the player. I don't think he's God's gift but I don't expect him to be. I expect him to play well within his game, not load up the stat sheet at the expense of the team. I saw him playing an involved game (with room for improvement) and I am happy to see that. I hope to see it for the rest of the season and throughout the playoffs, however far the Kings go.
I am happy to see any Kings player contributing to a win, and very happy to see Mike step up and play to his potential without trying to compare the two players. I am happy to see the hustle and passion of the new guys. I am happy to see this team able to run and rebound and block shots without crabbing about the fact that our starting PF and SF grabbed fewer rebounds than our off-the-bench PF by himself. Everybody contributed and everybody played a team game which bodes well for the future, whether it's this year or next. But that's just my opinion, but I have to say, I really like watching this team play ball. I hope you do too.
Ready to join hands and sing Kumbaya yet?