duncan228
02-10-2010, 02:00 AM
Struggles of Spurs' Jefferson becoming a concern (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Struggles_of_Spurs_Jefferson_becoming_a_concern.ht ml)
Jeff McDonald
LOS ANGELES — Three-and-a-half minutes had passed in a game that would eventually become a disaster for the Spurs, and Gregg Popovich had already seen enough of Richard Jefferson.
Jefferson had lost track of Ron Artest on back-to-back 3-pointers early in Monday's loss to the short-handed Lakers, prompting Popovich to immediately replace him with Keith Bogans. Jefferson retreated to the bench, where the screaming commenced.
“They say when they stop yelling at you, that's when you have to be worried,” Jefferson said. “Well, he hasn't stopped yelling at me yet.”
Maybe Jefferson isn't worried yet. Others in the organization, however, are getting there.
Jefferson, a 29-year-old small forward, arrived in an offseason trade with Milwaukee, billed as the missing piece the Spurs needed to contend with the Lakers in the West.
The deal pushed the Spurs' payroll to new heights and transformed them into luxury-tax payers, but consensus was the gamble was necessary in order to maximize the few remaining years of Tim Duncan's prime.
Fifty games into the Jefferson era, here is what the Spurs have gotten for their money: 12.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, shooting percentages well off his career averages, and far too many non-factor nights like he produced in Monday's 101-89 loss to the Kobe Bryant-less, Andrew Bynum-less Lakers.
“I'm getting good looks. I've just got to knock them down,” said Jefferson, who was 2 for 9 with nine points against the Lakers. “I'm getting open threes. I'm getting shots coming around the curl. It's just some balls aren't falling.”
Given the large contract — he is due $27.2 million between this season and next — and the larger expectations with which he arrived, Jefferson has emerged as a lightning rod for criticism during the Spurs' 29-21 season.
He isn't the only thing wrong with the Spurs, just the most glaring.
Their team defense is a shell of what it once was. Tony Parker's production has slipped from an All-Star level as he deals with nagging injuries. The chemistry and cohesion problems that have plagued this team aren't all Jefferson's fault, either.
“It's about mental toughness and physical toughness and passion, a group jelling together and playing together,” Popovich said. “And we're not doing it.”
Asked if he'd pressed that point to his team, Popovich said, “five or six times.”
“For some reason, I'm not getting through to this group,” he said.
Parker said the onus for repairing the fractured season falls on the players.
“We're not playing hard enough,” Parker said. “We're playing soft. As a group, we have to play better. Either we're going to do it, or we're not. It's just that simple.”
The same could be said of Jefferson, whose hefty contract makes him almost untradeable. The Spurs weren't expecting him to approach the 19.6 points per game he produced in Milwaukee, nor were they expecting him to replicate his career mark of 17.7 per game.
Yet they also weren't expecting Jefferson to produce 15 single-digit scoring outings or to take so long to grasp their defensive concepts or to appear so devoid of confidence, Popovich can't always play him in critical moments.
“I'm in a whole new system trying to find my way, but it's not an excuse,” Jefferson said. “I thought I would have played better by this point.”
Give Jefferson credit. He's got the personal accountability thing down. After Monday's stinker, Jefferson was among the last players to leave the locker room, standing tall to take questions about his disappointing season.
“I'm not putting all the blame on me,” Jefferson said, “but you have to look at yourself first.”
Publicly, Popovich continues to be supportive of Jefferson. Before Monday's game, he called Jefferson's transition “still a work in progress.”
Afterward, Popovich struggled to be as diplomatic. Asked if he needed more from Jefferson than he's been getting, Popovich inhaled sharply and said what many in the organization are thinking: “That would be a great thing.”
Jeff McDonald
LOS ANGELES — Three-and-a-half minutes had passed in a game that would eventually become a disaster for the Spurs, and Gregg Popovich had already seen enough of Richard Jefferson.
Jefferson had lost track of Ron Artest on back-to-back 3-pointers early in Monday's loss to the short-handed Lakers, prompting Popovich to immediately replace him with Keith Bogans. Jefferson retreated to the bench, where the screaming commenced.
“They say when they stop yelling at you, that's when you have to be worried,” Jefferson said. “Well, he hasn't stopped yelling at me yet.”
Maybe Jefferson isn't worried yet. Others in the organization, however, are getting there.
Jefferson, a 29-year-old small forward, arrived in an offseason trade with Milwaukee, billed as the missing piece the Spurs needed to contend with the Lakers in the West.
The deal pushed the Spurs' payroll to new heights and transformed them into luxury-tax payers, but consensus was the gamble was necessary in order to maximize the few remaining years of Tim Duncan's prime.
Fifty games into the Jefferson era, here is what the Spurs have gotten for their money: 12.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, shooting percentages well off his career averages, and far too many non-factor nights like he produced in Monday's 101-89 loss to the Kobe Bryant-less, Andrew Bynum-less Lakers.
“I'm getting good looks. I've just got to knock them down,” said Jefferson, who was 2 for 9 with nine points against the Lakers. “I'm getting open threes. I'm getting shots coming around the curl. It's just some balls aren't falling.”
Given the large contract — he is due $27.2 million between this season and next — and the larger expectations with which he arrived, Jefferson has emerged as a lightning rod for criticism during the Spurs' 29-21 season.
He isn't the only thing wrong with the Spurs, just the most glaring.
Their team defense is a shell of what it once was. Tony Parker's production has slipped from an All-Star level as he deals with nagging injuries. The chemistry and cohesion problems that have plagued this team aren't all Jefferson's fault, either.
“It's about mental toughness and physical toughness and passion, a group jelling together and playing together,” Popovich said. “And we're not doing it.”
Asked if he'd pressed that point to his team, Popovich said, “five or six times.”
“For some reason, I'm not getting through to this group,” he said.
Parker said the onus for repairing the fractured season falls on the players.
“We're not playing hard enough,” Parker said. “We're playing soft. As a group, we have to play better. Either we're going to do it, or we're not. It's just that simple.”
The same could be said of Jefferson, whose hefty contract makes him almost untradeable. The Spurs weren't expecting him to approach the 19.6 points per game he produced in Milwaukee, nor were they expecting him to replicate his career mark of 17.7 per game.
Yet they also weren't expecting Jefferson to produce 15 single-digit scoring outings or to take so long to grasp their defensive concepts or to appear so devoid of confidence, Popovich can't always play him in critical moments.
“I'm in a whole new system trying to find my way, but it's not an excuse,” Jefferson said. “I thought I would have played better by this point.”
Give Jefferson credit. He's got the personal accountability thing down. After Monday's stinker, Jefferson was among the last players to leave the locker room, standing tall to take questions about his disappointing season.
“I'm not putting all the blame on me,” Jefferson said, “but you have to look at yourself first.”
Publicly, Popovich continues to be supportive of Jefferson. Before Monday's game, he called Jefferson's transition “still a work in progress.”
Afterward, Popovich struggled to be as diplomatic. Asked if he needed more from Jefferson than he's been getting, Popovich inhaled sharply and said what many in the organization are thinking: “That would be a great thing.”