Has Sasha lived up to his contract this year, or has he gone back to that 11 AM shooter in your guys' opinions? I was convinced all last year that he was a contract year player, but he won me over in the playoffs. I feel that he has reverted back to his terrible play this year, though.
i think he is playing the same basketball than last year he is just playing less minutes and that affects his stats but watching him right now doesnt mean a big change from last year
Of course not. He's been disappointing this year, but luckily for us the rest of our bench has stepped up. I still hold out faith that he'll turn the corner though, as crazy as it sounds. He's a gym rat and if he keeps working, he'll get it all together soon, hopefully.
He hasn't, but he has also seen a decrease in minutes this year with the emergence of Ariza and with Odom going to the bench. However, the kid is a gym rat, and because of that, he's got the ability to turn it around.
I don't know... he seems to be solely a shooting specialist who won't get any better. When he's not hitting the outside shot, what is he really good for?
He has been given less minutes so, despite the fact that Odom and Ariza are playing more minutes, he does not live up to his $5 million contract. There are better players that the Lakers can get at $5 million than Sasha, for sure.
Does less minutes really matter, though? I remember last year he would come into a game and you would know right away if he was on or not. You can always tell with his first few shots if he'll have a good shooting night. That has changed this year, imo.
Well, theoretically speaking, he has not lived up to his contract in that he was expected to play more minutes, contribute more, in more playing time. However, because he takes a rather significant step down in minutes, his production is also hindered and so is his influence on the court. This year, when he steps on the court, you don't even realize he was playing until he steps off, two minutes later. Imo, the Lakers aren't getting their money's worth in Sasha. This year, he is probably only worth 2.5-3 million at the max from what he is producing.
I always felt the Lakers overpaid for him, but considering he makes about the same as Walton I'd say he's lived up to his contract. I think Sasha is a lot more effective when he's with the starters on the court. I loved the lineup the Lakers had during their comeback in the Boston game with Fisher-Sasha-Kobe-Odom-Gasol on the court. This lineup gives Sasha a lot of open looks and he's a lot more confident and under control playing with the starters. He also gave a valiant effort on defense despite his leg injury he's coping with. He's perfect for the current role the Lakers use him in.
