Ok, Peja was not fast, can't play defence well, but he became an all star under Adelman. That brings a question -- will Novak grow into Peja for us under RA?
Very interesting, I was just discussing this with a co-worker...Novak has a chance to have a breakout 10+ ppg season and become the Most Improved Player...it begins with rebuilding his confidence that was shattered by JVG! under RA, he shoudl be able to do similar things like the back door cuts or altest hit that corner 3 pointer like Bruce Bowen or Peja (when playing)...It was the shot Shane hit on a consistant basis, but Novak may be 50% from there and that is how we will open the floor and score 100 ppg! Look for Bonzi to return and for V-Span to be given a shot to actually penetrate.
Come on! Compare Novak to Peja??????? At best Novak can be Turkoglu. It's sad to say Peja is more athletic to use screen and curl to catch and shoot. And Peja is really dead eye shooter except choking time. Novak is just a stiff spot up shoot.
I don't recall Peja is very athletic, but I could be wrong. He is not a good defender either. Turkoglu actually is faster and stronger than Peja IMO.
novak isnt just a spot up shooter. he exhibited dirk-like fadeaways off of one leg while at marquette. it was painful to see him used so little when he satisfied the one role that the rockets really needed: consistent shooting.
Peja is strong and he is very good around the basket. Also, at least he has a clue about defense. Besides being white, tall, and can shoot, there isn't a whole lot in common between Peja and Novak now.
He is great at the catch and shoot.... <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/p85vUMWtMz0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/p85vUMWtMz0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> DD
Novak was Peja at Marquette. Seriously, he was the one guy all defenses focused on. This meant that at any time on the offensive end, he wasn't alone. He excelled at running off screens making hard cuts in order to get enough space to get a shot off.
That's what I was referencing. Either way, I think his best comparison would be Peja. That's not to say he is as good as Peja. I just find that the Bullard comparisons are unfounded due to the fact that a big part of Novak's game is the work that he does away from the ball to get open.
We'll see how it translates... when he got to play, it was painfully obvious that he was deficient in many of the fundamental aspects of NBA ball... even his shot wasn't all that great when NBA atheletes ran at him. Hopefully, he's learned during the past year from the coaches and the vets and will continute to put work in during his first offseason to improve. Those offseasons, many players have said, were crucial to a young players' development.
I think one thing Peja did very well was moving without the ball, then catch and shoot or catch and finish under basketball. He was not fast, can't jump very high, but with very good court awareness and basketball IQ. So I do see similarity between Peja and Novak. You are right, Novak is no well near where Peja is. But just saying he has a better chance to be molded like Peja under Adelman.
Out of all the players on the roster that were not big contributors this year, I believe Novak will benefit the most by having Adelman as his coach. Novak is a very heady player who moves without the ball.......Adelman is going to love him. DD
If he comes anywhere close to Peja... hell, if he becomes what Nachbar is now, I'd be happy. This might sound strange... but there is one guy who might play a Peja-lite role fairly quickly under Adelman: Shane Battier. Yes.. after all these years, maybe Shane Battier will finally blossom?
Geeze, guys, in a weak draft last year, Novak still slipped into the 2nd round. Now your guys want to compare him with Peja!!! Do you all think GMs in this league are dumb and dumber?
While agreeing with this Peja took 3 years to become a good player the biggest problem I saw with Novak was adjusting to the NBA pace, with bigger and faster players he had trouble shooting his natural shot. I feel where Adelman will come in will be in making Novak more of a scorer than just a shooter like he was under JVG. Novak being a coaches son has the fundamentals down like cutting and screening and I think he is going to be our most improved player next year.
