He doens't come through when it counts most: playoff time. He goes through the regular season and has an easy time coming off screens and getting many open looks which to his credit, he makes. But he doesn't get those open looks in the playoffs. He cannot create his own shot. He is a catch and shoot player and in the playoffs he is not going to get those open looks he got in the regular season. Players step up their defensive intensity and grab and foul and do anything it takes to stay with Peja and not let him get any open looks. Everyone loves to toss the blame on C-Webb when he was trying to give it his all while playing hurt. What about Peja? Wasn't he the MVP candidate? Maybe the blame should fall on him and his lack of production in the playoffs.
yeah the hype machine exaggerated his abilities this year. he can't create his own shot, thats the gap between him and the superstars in this league.
Peja's A Decent Player...But i agree with everybody...He's not what all the Hype he's been gettin Also he's young,and he's got plenty of time to improve his game,so there's hope..i just hope this is a faze for Peja
peja should do what reggie does. run around screens every play, catch and shoot. it has worked for reggie all these years so im sure it could work for him. if he can't get himself into the game, then the coach has to get peja in the game. some players cant get themselves into the flow, therefore plays have to be setup for that player to get into the game. maybe coach a needs to have more peja plays so he can feel it in the beginning then bibby and cwebb can get involved and have a triple threat.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting throwback:</div><div class="quote_post">peja should do what reggie does. run around screens every play, catch and shoot. it has worked for reggie all these years so im sure it could work for him. if he can't get himself into the game, then the coach has to get peja in the game. some players cant get themselves into the flow, therefore plays have to be setup for that player to get into the game. maybe coach a needs to have more peja plays so he can feel it in the beginning then bibby and cwebb can get involved and have a triple threat.</div>Adelman did everything he could to get Peja involved in this series. At some points he was running the offense through him and Peja began forcing shots. I love Peja but I just wish he had another demension to his game.
Peja is not a player who could be consistent as the first option on offense. He needs someone to take the focus off him. The TWolves realized that and their defense capitalized on Peja in Game 7. Peja NEEDS someone else (i.e. Webber) to take the offensive spotlight off of him.
its not a matter of him not being able to create his own shots. thats been a constant with him since day one. everyone knows this. you have to get him open. and if he cant get open that generally means that he is being doubled...and if he is being doubled that means someone on the floor is open. i fully expect for a player like peja to go flat during the post season... but he has to make up for it in other areas of the game... his defense certainly played a part in the dallas series. but if he isnt going to be able to score, then he needs to start making more assists. if every single shot is contested/double teamed grabbed, kicked, spindled or mutilated in some way he has got to at least have the presence to find the open player.
Anyone can practice their jump shot to perfection and learn where their teammates are going to set a screen for a open shot. There are probably a few players in the league who do exactly what Peja does, and they don't get enough praise as him.
I'm not necessarily blaming Peja for the losing because everbody has to take responsability for the loss. It's not only because of him that they lost. But he does have things to improve. He is a one of the greatest shooter in the league and scorer, he is great at moving without the ball to get free and get a open shot, but he doesn't do much more than that. He can't create a shot for himself. In the playoffs, the Kings counted on him to score and he didn't. Mostly because the Wolves always got a hand in his face with Trenton and Hoiberg, both great and underrated defenders. He did have a good game in one of the games against the Wolves in the final minutes to send it to overtime. Great players knows how to help his team and affect the game in different ways. He could help on defense, getting rebounds, deflect shots, etc. He just needs to be better in other areas.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Just-Magic:</div><div class="quote_post">I'm not necessarily blaming Peja for the losing because everbody has to take responsability for the loss. It's not only because of him that they lost. But he does have things to improve.</div> yup. however, on the defensive side... im still going to point to the dallas series. three plays run at Peja, three defensive stands. something i dont think he would have pulled off last season. are we seeing a very slow progression here? god i hope the answer is yes AND that the progression speeds up.
Peja going to struggle in the playoffs because he is a one deminsional offensive player. He cant put the ball on the floor to create is own shot, when the screens arent getting him free. He is about 6'8 but he doesnt have the post up game that alot of small forwards his size Jamal Mashburn etc have. So when it comes down to it if you keep up with him coming off screens you pretty much shut him down. If you look at a guy like reggie Miller, who was mainly a player who came off screens to free himself up. The main difference between the two is that during Reggie Millers' hay day, he could put the ball on the floor & get to the basket & draw fouls or score when his perimter shot wasnt falling. If you ever seen old reggie Miller tapes from when he was at UCLA, it seem that he was more of a scorer than a pure shooter. And I think that helped him become the type of player he was/still is during his career. Reggie Miller always knew how to find ways to score when his shot from the outside wasnt falling. Peja cant do that because he is basically just a shooter. So its going to be hard for Peja to produce when defenses really focus on stopping him.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Peja going to struggle in the playoffs because he is a one deminsional offensive player. He cant put the ball on the floor to create is own shot, when the screens arent getting him free. He is about 6'8 but he doesnt have the post up game that alot of small forwards his size Jamal Mashburn etc have. So when it comes down to it if you keep up with him coming off screens you pretty much shut him down. </div> Or 6'10, his rebounding in addition also needs to improve for a guy who is 6'10, it wasn't bad in the playoffs though.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting og15:</div><div class="quote_post">Or 6'10, his rebounding in addition also needs to improve for a guy who is 6'10, it wasn't bad in the playoffs though.</div> I guess when you stand out on the perimeter taking three's all the time you seem alot smaller
I'm in no way putting all of the blame on Peja but I do think he deserves more of the blame that he has received. Everyone is quick to blame Webber when he was the one playing injured.
I'm not blaming anyone. I thought that everyone tried to help their team win. I don't know why you have to blame anyone for losing. They tried their best and lost. You don't have to blame anyone. The better team won and thats why they lost. So it's nobody's fault. I know that people shouldn't blame Webber because he tried his best to help when he was injured. Everybody tried. It just that Peja can't do anything more than shoot. If you stop him from doing that, he can't do much more. That's his problem but you can't blame him for that. It's just the way he plays.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Yugoslavia:</div><div class="quote_post">^I don't think the better team won. But, that's not the point.</div> I can see your point. I personally think the Kings are one of the best offensive TEAMS in the league. But you need to add team defense to be complete. When you have ONE player destroying you, double or triple team that player. I don't think Peja deserves much more of the blame than anyone else. He plays his game, and that's the problem. He needs dimensions to his game to make him more complete.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Henacy:</div><div class="quote_post">If you look at a guy like reggie Miller, who was mainly a player who came off screens to free himself up. The main difference between the two is that during Reggie Millers' hay day, he could put the ball on the floor & get to the basket & draw fouls or score when his perimter shot wasnt falling. If you ever seen old reggie Miller tapes from when he was at UCLA, it seem that he was more of a scorer than a pure shooter. And I think that helped him become the type of player he was/still is during his career. Reggie Miller always knew how to find ways to score when his shot from the outside wasnt falling. Peja cant do that because he is basically just a shooter. So its going to be hard for Peja to produce when defenses really focus on stopping him.</div> Yeah. Remember the series against the Nets? Everybody was expecting him to shoot a jumpshot. Then suddenly he drove in and dunked it. In the case of Peja, everybody knows he's going to catch and shoot. He needs to do something more than that. Maybe develop a postup fadeaway J and start taking it to the hole.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting throwback:</div><div class="quote_post">peja should do what reggie does. run around screens every play, catch and shoot.</div> wrong. he already does that...movement without the ball, is all he does. thats the part of his game, that doesnt need much work what peja needs to learn to do is use his body. because he is a shooter, people seem to forget, that hes 6`10. thats the height of some centers and pf's in the L...he needs to learn how to abuse people down low...use his body, become more physical, and play some tough D. once (and if) he becomes a complete scorer, and a defender, he'll be a legit mvp candidate...untill then, hes gonna remain a pretty one-dimensional player
