Nice article about Jefferson on mysanantonio

[nbaman99]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/spurs_jefferson_devoted_summer_to_basics_103836154 .html

[024]

lol at "jefferson opts out of contract, mind." must have missed that one.

[DesignatedT]

Good read. I hope he can silence the critics.

[Ice009]

Well I was actually OK with RJ resigning before reading any of this and I will give him props for working his ass off. I can respect that. RJ looks committed and I will back him if he shows it on the court consistently.

[YoMamaIsCallin]

Jefferson's willingness to play for less was strategically important because it positioned the Spurs to get under next season's luxury tax line, facilitating other player acquisitions.


This really smells like an arranged deal, but the Spurs are not stupid enough to ever even hint that that is the case. It does show the level of trust the Spurs had in RJ that they'd go ahead and do this, though. RJ could have double crossed them and they could never have done anything about it.



“It's very uncommon for a player to look at himself so introspectively and understand what is needed to get back to a championship-level performance like he was at when he was in New Jersey,” Popovich said. “He had lost some of that focus and discipline. For him to decide he wanted to get that back shows respect for his teammates, respect for the game, the respect that he wants for himself.”


Wow. This is like an encyclopedia's worth of comment for Popovich to the media. Clearly he is sending a public message that (a) they really appreciate RJ's attitude and work ethic and (b) they acknowledge that he didn't do well and expect much more from him this year.

[Chomag]

The Jury is still out on him but I realy hope he can turn things around this year.

[DPG21920]

All I want from RJ is for him to play aggressive and tough. Last year he did not put in the effort IMO. That alone, the change in attitude and focus, would go a long way even if his game has holes in it.

[ohmwrecker]

All I want from RJ is for him to play aggressive and tough. Last year he did not put in the effort IMO. That alone, the change in attitude and focus, would go a long way even if his game has holes in it.

::rubs eyes, shakes head, reads again::

[Ice009]

All I want from RJ is for him to play aggressive and tough. Last year he did not put in the effort IMO. That alone, the change in attitude and focus, would go a long way even if his game has holes in it.

He was a big reason for the game 2 win against Dallas by playing the exact way that you described.

What I wanted all of last season is for him to play aggressive and tough. When he does that he is a better player and helps the Spurs a lot more.

[DPG21920]

Yeah, we know he is not the ideal fit most hoped for, but if he can adjust to being a true role player and if he can bring the energy and focus every night, he will be much improved over last year.

[benefactor]

All I want from RJ is for him to play aggressive and tough. Last year he did not put in the effort IMO. That alone, the change in attitude and focus, would go a long way even if his game has holes in it.
:tu

Doing things like going hard after boards and playing defense even when he is having trouble scoring would be great to see. I'm still pretty skeptical that the zebra can change its stripes, but I'm all for him proving me wrong.

[ohmwrecker]

I need more coffee.

[cantthinkofanything]

All I want from RJ is for him to play aggressive and tough. Last year he did not put in the effort IMO. That alone, the change in attitude and focus, would go a long way even if his game has holes in it.

Right. He needs to play like a top. Not a bottom.

[Mister Sinister]

Right. He needs to play like a top. Not a bottom.
<Analysis> ... <Snrk> ... <Non-specific "topping from the bottom" innuendo>

[duncan228]

Richard Jefferson has the nerve to go back to the basics (http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/09/richard-jefferson-has-the-nerve-to-go-back-to-the-basics.php)
By Rob Mahoney

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/09/richard-jefferson-has-the-nerve-to-go-back-to-the-basics.php

[cantthinkofanything]

Richard Jefferson has the nerve to go back to the basics (http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/09/richard-jefferson-has-the-nerve-to-go-back-to-the-basics.php)


I didn't read the article but I assume it means he's giving up golden showers and fisting in lieu of simple buttsex.

[wunderkindepiphany]

lieu and buttsex in one post. yup youre gay

[cantthinkofanything]

lieu and buttsex in one post. yup youre gay

LSHIWYM.
(laughing so hard I wet your mom)

[wunderkindepiphany]

you wet my mom?

[wunderkindepiphany]

who says that?

[cantthinkofanything]

who says that?

I don't know. I'm just throwing it out there to see how it reads.
It's funny when I say it in my head.

[cantthinkofanything]

I don't know. I'm just throwing it out there to see how it reads.
It's funny when I say it in my head.

I think it's because it infers I'm somehow in some situation with your mom in which #1) my weiner is exposed and #2) she's close enough to it that I peed on her from lauging so hard.

[wunderkindepiphany]

alright then buddy

[wunderkindepiphany]

you pee when you laugh?

[cantthinkofanything]

you pee when you laugh?

only on your mom

[wunderkindepiphany]

you might wanna get that checked out

[wunderkindepiphany]

maybe by richard jefferson

[wunderkindepiphany]

but, at either rate, good luck with the incontinence homie

[ohmwrecker]

Shut the fuck up . . . It's media day!

[wunderkindepiphany]

lol my bad

[cantthinkofanything]

Shut the fuck up . . . It's media day!

Noted. My bad.

[baseline bum]

All I want from RJ is for him to play aggressive and tough. Last year he did not put in the effort IMO. That alone, the change in attitude and focus, would go a long way even if his game has holes in it.

All I want from RJ is for him to hit fucking open threes to give the team some spacing and for him to play some defense like he used to in Jersey. That and get a few points on the break.

[duncan228]

NBA At 2: An Overlooked Contender? (http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=17434)
By: Bill Ingram
Hoopsworld

Most of the preseason chatter around the NBA will be about the new Big Three in Miami and whether or not Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh can win a championship, toppling Chicago's 72-win record along the way. A close second will be whether or not the Los Angeles Lakers can three-peat, giving Kobe Bryant his sixth championship and tying him with Michael Jordan for number of rings. The Orlando Magic will get some play, as will the Boston Celtics, but there's another team that shouldn't get too lost in the shuffle.

The San Antonio Spurs may be a little beyond their peak, at least we know future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan is, but they are still a very dangerous team, capable of competing for a championship if all goes well. The big story coming out of training camp in San Antonio is that small forward Richard Jefferson has been putting in extra work this summer, basically starting over like a rookie with head coach Gregg Popovich and his staff. So far, Popovich couldn't be happier with the results.

"There are very few pros who have played as long as he has and scored as much as he has who would do what he did this summer," Popovich tells Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News. "He went back to the fundamentals and did drills with myself and other coaches — basic, basic things to get his game back to where he can really help us.

"His dedication and development this summer are going to be one of the most important things for our success this year."

Jefferson was supposed to be the piece that put San Antonio back in contention last season, but instead things didn't go so well for Jefferson and the Spurs. Frustrated by the system and with his lack of touches in the offense, Jefferson vowed to opt out of the contract that would have paid him $15 million this season . . .and he did just that. Ultimately, though, he opted to return to the Spurs and signed a multi-year deal to return to the team.

"If you look at it from an intelligent perspective, last year I didn't have as much success as you'd like, but we won 50 games and got to the second round of the playoffs," says Jefferson. "In San Antonio, that's not good enough, but all the travails I went through last year will make me better this year. ... Every system is different. I came into a new system 10 years into my career. I can either sit and pout and say, 'I'm used to doing it this way,' or I can work my ass off and do it the way they do it. They've had quite a bit of success doing it their way."

What the Spurs would really like is for Jefferson to get back to playing the way he did in New Jersey and Milwaukee, where he was a legitimate 20-point scorer and helped the Nets get to the NBA Finals. Last season he managed just 12.3 in San Antonio, and played the fewest minutes he had played since his rookie campaign - just 31.1 per game. This year he's hoping to return to his previous form, something Popovich very much believes he can do.

"It's very uncommon for a player to look at himself so introspectively and understand what is needed to get back to a championship-level performance like he was at when he was in New Jersey," says Popovich. "He had lost some of that focus and discipline. For him to decide he wanted to get that back shows respect for his teammates, respect for the game, the respect that he wants for himself."

If Jefferson can, indeed, return to form, the Spurs could be the sleeper team in the West . . .the team everyone thought they would be last season. They might even get Tim Duncan another ring to add to his collection.

[DPG21920]

All I want from RJ is for him to hit fucking open threes to give the team some spacing and for him to play some defense like he used to in Jersey. That and get a few points on the break.

Well that is not realistic because he is not a good 3PT shooter and he is not the player he was in NJ.

Hustle and focus he can control. He can't magically have his youth back.

[MmP]

Im the first wanting RJ to peak and play great. Either rebounding, scoring, or else. He's the key for our success.

[nbaman99]

RJ has done everything right this off season and said all the right things. He has shown Spurs and the fans that he wants to do better, he wants to be the RJ in the past. So, all we can do is give him another chance. Spurs have given him that chance already, so should we.

[ChuckD]

From sessions with Popovich in San Antonio to weeks in New York, working out with Spurs assistant Chad Forcier, and enrollment in development guru Tim Grgurich's summer camp in Las Vegas, Jefferson threw himself into a regimen that emphasized fundamentals.

That's huge. Grgurich is to defense what Chip Engelland is to shooting.

[pad300]

This really smells like an arranged deal, but the Spurs are not stupid enough to ever even hint that that is the case. It does show the level of trust the Spurs had in RJ that they'd go ahead and do this, though. RJ could have double crossed them and they could never have done anything about it.


No, RJ was in no position to double cross the Spurs - he had to opt out first... The Spurs on the other hand could have double crossed RJ by not offering him a $40 million dollar/4 yr contract.

[duncan228]

NBA PM (http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=17463)
By Yannis Koutroupis
Hoopsworld

RJ Talks Free Agency: The 2009-2010 season was a major disappointment for San Antonio Spurs forward Richard Jefferson. It didn't cost the Spurs much to acquire him, but they didn't get much in return, either, as he averaged just 12 points, four rebounds and two assists a night. Those aren't bad numbers for a lot of players, but Jefferson had been good for nearly 20 points a night every season since 2003 before becoming a Spur.

At 30 years of age it's not like Jefferson's talents deserted him. He just had a hard time fitting into Coach Popovich's discipline-oriented system that didn't feature as much up-tempo play as Jefferson was accustomed to.

"Supposedly we're tough to play with," acknowledged Spurs forward Tim Duncan. "We do things differently (than other teams). Pop expects more from you. When your head gets out of the way and you're allowed to play your game things are better. So you stop thinking about doing things and start reacting, then you're a better player."

Jefferson's head was obviously in his way last year, as was his pending contract situation. Jefferson was slated to make $15 million this upcoming season, but had a player option to become a free agent, which he exercised. He mentioned just before the playoffs, the most important time of year, that opting out was something he was considering. Many figured it was so he could bolt from San Antonio to somewhere where he was a better fit. However, Jefferson actually wanted to return to the Spurs all along, although he wasn't sure things would work out that way.

"You never know how things are going to pan out," admitted Jefferson to HOOPSWORLD. "I just look at it as a positive experience. You just kind of learn from that situation and take it for what it is. I was hoping to come back here.

"I've never been a free agent in my career for long and with a lockout coming then was a good time to opt out. After evaluating the situation this was the best place for me."

Jefferson's decision to opt out cost him $6.6 million this season, but he more than makes up for it throughout the duration of the four-year $39 million contract that the Spurs gave him. With a long-term deal in place Jefferson dedicated himself to becoming a better fit with the Spurs.

"I spent a lot of time with Coach Popovich and assistant coach Chad Forcier," revealed Jefferson. "All those guys helped me quite a bit just to understand (the system). I knew going in after last season what I wanted to work on this summer. They made it easier, gave me direction and confirmed what I already knew.

"Now I have a better idea of what coach wants in the system. That's everything. I don't think there's a situation in life where the second time you do something you feel more comfortable. You have a lot more confidence in everything you're doing because you know what's expected, the pace of things and the direction. You slide in and fit in better."

Jefferson conceded that being a 20-point scorer again is likely out of the question. He's focusing more on being an improved defender and rebounder, which is exactly what the Spurs need. The consensus is that new Spurs are better in their second year and this season Jefferson will be putting that theory to the test. He's done all the necessary things so far to expect the Richard Jefferson that's been one of the league's best small forwards over the past seven years, not the frustrated and confused RJ that we saw last year.

[EricB]

I think the calling off of the marriage, then the thumb injury in off season workouts, new team, starting off badly just created a bad snowball effect.

He did everything right this offseason and had the right attitude.

We shall see how it translates.

[iminol]

http://www.nba.com/spurs/photos/101003_278.jpg

where's luke walton?