Yes. I've been saying this for a while now. Peja makes his living with the 3pt shot. He is practically worthless in every other respect. So yes, Novak and Peja are extremely similar. Novak's 3pt shot seems to be every bit as accurate as Peja, so there is good reason to believe Novak can be used to the same effectiveness as Peja. Just stand out by the 3pt line and wait for the open shot. Novak does need to improve his defense no doubt, but he could be very useful.
peja is a respectable defender in that he's not "useless" on that end b/c he does play 35-36 min on one of the better defensive teams in the L. novak is literally "useless" on the defensive end at this stage of his career.
novak will never be peja. novak has small potential, and that's due to his small frame. but if he fills that small potential, he will be an ok role player. instead of a scrub that can just shoot.
Peja is better at defense than Novak for sure, however the Hornets are not one of the better defensive teams in the NBA. I watched many of their games this season, and even attended a few because I live in New Orleans. Peja really cannot do anything well except for shooting 3 pointers. If he puts the ball on the floor, a turnover is more likely than anything positive. He cant create off the dribble, offensively all he really does is stand out by the arc and wait for Paul to create penetration. Novak can fill that role. But he does need to improve defensively, but he is a player exactly in the mold of Peja.
Peja was a top 4 MVP candidate and an all NBA 2nd team selection a few years ago. Novak is a comparable spot up 3 point shooter - that's it.
As everyone else points out Novak HAS the potential all he needs is some one on one time with the assistants hopefully one of them will read this thread and think about it. It's not apropriate to compare Peja with Novak...yet, Peja is lights out with the 3 pt no doubt about that Novak is the same when nobody is infront of him!
I'll be somewhat surprised if Novak is on the roster next season. I think he's a prime candidate to be cut or thrown in a trade to make the numbers work.
Yeah, I know most of you guys have torn the 36 mins thing to shreds But I gotta say regardless, I think most of you are underestimating Novak's ability to shoot. If he becomes just a slight negative on defense then I could see him developing into a "Peja-like" role (no, he won't become Peja, but very few players can do that.)...what I'm saying is that he's much more valuable then most of you think, especially for a forum that always complains about getting more shooters... Trading Novak or getting him off the roster would be a big mistake.
No one really knows what Novak could develop into, but he certainly should be getting some time with a shot like his. DD
I'd argue the reverse. If Novak can't get playing time with a shot like his, he doesn't deserve it. Under JVG, I think you could have a solid argument. But if a guy who shoots it like Novak can't get Rick Adelman to play him, I just shudder to think how truly bad he must be.
Thank you! The fact Novak has played under two entirely different coaches should prove HE is the problem, not his coaches. We all know he is pathetic on defense. But when watching Novak on offense, he has little clue about how to get open. I've said before he has very poor basketball instincts. Some guys like Rip Hamilton, Reggie Miller and other jumpshooters overcome their lack of athleticism by finding seams in defenses and having a knack for getting open. Novak just doesn't have this innate ability. Therefore, he is extremely easy to stop if a defender puts in a small amount of effort. On Novak's shooting ability, I've called him a "circus performer" many times. If he were with Barnum and Bailey, Novak could drill 28/30 shots from 24 feet. But during live NBA games, something happens to him. When his shot is contested just a little bit, he will miss nearly every time. He is not very good at shooting curl shots off picks. There are only two things he does well: (1) Catch and shoot uncontested & (2) Dribble and shoot when the defender goes flying past him. If the conditions are anything less than ideal, he misses. This is what separates Novak from guys like Peja, Nash, Ray Allen and even Kapono. You give those guys an instant to get the ball off and you are in trouble. I think Novak might be worth keeping another season. Maybe a light bulb will go off in his head and he will figure things out. I'm not hopeful. But when you saw what happened with Sasha Vujacic the last two seasons, it's probably worth giving him one more year.
He certainly isn't going to get any more athletic. Can he had some muscle? Probably but it doesn't look like that is a goal for him (is it ever for a shooter?). So the best thing that can happen is that he will relax on the court and not be the horrible defensive liability he is now. Personally, I hate to see him taking up a roster spot but I think that will change shortly.
At least a few people here aren't on the pipe. Peja may be unatheletic and bad at alot of things but with that said he has way more skills than Novak. He has a sick triple threat game, he can actually dribble more than once at a time, he can rebound, i could go on. I would be very surprised if Novak developed those skills any time soon. Sometimes i think guys just look at percentages and say...'yep he's just as good as this guy...or better'. It doesn't work that way. By sucking as much as he does he has the ability to only take the shots he feels that are impossible for him to miss. Even factoring in his lights out shooting, he is a terrible basketball player.
You also have to bear in mind that this was his first season where he actually saw time on the court. I can't remember seeing him on the floor his rookie season. Yes he lacks defense, but a guy with that kind of shot does not come around very often. If we can teach this guy how to play some defense, he can be a vital part of this team's success. I agree though, if he's on the floor and he's not shooting, then it's pointless keeping him out there.
