<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"I'm still standing behind the words I said in August, but I am professional," Stojakovic said. "I have a contract with the Kings, two years, and I'm going to honor that. It just wouldn't be fair for the city, the organization and for my teammates, who I respect. I'm just going to go out there and play basketball."</div>-article from espn I wonder how things will happen with Peja,maybe the Kings will decide to trade him instead of risking the possibilities of him leaving when the rest of his contract is finished. Even though Peja is arguably the teams best player I think he is part of the problem.His tendancy to choke come playoff time really causes the Kings games because they depend on his scoring the most and thats what he stuggles on in the playoffs.He is also pretty one deminsonal,hey can really shoot and thats it,I dont mean to take anything away from his game,because he is a great player,but I would rather have a player who can do a little of everything. The Kings arent really going to be winning a chip anytime soon,so I would start to re-build.Maybe the Kings could make a trade for VC involving Peja,even though Peja is the better player I would rather have Vince Carter on my team because he is a lot more versatile and will play better come playoff time.Even though VC isnt exactly a type of player would want your team to be built around of,they will stay have solid role players to build around also. What do you guys think will happen with Peja in the end?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Silky Smooth:</div><div class="quote_post">-article from espn I wonder how things will happen with Peja,maybe the Kings will decide to trade him instead of risking the possibilities of him leaving when the rest of his contract is finished. Even though Peja is arguably the teams best player I think he is part of the problem.His tendancy to choke come playoff time really causes the Kings games because they depend on his scoring the most and thats what he stuggles on in the playoffs.He is also pretty one deminsonal,hey can really shoot and thats it,I dont mean to take anything away from his game,because he is a great player,but I would rather have a player who can do a little of everything. </div> I agree. I love Peja, and I loved gettin outta my seat and cheering everytime he hit a big 3. But facts are facts, and Peja is a choker in the playoffs.
Yeah, his past playoff numbers aren't exactly special, but I think that all he has to do to remove that black mark from his name is to have just one good postseason. I know I will forget his past problems if he can prove himself in the playoffs this year. Yes, Steve Kerr, I said playoffs. About his comments, well, isn't it great that he isn't going to be a little cry baby about it? Sure, it's sad that we even need to know how he's going to approach the situation. But, we all know that there are alot of players in the NBA that would be saying the exact opposite. It's good to know that he's not going to let it get in the way of the fans and his teammates.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Even though Peja is arguably the teams best player I think he is part of the problem</div> Exactly how us Mavs fans felt about Steve Nash, and it got to the point where it was a foregone conclusion that Bibby or Parker would light him up every year once the playoffs started. Painful, but right, decision to move in another direction. But the Kings do have another alternative. How about listen to Peja? Trade Weber! Losing Divak won't hurt the Kings at all, if Brad Miller plays like he did last year, he'll be one of the five best centers in the league. But Weber will never stay healthy, will always be a choker, and just does nothing for the flow of the team. If they could get someone like Carter for Weber, they should do it. But to trade Peja for Carter, hmmm, that doesn't make the team better.
Wbber a choker?Lets look at their stats in the playoffs.Peja:First Round 5 5 42.4 35-83 .422 10-35 .286 11-11 1.000 1.60 7.20 8.80 1.4 1.60 .40 1.00 2.60 18.2 Conference Semifinals 7 7 43.6 41-115 .357 13-38 .342 24-28 .857 1.00 4.70 5.70 1.6 2.00 .14 1.29 1.90 17.0
Chris Webber a choker?Lets look at their playoff stats. PejaG GS MPG FGM-A FG% 3PM-A 3P% FTM-A FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG First Round 5 5 42.4 35-83 .422 10-35 .286 11-11 1.000 1.60 7.20 8.80 1.4 1.60 .40 1.00 2.60 18.2 Conference Semifinals 7 7 43.6 41-115 .357 13-38 .342 24-28 .857 1.00 4.70 5.70 1.6 2.00 .14 1.29 1.90 17.0 Webber G GS MPG FGM-A FG% 3PM-A 3P% FTM-A FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG First Round 5 5 37.0 38-85 .447 0-0 .000 21-37 .568 3.00 6.20 9.20 4.0 1.20 1.60 4.40 2.60 19.4ppg Conference Semifinals 7 7 37.3 52-114 .456 1-4 .250 19-28 .679 1.30 6.30 7.60 3.4 1.43 .29 2.29 3.00 17.7 Webber actually has the bettr stats,and he was still fresh off an injury that caused him half of the regular season,but then he gets into the playoffs and plays better then an NBA MVP canidate.So who is the choker now. Trade Peja.
Without a doubt, Peja was horrible in the playoffs last year. He's not able to create his own shot, which kills him when teams focus on him. Of course it's pretty easy to focus on him when guys like Weber and Divak no longer make teams pay for playing them man to man. For a career 22/10 guy, Weber's playoff stats were weak, and he actually looked like he was playing pretty good. He did step his game up in the playoffs last year, but he had a lot of room to step up. His turnovers and assists basically offset each other. He didn't create for others, just took those 15 footers like he loves to do. And at the end of the game, he was basically a non factor. So Weber and Peja's playoff numbers were virtually the same, the difference is that Peja was horrible and Weber was OK. Horrible Peja == OK Weber.
Peja part of the problem yet the best player on the Kings?? Hmmm interesting. I find this whole "one dimensional" player thing very interesting. Yes he is one dimensional but the one dimension of the game he has mastered is also the most important:shooting. Thats what the game comes down to. Everyone knows Peja cant shoot with someone in his face so why wasnt he getting the open looks he was getting in the regular season? Chris Webber should have taken over when they were focusing so much attention on Peja but he didnt and thats why the Kings lost. You all say you'd rather have a player who could do a little bit of everything...not me. I'd rather have a bunch of one dimensional players who can cover each other's weak points. That is what a team is for you know. To accentuate the strenghts of a player while masking his weaknesses. Besides how many players can shoot nearly as well as Peja and create their own shot(besides Houston but that is why he's making the amount of money he is)? As for Steve Nash being a part of the problem in Dallas...that's too funny. Dirk Nowitzki is a bad defender too but the Mavericks didnt trade him. The problem the Mavericks had wasnt Steve Nash it was the fact they didnt play defense at all(and then there's Antoine Walker but that's a different story). The Mavericks lost Nash to free agency because they didnt want to pay him the money he deserves but they gave Dampier 73 million dollars for six years!!!!!!!!!!That's ridiculous. The Mavericks wont even make the playoffs. Pheonix will come in 7th(the team that Nash went to). The Kings need to get everybody on track. They still have a solid team that can go to the Finals. Keep Peja, keep Webber and everyone else. They have a great chance to win it all know that the Lakers wont be there to ruin their championship dreams. Vince for Peja??? You were kidding right? And the Mavericks need...I dont know their just messed up.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Tribute to H2O:</div><div class="quote_post">Peja part of the problem yet the best player on the Kings?? Hmmm interesting. I find this whole "one dimensional" player thing very interesting. Yes he is one dimensional but the one dimension of the game he has mastered is also the most important:shooting. Thats what the game comes down to. Everyone knows Peja cant shoot with someone in his face so why wasnt he getting the open looks he was getting in the regular season? Chris Webber should have taken over when they were focusing so much attention on Peja but he didnt and thats why the Kings lost. You all say you'd rather have a player who could do a little bit of everything...not me. I'd rather have a bunch of one dimensional players who can cover each other's weak points. That is what a team is for you know. To accentuate the strenghts of a player while masking his weaknesses. Besides how many players can shoot nearly as well as Peja and create their own shot(besides Houston but that is why he's making the amount of money he is)? As for Steve Nash being a part of the problem in Dallas...that's too funny. Dirk Nowitzki is a bad defender too but the Mavericks didnt trade him. The problem the Mavericks had wasnt Steve Nash it was the fact they didnt play defense at all(and then there's Antoine Walker but that's a different story). The Mavericks lost Nash to free agency because they didnt want to pay him the money he deserves but they gave Dampier 73 million dollars for six years!!!!!!!!!!That's ridiculous. The Mavericks wont even make the playoffs. Pheonix will come in 7th(the team that Nash went to). The Kings need to get everybody on track. They still have a solid team that can go to the Finals. Keep Peja, keep Webber and everyone else. They have a great chance to win it all know that the Lakers wont be there to ruin their championship dreams. Vince for Peja??? You were kidding right? And the Mavericks need...I dont know their just messed up.</div> Dude, I was totally with ya, but then you lost me. Let me expain something about the Mavs moves, in the light of what you said about how players can be one dimensional but add up to a team. - Nash is a bad defender, Dirk isn't a great defender, but he can cover a guy like Weber or Divac. What he cannot do is step over and stop Bibby after he has blown past Nash. (And by the way, Dirk averages 26 points, 12 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in the playoffs) - Jason Terry can get in front of Bibby and slow him down, Dampier can step over and block the shot and dominate the boards. - Dirk's quote in the paper today, paraphrased, "Last years team sounded good, but it turns out it wasn't such a good idea to roll five scorers out on the court at the same time, we need role players." He is a good friend of Nash, and he thinks the Mavs will be better next year. (www.dallasnews.com) - A starting salary of $7m isn't that much for a 12-12 guy that leads the league in rebounds per minute and is only 29. OK, seven years is a question, but he'll give at least five solid years. If you need stats to back it up, look at But your last years playoff breakdown by position. But if your opinion is that the Mavs won't make the playoffs, that's fine, we will see. But from your earlier comments it sounds like you understood team basketball and specialists very well. Your assessment of the Kings was exactly as I feel. I do disagree, in that I think Weber is not a player that demands a double team any more. Peja is a shooter, maybe the best in the league, but he needs teammates that can create mismatches for him. Bibby is great, but he needs an inside player to match him. This is what made the Kings go in past years, Divak and Weber were such great passers, they created and Peja thrived. Divak is gone, and Weber is no longer a creator. I'd trade him if anyone would take him. The Kings were awesome last year while Weber was out.
Peja Reports but Stands by his Trade Demands <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"I'm still standing behind the words I said in August, but I am professional," Peja Stojakovic said. "I have a contract with the Kings, two years, and I'm going to honor that. It just wouldn't be fair for the city, the organization and for my teammates, who I respect. I'm just going to go out there and play basketball." Stojakovic seemed upbeat and excited to see his teammates as they began preparations for their preseason trip to China. Stojakovic averaged a career-best 24.2 points and 6.3 rebounds last season, thriving as the Kings' top offensive threat while Chris Webber was sidelined by a serious knee injury. But when Webber returned from an eight-game suspension after the All-Star break, Stojakovic's assertiveness and production declined. </div> Full Story
If Webber leaves the Kings in the 2 years that peja is here,i say Peja's sticking around.if not and Webber stays beyond the 2 years Peja has left,Peja won't be around.overall Peja's playoff record isn't that great,but the Kings need a team player and with Peja they got it. I'm glad Peja will honor his contract,and help the team out.
It was media day in Sac yesterday, and as expected many of the TV news media were focusing on Stojakovics answers to that topic. He did say that he was looking forward to the upcoming season and that he does still like playing here, and will of course do his best, but yes, he does wish to be traded. The Maloofs and Petrie have both been very quick to answer questions in that area with "We are not going to trade Peja under any circumstance and we have made that clear to him". You can get some more info here, along with some audio clips from Stojakovic, Webber, Christie, Jackson and Miller. (real player required)
As far as Stojakovic goes, I expect that he will not be as productive as last year, but should still have a solid season. He wil probably be here at least for the start of the season next year and either he or Webber will be traded. Which one depends on how things go this season but it will have little to do with how they interact with eachother so much as it will their on court performance
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting harbingerofdoom:</div><div class="quote_post">As far as Stojakovic goes, I expect that he will not be as productive as last year, but should still have a solid season. He wil probably be here at least for the start of the season next year and either he or Webber will be traded. Which one depends on how things go this season but it will have little to do with how they interact with eachother so much as it will their on court performance</div> I Wouldn't judge yet on Peja slipping up yet.maybe he won't be as productive this year than last season,but overall he will be of a great asset to us this year.like i said ealirer Peja staying with the Kings will depend on Webber.if Webber wants to stay here for the rest of his career,there's no way Peja's sticking around.i don't think anyone here will argue with that there...however if Webber doesn't have a productive season,than i forsee the Kings letting him go,and Peja staying. Bascially what i'm saying is this season and the outcome with Webber will determine Peja's stay with the Kings.
In all reality he shouldnt be as productive as he was last year now that we are going to have Miller moving to center and Webber will be starting again this year. Part of Stojakovic's boost in stats last year was the fact that Webber was out and Miller moved to the 4 along with Jackson missing some games. Dont get me wrong, Im not sayin that Stojakovic isnt that good... he is... but I would be very surprised if his production stayed the same as it was last year. not because he isnt good, but because the starting lineup vs. last years is a lot different. <edit> wow.. that was a bad typo that I didnt see!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting 44Thrilla:</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah, his past playoff numbers aren't exactly special, but I think that all he has to do to remove that black mark from his name is to have just one good postseason. I know I will forget his past problems if he can prove himself in the playoffs this year. Yes, Steve Kerr, I said playoffs. </div> I agree 100%. If Stojakovic can get this monkey off his back it will raise his trade/FA stock immensely. He can only help himself out by having a good post season. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">About his comments, well, isn't it great that he isn't going to be a little cry baby about it? Sure, it's sad that we even need to know how he's going to approach the situation. But, we all know that there are alot of players in the NBA that would be saying the exact opposite. It's good to know that he's not going to let it get in the way of the fans and his teammates.</div> its good to see that there are at least a few players left that dont flip out & act like 4 year olds when they are told they are not going to be traded. Im thinking Stojakovic is handling this situation very well.
TNG why did you post an article that I already posted,that really made no sense. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">For a career 22/10 guy, Weber's playoff stats were weak, and he actually looked like he was playing pretty good. He did step his game up in the playoffs last year, but he had a lot of room to step up. His turnovers and assists basically offset each other. He didn't create for others, just took those 15 footers like he loves to do.</div> Like I said he just had came off a knee injury that was still bugging him all threw the playoffs.Plus while Peja is still in his prime,Webber isnt but his stats were still as god as Pejas were. Also when is it a fowards job to create for others,Webber is also one of the best bigman passers in the leauge despite what his stats say.Also whats wrong with 15 footers?Your stating Webber shoots them like its a bad thing,but what does KG do on offense..15 footers. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Keep Peja, keep Webber and everyone else. They have a great chance to win it all know that the Lakers wont be there to ruin their championship dreams.</div> The Lakers are still a good team even though Shaq is gone,and the Kings still have to beat the team that is better then themselves the T-Wolves,not to mention the Spurs are also a better team.So just because the Lakers arent as good,doesnt mean that the Kings have a better chance because they havent proven they can beat the other teams.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting harbingerofdoom:</div><div class="quote_post">In all reality he shouldnt be as productive as he was last year now that we are going to have Webber will be moving to center and Webber will be starting again this year. Part of Stojakovic's boost in stats last year was the fact that Webber was out and Miller moved to the 4 along with Jackson missing some games. Dont get me wrong, Im not sayin that Stojakovic isnt that good... he is... but I would be very surprised if his production stayed the same as it was last year. not because he isnt good, but because the starting lineup vs. last years is a lot different.</div> Ok you have a valid point there,but i wouldn't say never..yet.Last year Peja had a incredible year,and it would be great to see a repeat of last years effort.it's probably less likely so,but regardless of this year,i think Peja will have a sucessful year.i think if he showed the NBA what he has,i think things will work out for us Kings fans.
Peja needs to be on a team where he is not the first option and lets be honest with Webber injured or healthy alot of the time Peja was their #1 guy. Take some of the pressure off of him and he will flourish. We all know Peja needs to work on getting his own shot and get over the playoff slumps but he would be a great addition to any team and I wish my beloved Bulls would work out a deal for him But what would we give up???
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting BullsFan4Ever:</div><div class="quote_post">Peja needs to be on a team where he is not the first option and lets be honest with Webber injured or healthy alot of the time Peja was their #1 guy. Take some of the pressure off of him and he will flourish. We all know Peja needs to work on getting his own shot and get over the playoff slumps but he would be a great addition to any team and I wish my beloved Bulls would work out a deal for him But what would we give up???</div> And that is exactly why I think this year his production will not be the same. Having Webber and Jackson back healthy along with Bibby and Miller gives the Kings a lot more options than just Stojakovic. Its only natural that his production would be lower this year. Its not the regular season that he needs to prove what he can do... its in the post season that he needs to do some proving... Do that & he will be in the drivers seat in two years when he has a player option in his contract. If he folds in the post season again it could cost him millions when he goes to negotiate a new contract with anyone.
