No. Neither guy will be close to what they were. When it comes to being mentioned as one of the NBA's best, stick a fork in both guys.
Peja was perfect in that Kings' system with Vlade and CWebb being great passing big men. I still think they would have beaten the Lakers if he had been healthy. Anyway, he's on his way to becoming a poor man's Steve Novak.
exactly, age and time's not gonna stop, and peja's just gotten old and isn't the player he was with the kings, which is fine with me, it's not like he plays for us.
I disagree with your theory. I watched him too. He wasn't just three point threat. He had point guard skills, a lot of inside game - all of that vanished with the injuries.. He showed that in international games.
He is not being utilized properly. Peja is a great shooter, one of the best the league has ever seen but the Hornets have relegated him to simply a spot up 3 point shooter. The difference is that Peja has a great mid range game and he can score inside on smaller players (basically anyone defending him). He could also penetrate off the screen and get to the foul line. The problem is that you have to run plays for him he needs multiple screens and the freedom to cut to the basket when he sees an opening. He would probably still be an all-star if he was on the jazz. Honestly, i don't understand it. Why bring in Peja if all you wanted was a spot up 3 point shooter? Plenty of guys can do that. That's not what made him good, it was more so his size and unstoppable mid range j.
bad back, and there are options on his team now, two all stars in west and paul, but they don't post and kick, he would do wonders with a center like shaq or yao...his stroke is still beautiful
Handling the ball well doesnt mean you have point guard skills. And his inside game was non-existent. Sometimes he's able to beat smaller guards in the post, but I haven't seen him do even that since his first year out of sacto.
RA held Kings together, and ever since RA's Kings fell apart so did Peja. Vlade now back to his homeland, RA now coaching us, Webber a retired man, Bibby playing for the Hawks, and Bobby having fun rookie hazing. Peja is lost. The dude could shoot, but he is basically a better version of the current Brent Barry. He needs a system like RA's, where he rotates around for open shots. Since he is so tall, yet quick and accurate, he brings a lot of trouble for defenders. However, now as people have mentioned, the dude's just a Steve Novak. Hornets don't exploit him enough.
Peja is one of the best shooters in the league (better than Dirk), but he's mostly a spot-up shooter. Now, he's old and dealt with injuries. So, basically if you put a good defender on Peja, like Battier or Artest, to take away Peja's space, timing and put up a hand, Peja will be a no show. Posey has more value to the Hornets than Peja.
peja's injuries really hurt his career that past few years he was one of the most deadly shooters i have seen its a shame also what happened to Morris Peterson? That guy was starting last year for the hornets and now is getting garbage minutes? not even getting 6th man minutes? Is he in Scott's doghouse or something?
You can't avg nearly 25 points per game in the NBA and just simply be the product of some system. Peja was extremely good in his Sac town days, and lower back problems have slowed him down tremendously. He's still a lights out shooter but no where close to as agile and athletic as he once was. His game at one time was very comparable to that of Reggie Miller and Rip Hamilton, the way he would work so beautifully off of screens.
I won't even say just injuries alone, I would say maybe he's just past his prime and is type of player who probably reached his peak in his 20s, who was probably just good solid player, borderline all-star, that is it. I see Peja with alot of other high scoring SF/SG (like Stackhouse) who started to fall off after injuries or just age. The type of players who don't really get better at anything, besides what they do, maybe score, shoot, and pass that is it. I've always thought Peja was a great shooter, passing, and good rebounder at times. But, he never improved his defense, rebounding, or post game. Still, I am not knocking Peja, because he has a good NBA career. And, I personally, believe that if he were few years younger and more healthy, he would be one par with a certain overrated NBA forward who shoots, probably shoots too much and has never been out of the 1st Round. I almost certain, if Peja in his prime could take the same number of shots (around 18-22) as this guy. Peja could've easily been in upper 20s and maybe lower 30s.
The guy was a great player during the early-mid 2000's (it's weird writing "2000's" ... not used to that!). Peja's '02-'03 numbers with the Kings were simply outstanding, by any measure. FG%- .480 3P%- .433 FT%- .927 RPG- 6.3 PPG- 24.2 MPG- 40.3 WOW!
The thing that really hurts Peja is defense which is nonexistant. His inside game very much included posting and offensive rebounding.
Everything mentioned. Injuries, age, mileage, offensive systems. He's kinda the is what everyone thought he was player. Though he was extremely good at it, the torch bearer of finesse euro shooter. The Shane Battiers of the league are built to neutralize his effectiveness. Kinda forget Peja does have SIZE at 6-9. Makes him a decent rebounder. And though he's finesse made him decent in the post. Those 1 leg fallaways Artest misses in the post, Peja swishes those. You thinking of that other tall euro guy they over there, Hedo Turkoglu ?
Injuries, and the fact that he's no good at creating his own shot with the ball in his hands. He's good at working screens Reggie Miller-style and moving the ball around in a team-oriented offense. Sacramento's offense, where everyone moved the ball, worked better for him than Chris Paul being nearly the lone distributor.
