Stojakovic aggravated back injury (merged)

[ForlornKing]

Wow....


This season is just getting worse then I thought it was.

I predict another 10 years until the King's get to the same level they were.

 

[SacTownKid]

Realistically the Kings can do nothing until Peja a)either opts out, or b)accepts the last year of his deal (if he is in fact, not traded). We all thought/think its a given he will opt, well, maybe not.

 

[VF21]

I was under the impression we could offer Peja an extension and delay his option one more year. I guess that might not be the case. It's a shame, because if we could, I think both parties could benefit in the long run...

 

[Sparky]

Realistically the Kings can do nothing until Peja a)either opts out, or b)accepts the last year of his deal (if he is in fact, not traded). We all thought/think its a given he will opt, well, maybe not.

On the bad side, he's got the kind of nagging back injury that sucks the joy out of life. He's playing on a losing team and the biggest contract year of his career is in the toilet.

On the plus side he's as rich as Midas and appears to truly love his family. Given the unrelenting nature of back problems and his abysmal trade value, along with the obvious lack of love for the game, maybe the guy will retire. Of course, that's even worse for the kings as they get no trade value for him, just a little salary relief.

 

[Kev.in]

This really sucks. Time has narrowed our options for trading Peja, as the smarter GMs now clearly see Peja for what he is. Now we're stuck with a guy who doesn't work on his game OR his body in the offseason. For the second straight year, Peja has just walked into training camp as if he can start running with the big boys after a whole summer of kicking back. Last year it led to nagging injuries (the hamstring) and now his back is out of whack. This isn't a "bad back" in the way guys like Tracy McGrady or Larry Bird have had them, this is an injury caused by poor conditioning.

So now the whole league has downgraded Peja's value based off his play in the post-Webber era and because he doesn't appear to be committed or passionate to any degree. Real classy.

 

[vj9999]

This isn't a "bad back" in the way guys like Tracy McGrady or Larry Bird have had them, this is an injury caused by poor conditioning.

That's a silly assumption, but it could be twisted either way to sound logical. Peja used to get too much conditioning over the summer that prompted some of his superiors to beg him not to partake in summer activities. He skips two summers of National team play and he becomes injury prone.

 

[VF21]

Peja is a true enigma. There are times when I used to see him so full of joy on the court he looked as though he didn't want to be anywhere else. Now, however, I don't see that expression. It may have, in fact, been the departure of Vlade that took away his exuberance but the bottom line is he isn't having fun. He's trying to do a job he's not happy in.

After seeing how happy and content he is in his adopted home town in Greece, how much he clearly adores his son, and learning that his girl-friend is expecting a daughter in a couple of months, I really have to wonder if he just doesn't want to do this any more.

And you cannot blame him. He's played basketball, not for the joy, but to support his family most of his life. If whatever passion he did have for the game is now gone, then perhaps he should just follow his heart and spend his time with Aleka and his growing family.

 

[Kev.in]

That's a silly assumption, but it could be twisted either way to sound logical. Peja used to get too much conditioning over the summer that prompted some of his superiors to beg him not to partake in summer activities. He skips two summers of National team play and he becomes injury prone.

And that's the problem. You can't go from year-round conditioning year after year to 3 months of sitting around. Is there some middle ground here, or does he have to pick one extreme? How about this: don't over-do it but don't sit around doing nothing for 3 months. The majority of the league's players understand it and do it this way. Why not Peja? My guess is that he doesn't care enough to prepare like a professional.

 

[Bricklayer]

I think "Peja's not in shape, therefore he is injured" is a bit simplistic.

Webb always worked out hard every summer, but his body just broke down. Bobby was ferocious and full of energy, and his body just broke down. Meanwhile Vlade never touched a weight and ran through almost his entire career with nary an injury. And Peja..well, he's hardly ferocious, but his body just may be breaking down. He's never come in camp looking flabby, never had obvious conditioning problems other than the career-long stamina issues during games. And really, in his most injury wracked campaign before this one -- 02-03 -- the complaint was the opposite. The idiot ran off to play for his NT on a bum ankle and ended up struggling with ankle/foot issues well into the following season. Last tiem we were worried about his future health actually.

Where his lack of offseason work has always hurt is in his fundamental lack of improvement, and indeed regression over the years. I think those who claim he does not truly love the game may be largely correct, and certianly its long since become very obvious there isn't even a hint of fire in his belly. Of the competitve drive to be absolutely the best he could be.

But the injuries? Peja has always gotten nicked up and missed time. Never been remotely an ironman. And of course I think that he combines a very low pain threshhold for a professional athlete with the aforementioned lack of fire to really adopt a lassiez faire "why should I play through pain" attitude when he's hurting. So he misses time others woudl not necessarily miss.

Not much of the above is complimentary, but the one thing I DON'T think we have any real evidence of is Peja not staying in shape. In fact if there is one line I would generally draw with Peja critricisms it is that I think he is a professional. That he will come to camp in shape in professional manner. Prepare professionally. Do all the minimum level things you expect out of a pro. He just will not go above and beyond, because again, he's a professional, and this is a job for him, not a passion.