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Fillmoe
Guest
guy takes off a crucial game 6 with a sore knee and now the pacers are sitting at home.....
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coolhandluke
Starter
Eh.. when did Peja have microfracture surgery?piksi said:
Padrino
All-Star
piksi said:
the difference between "those players" and peja is that some of "those players" acted like leaders, shouldered responsibility, and tasted some shred of self-respect. several of those players love the game so much...and wanted to win so bad...that they came back against what could be considered good sense. i fault no player for wanting to have an impact on their team when they've been forced to sit for so long with injury.
but i also fault no player for sitting out when they think they aren't ready. peja's no warrior, and he doesn't have to be. when people realize that he's just a great shooter and role player, then he'll continue to thrive as a great shooter and role player. when they expect him to step up and carry a team, that's when they'll be crushed by false beliefs of who peja stojakovic is.
i fall somewhere in the middle of this great peja debacle. i was glad to see him go for a better player, but i bear him no ill will. peja was a one-time all star...but that peja was gone a long time ago. i appreciated what he did during his time in sacramento, but he has since allowed his game to drop off. now he's been reduced to role player status, of his own free will, which is fine. the kings got a superstar for a role player. indy's loss.
coolhandluke
Starter
There is a BIG difference between a sore knee and one that went through microfracture surgery. They did not diminish because they played hurt -- their injuries and subsequent surgeries took the toll.
Given Peja's recent history of sitting out with a bruised pinky et al, people will always question his toughness. Guess we have to accept him for what he is.
Given Peja's recent history of sitting out with a bruised pinky et al, people will always question his toughness. Guess we have to accept him for what he is.
Crazy as it may sound, but I wouldn't be suprised if his knee was indeed swollen (which was questionable too) that he didn't want to get it worse because of the WC this summer.
Maybe it was between getting few thousand Pacers fans pissed off or pissing off a whole nation for second year in a row
I'm done defending Peja. I'll still enjoy watching him and will follow his games, but that's about it.
Maybe it was between getting few thousand Pacers fans pissed off or pissing off a whole nation for second year in a row
I'm done defending Peja. I'll still enjoy watching him and will follow his games, but that's about it.
SoupIsGood
Bench
Peja just hasn't impressed me overall. He was OK during the season and a complete whimp duirng the playoffs. I like Granger better anyhow, so all is well. He can go play in Toronto or wherever.
Padrino
All-Star
piksi said:
eh...somehow i think a medical opinion is more valuable than sweeping generalizations such as these. webber's knees were wearing down regardless. cartilage doesn't grow back over time, even time spent, say, on the bench. webber may have sped up the process by playing tough, but the surgery was inevitable.
and, yes, webber "is what he is." and last time i checked, he was still a 20/10 player. 20.2 pts/game and 9.9 rebs/game to go along with 3.4 asts/game in '05-'06, to be exact. he shot 43.4% on the season. that's not all that great, but hey, look at that! peja shot 43.7% on the season, and he managed to shoot near the same shoddy percentage on far fewer shots.
my point is not to knock either former king, but to say that both are in the respective twilights of their careers and only one is averaging career lows (not counting peja's rookie season).
coolhandluke
Starter
Hmm... this is just speculation. Almost every player in this league is banged up by the time playoffs arrive. Iverson, Kobe, Bibby have all been icing their knees many many times -- I wouldn't call their careers as finished.piksi said:
If Peja is really that banged up, it is his right not to play and worsen his condition furthermore. It's just that after episodes like pinkygate, he does not get the same concern. To contrast, Ron is playing with a banged up thumb heavily wrapped up in bandage and still doing ballhandling along with being agressive on both sides of the court. Peja is charmin soft. No way around it. It doesn't mean he is a bad player -- he is a borderline All-Star, a great shooter and a good person. He is what he is.
coolhandluke
Starter
True dat. Granger is gonna be a monster. For a moment, I thought he was gonna drop to our position in the draft.vj9999 said:
SacTownKid
Hall of Famer
Pacers won the games Peja played, maybe he is more important than anyone realizes?
KingsChick
Starter
I think so, NewMonkey.
I think Peja's trying to avoid the playoffs by purposley getting injured, also. He's not the player he once was. I hate to say it, but, Personally, IMO, I don't think he's worth it anymore.
I think Peja's trying to avoid the playoffs by purposley getting injured, also. He's not the player he once was. I hate to say it, but, Personally, IMO, I don't think he's worth it anymore.
Right..... I think Donnie Walsh should call FBI and Homeland Security. Peja is obviously commiting a fraud and should be deported. I'm sure Peja is financially stable and if he doesn't want to play anymore, he can always retire and lounge on the beach in Greece for the rest of his life.
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