THE BUST FILES: Lessons From Richard Jefferson

[Calispursfan11]

As some of you may recall, once upon a time, RJ's arrival in San Antionio was much anticipated and balleyhooed. And yet, when he finally arrived, he had many difficulties adjusting to the system. His overall game, limited although it might already have been before he began as a Spur, was further hampered by Pop's demands that he become a corner 3 and D player. The problem was, he was never really superb at threes - nor was he good at D. While giddy fans (like all of us this summer with Aldrige) heralded RJ as the next great all-time wing player and savior, upon his arrival, he flamed out like the faggot that he ultimately is and always will be.

While I believe that Aldridge is indeed a far more valuable player than RJ, we must still heed the lessons of RJ and remember that this is a team game and not blow our loads too early. Aldridge will only be as effective as Pop lets him be and he has yet to do anything in the playoffs individually or for his team that would place him in the true superstar category at the outset (much like RJ). Furthermore, his whining about getting lost in San Antonio and not liking "change" portend an uncertain and rocky start to his Spurs career. This is why questions of who will be the alpha in SA are very legitimate - because Kawhi/Tim not only might, but more likely than not, will still have to be the main anchors to this Spurs team at least for a few months if not until the wheels fall off. Aldridge is most likely a great bonus but to write in the Spurs for a championship just because of his arrival is premature. We must remember and heed the lessons of RJ.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Dick had had a knee injury and it robbed him of his agility.

LMA has no such issue.

[Fireball]

RJ just had no idea of anything ... I have high hopes that LMA adjusts better. Compared to RJ, LMA is able and will be asked to manufacture points on his own. The risk for a BUST is very low but the risk of not fitting enough to go all the way through the playoffs is valid IMO

[Blake]

- nor was he good at D.

He was a solid defender in NJ

[Gladney to see you]

He USED to be an incredible athlete taking oops from Kidd. Injuries add up and make athletes fall hard. It shows he does have skill that he has been able to hang around the league and be productive.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

He USED to be an incredible athlete taking oops from Kidd. Injuries add up and make athletes fall hard. It shows he does have skill that he has been able to hang around the league and be productive.
This. Jefferson would have just been another James White or something if it hadn't been for Kidd. He singlehandedly took two years worth of scrub team in a row to the fuckin' NBA Finals. Jefferson could never score on his own in the halfcourt, he was a great finisher and transition scorer off plays set up by Kidd but then again it's not hard to jump up and get easy points when you're in your early and mid 20s and 6'6".

[baseline bum]

Jefferson must have had a really shitty work ethic, I have never seen Duncan punk a former teammate like he did Jefferson at the scorer's table that time.

[Spurtacular]

This. Jefferson would have just been another James White or something if it hadn't been for Kidd. He singlehandedly took two years worth of scrub team in a row to the fuckin' NBA Finals. Jefferson could never score on his own in the halfcourt, he was a great finisher and transition scorer off plays set up by Kidd but then again it's not hard to jump up and get easy points when you're in your early and mid 20s and 6'6".

No. RJ had real game (in his prime). I've never even heard of this James White, tbh.

[K...]

No. RJ had real game (in his prime). I've never even heard of this James White, tbh.

You are not a spurs fan then. ! White was a raw athlete who never stuck in the NBA. If it hadn't been the spurs (who needed knock down shooters over drivers) white might have had a chance. Pair him with an all time great pg and he'd be borderline rotation player.












He's better than jimmer by a looong way

[UNT Eagles 2016]

You are not a spurs fan then. ! White was a raw athlete who never stuck in the NBA. If it hadn't been the spurs (who needed knock down shooters over drivers) white might have had a chance. Pair him with an all time great pg and he'd be borderline rotation player.

He's better than jimmer by a looong way
You just confirmed my point, tbh

Replace White with Jefferson & White would have been the young star whereas Dicky would have been forced to carve out a sad career as an NBDL journeyman.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

RJ just had no idea of anything ... I have high hopes that LMA adjusts better. Compared to RJ, LMA is able and will be asked to manufacture points on his own. The risk for a BUST is very low but the risk of not fitting enough to go all the way through the playoffs is valid IMO

He had an idea. He just couldn't move laterally with starting 3s on defense nor beat people off the dribble because of his knee injury.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Jefferson must have had a really shitty work ethic, I have never seen Duncan punk a former teammate like he did Jefferson at the scorer's table that time.

Interesting. That was the period of time where Manu and Tim were both losing weight which successfully resurrected their careers. Dick was relatively fat.

[Spurtacular]

You are not a spurs fan then. ! White was a raw athlete who never stuck in the NBA. If it hadn't been the spurs (who needed knock down shooters over drivers) white might have had a chance. Pair him with an all time great pg and he'd be borderline rotation player.

He's better than jimmer by a looong way

I'm not a Spurs fan cos I don't remember someon you call a would-be borderline rotation player who played 6 games for the Spurs in 07? :lol:

Actually, my memory has been jogged though. I do remember being excited now about him. I remember actually being excited about him and being disappointed that he wasn't part of the playoffs. I did consider him a potential difference maker; so, I redact my previous indifference.

The numbers/reality doesn't speak to him being better than Jimmer whatsoever let alone by a loooong way. But I do now wonder what happened to him cos I was high on him, and I didn't even know about ST at the time to inquire about that.

[egtonecity]

Change the title, I came in here looking for boobies.

[DeRozan m8]

Never gets old, alpha as fuck


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulg9n8ou1Dw

[GSH]

While giddy fans (like all of us this summer with Aldrige) heralded RJ as the next great all-time wing player and savior, upon his arrival, he flamed out like the faggot that he ultimately is and always will be.

This is why questions of who will be the alpha in SA are very legitimate - because Kawhi/Tim not only might, but more likely than not, will still have to be the main anchors to this Spurs team at least for a few months if not until the wheels fall off. Aldridge is most likely a great bonus but to write in the Spurs for a championship just because of his arrival is premature. We must remember and heed the lessons of RJ.


WARNING! The Spurs are in great danger! Giddy fans cheering the wrong player doomed them once before. We must all do our part to keep that from happening again. Whatever any of you do - DO NOT make LMA be "The Alpha". If you do, the future of the team is screwed.

Fans wield great power. Be sure and use it wisely.

[hater]

It is a valid fear. I myself am afraid Lamar would turn into a similar Jefferson type bust. If this happens a first round exit is once again a lock.

There is about a 1% chance of this happening.

So I don't think we need to lose too much sleep over it.

I am not concerned on Lamars skills but his mental fortitude.

[I. Hustle]

What are you talking about? RJ loves the D.

fify

[SuperCam]

there are some kiwitards on this board who would like nothing more for this to happen so that their idol can get the most shots possible. sickens me, tbh

[wildbill2u]

Somehow Jefferson reinvented himself and managed to be in the rotation this year as a Maverick, doing exactly what we had asked him to do here. Hit the corner 3 and D with an occasional drive to balance offense. Maybe he was one of those guys who simply took too long to 'get' the system or get over himself while he was a Spur.

[tholdren]

RJ just had no idea of anything ... I have high hopes that LMA adjusts better. Compared to RJ, LMA is able and will be asked to manufacture points on his own. The risk for a BUST is very low but the risk of not fitting enough to go all the way through the playoffs is valid IMO

Jefferson was not a bust, really. Jefferson played in a totally different format than he was asked to play in SA. He lost confidence, big time, and that was 90% of his battle. Weak mentally, but the coaching staff didn't help him. It would be like trying to get Westbrook to SA and have him play under control. Train wreck of an idea.

[SAGirl]

As some of you may recall, once upon a time, RJ's arrival in San Antionio was much anticipated and balleyhooed. And yet, when he finally arrived, he had many difficulties adjusting to the system. His overall game, limited although it might already have been before he began as a Spur, was further hampered by Pop's demands that he become a corner 3 and D player. The problem was, he was never really superb at threes - nor was he good at D. While giddy fans (like all of us this summer with Aldrige) heralded RJ as the next great all-time wing player and savior, upon his arrival, he flamed out like the faggot that he ultimately is and always will be.

While I believe that Aldridge is indeed a far more valuable player than RJ, we must still heed the lessons of RJ and remember that this is a team game and not blow our loads too early. Aldridge will only be as effective as Pop lets him be and he has yet to do anything in the playoffs individually or for his team that would place him in the true superstar category at the outset (much like RJ). Furthermore, his whining about getting lost in San Antonio and not liking "change" portend an uncertain and rocky start to his Spurs career. This is why questions of who will be the alpha in SA are very legitimate - because Kawhi/Tim not only might, but more likely than not, will still have to be the main anchors to this Spurs team at least for a few months if not until the wheels fall off. Aldridge is most likely a great bonus but to write in the Spurs for a championship just because of his arrival is premature. We must remember and heed the lessons of RJ.

You have a very valid point, but I will counter that the Spurs did not get him to be a "system" player as that term is coined to indicate limited role players. The Spurs are kind of reloading without having to blow it all up and start all over from scratch. Spurs last summer got as far as they would go with this core, because guys who had previously had prominent roles have aged. Tony was hobbled/injured and played poorly. In the past Manu would have saved the situation with his Manu excellence, but he was unable to. Kawhi got them as far as he could. He is still not the superstar he wants to be and could be. Moving forward, the Spurs would need a big man to pair with Kawhi regardless of whatever Manu and Tim decided, they knew LMA would be available this summer and even prepared and structured contracts ahead of time to get a legitimate shot at signing him and did. Tim and Manu deciding to return IMO does not derail the fact that these already were meant to be Kawhi and LMA Spurs going forward. If anything Tim and Manu increase the odds of success and will help them carry the load, but LMA will not be reduced to a roleplayer. How far he and Kawhi takes us still needs to be shown but that is the way it goes. The old studs had to give way sometime to the future, and the future is now.

[Hoops Czar]

It is a valid fear. I myself am afraid Lamar would turn into a similar Jefferson type bust. If this happens a first round exit is once again a lock.

There is about a 1% chance of this happening.

So I don't think we need to lose too much sleep over it.

I am not concerned on Lamars skills but his mental fortitude.

No, there's a 0% chance of this happening. RJ was one of the most overrated players of his generation. Spurstalk just couldn't see it because they were just so giddy the Spurs made a rarely seen big trade in the offseason.

[Calispursfan11]

No, there's a 0% chance of this happening. RJ was one of the most overrated players of his generation. Spurstalk just couldn't see it because they were just so giddy the Spurs made a rarely seen big trade in the offseason.

I wouldn't put the chance at zero. I think if LMA remains healthy, he will be the first or second option eventually but some people just cannot get the system and he's not really a proven superstar. He's got the numbers but that's not saying much until his team has playoff success. I guess the best comparison to LMA although an inferior player, was Kevin Love, during his all-star and MVP consideration years in Minny. Team never got anywhere but he had monster stats. I don't think LMA is to that level of empty numbers. In fact I think he is good, but after Love was exposed on a good team where he had to share the ball he became a minor factor. Hopefully this doesn't happen to LMA. I think we can expect the same kind of or at least some drop off in LMA's numbers though - similar to Love's but maybe not as much of a complete nosedive.

[Calispursfan11]

...

[ceperez]

I wouldn't put the chance at zero. I think if LMA remains healthy, he will be the first or second option eventually but some people just cannot get the system and he's not really a proven superstar. He's got the numbers but that's not saying much until his team has playoff success. I guess the best comparison to LMA although an inferior player, was Kevin Love, during his all-star and MVP consideration years in Minny. Team never got anywhere but he had monster stats. I don't think LMA is to that level of empty numbers. In fact I think he is good, but after Love was exposed on a good team where he had to share the ball he became a minor factor. Hopefully this doesn't happen to LMA. I think we can expect the same kind of or at least some drop off in LMA's numbers though - similar to Love's but maybe not as much of a complete nosedive.

Right now, LMA problem is efficiency and lack of versatility. He's only shown two kinds of offensive moves, the midrange jumper and the post up jumper. He misses the midrange even when he is wide open. The post up keeps getting picked off when he dribbles.

He also coasts in defense. Opponents keep laying up the ball when he is defending the paint.

The one plus side of LMA is that the front court is huge!

[will_spurs]

He misses the midrange even when he is wide open. The post up keeps getting picked off when he dribbles.

Yet 43% of the time the ball manages to find its way into the hoop, I assume by its own will.

[Kawhitstorm]

Right now, LMA problem is efficiency and lack of versatility. He's only shown two kinds of offensive moves, the midrange jumper and the post up jumper. He misses the midrange even when he is wide open. The post up keeps getting picked off when he dribbles.

He also coasts in defense. Opponents keep laying up the ball when he is defending the paint.

The one plus side of LMA is that the front court is huge!

Why in the hell would it matter that "the front court is huge" if LMA is doing a whole lot of nothing according to you. In any case, he has been making his mid-range jumpers the past 3 games & he actually had a couple of decent postups in the 2nd half but he just missed the shots.

[Calispursfan11]

BUMP