How'd He Do?: Peja Stojakovic

by Rohan on May 30, 2008 3:09 PM CDT

Peja's turn. So far: Bonzi Wells 55%, David West 94%, Morris Peterson 68%, Melvin Ely 37%. Now let's take a look at Predrag, three point shooting extraordinare.

Positives: Shot the lights out, stayed healthy, barely missed becoming the second 45%+/200 3PM+ shooter in NBA history (Glen Rice), nearly matched his career high with 231 total threes and shot 44.1% from three, easily outclassed his much hyped fellow bomber Ray Allen (180 3's on 39.8%), spaced the floor extremely well allowing the TC-CP pick and roll to enjoy great success, career high and NBA high .929 from the stripe, often guarded opposition's best wing with some success (LeBron, Redd), Peja Heads probably the highlight of the season

Negatives: Shut down in the playoffs by Bruce Bowen, terrible footwork on defense, forced up shots in games where he got limited touches, got blocked on way too many inside attempts (14% of his "inside" looks were rejected)

My Grade (1 to 5): 5, Explanation: Without Peja's three point ability, you could easily make the case that Paul wouldn't have posted the ridiculous numbers that he did. Even on non-Peja plays, his presence on the floor was enough to keep extra defenders from hounding CP. He was shut down by Bruce Bowen, but seriously, it's Bruce Bowen. Bowen is one of the NBA's premier defenders, if its dirtiest, and he's shut down premier scorers in the past. I really think Peja's getting too much flack for this. Other than that, he filled his role to the max. 231 3PM in 77 games? Don't tell me you wouldn't have sold your soul for that before the season started.

Poll

How well did Predrag fit his role in '07-'08?

1

2 votes

2

0 votes

3

2 votes

4

12 votes

5

19 votes

35 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

I agree

Peja filled his role admirably. I’m also tired of people trashing his salary. He may seem overpaid, but take a look at the other shooters of his size and caliber around the league, look at their salaries, and you’ll see he’s not out of line.

http://www.hornets247.com

by Ryan Schwan on May 30, 2008 10:15 PM CDT reply actions

Yup, I did a post about his contract back in March (http://atthehive.wordpress.com/2008/03/23/pejas-money-but-is-his-contract-too-full-of-it/) and his contract isn’t too shabby even in a historical perspective.

by Rohan on May 30, 2008 10:24 PM CDT reply actions

Also,

whoever keeps voting ‘1’ for players like Peja, David West, etc., I’m not going to count your vote unless you leave a comment explaining it.

by Rohan on May 30, 2008 10:27 PM CDT reply actions

Ditto (in heart)

Seriously. Are bitter Texas fans voting on these polls? I mean, if you beefed with Peja, I get a 3 or 4 (though I gave him a 5), but a 1? For the buzzer beaters at home against Dallas and at Phoenix alone, not to mention his unconscious LA performance, 3 games, gives him a 2 rating.

I mean, ticktock and I joked sometimes that they should leave him open. I honestly think unlike most players, he thrives off the guy in his face (as opposed to dry-humping him, like Bowen did). He loves that side-step dribble and shoot as guys come racing at him. I swear, he’s probably 80% on those shots. (Come on atthehive, I know you Tivo’d all 82 games and are going to come up with a breakdown of that stat later in the summer…). Seriously, you may not be able to tell on a television, but I swear that sometimes he didn’t even look at the basket. I know expression is tough on the internet, but I really am not making any hyperbole. He’d take a pass, a guy in his face, re-adjust his position and shoot, and I SWEAR his head didn’t look up until the ball was out of his hands.

When they say “unconscious” about hitting shots, that phrase couldn’t possibly describe anyone more than Peja. Are people really upset he didn’t break out against Bowen? This is a team sport. Ask the Cavs. Ask the Lakers. Both teams are notorious for scoring 40 or 50 and losing. As the guys at this blog have pointed out, Peja’s a perfect fit for the system. He makes CP and DX look better, and they do the same for him. He’s a huge part of our future and I,for one, am stoked that we have him locked up for another three seasons.

And, yes, I’d say he’s worth every penny.

by m-W on May 31, 2008 12:38 PM CDT up reply actions