McDonald: Spurs' Jefferson agrees he has underachieved

Spurs' Jefferson agrees he has underachieved
Jeff McDonald

There are those who say Spurs forward Richard Jefferson has not been playing up to the potential that made him one of the NBA's most hyped acquisitions of the offseason.

Among those who agree with this line of thinking — Richard Jefferson.

“I particularly haven't been playing as well as I would like,” Jefferson said. “Everyone kind of has to look in the mirror and try to step it up.”

Jefferson is averaging 12.8 points per game, tied with Manu Ginobili for third on the team, but isn't producing the bang for the 14.2 million bucks the Spurs are paying him this season.

In June, the Spurs traded for Jefferson, a career 17.7 points-per-game scorer, in hopes that he would help them avoid the scoring lulls that had wracked them in recent seasons. In 41 games this season, Jefferson has hit or surpassed 17 points 11 times, but only once since the start of January.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich says he doesn't waste time evaluating whether the team is getting its money's worth from Jefferson and Antonio McDyess, another under-performing addition.

“Those kind of opinions are for you all (in the media) to form,” Popovich said. “We just go to work every day and try to be the best team we can be. You can assess it any way you want.”

Jefferson said he expects the second half of his first season with the Spurs to go more smoothly than the first.

“We all know at this point in time, being professionals, what is expected of us,” Jefferson said. “We know the things it's going to take for us to be a successful team. There's no excuses.”

Duncan and 20 grand: Tim Duncan scored his 20,000th point in Friday's loss to Houston, becoming the 35th player in NBA history to hit that plateau.

He is just the 10th to score 20,000 points with one franchise and one of only seven players to record that many points, plus 10,000 rebounds and 2,000 blocks.

Officially, Duncan — who has 20,024 career points — trails only David Robinson (20,790) for the franchise's all-time NBA scoring lead. George Gervin scored 23,602 points in a Spurs uniform, but 4,219 came during the Spurs' ABA days.

Adios, Marcus: Former Spurs forward Marcus Haislip officially became a member of the Greek team Panathinaikos on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the Spurs bought out the remainder of his NBA contract.

Popovich said he didn't have any complaints with how Haislip handled himself during his short stint with the Spurs, even while relegated to the inactive list most nights.

“A lot of guys have reacted poorly and been a drag on their team, but he never did that,” Popovich said. “I really respect that.”

Spurs' Jefferson also confirms water is wet.

I haven't been too upset by Jefferson's scoring. Sure, it's disappointing. But he wouldn't be the first guy to see his numbers fall dramatically once joining the Spurs. And it's hard for him to score when the things he's good at aren't part of the game plan, hell it took over 20 games for Parker and RJ to come together to work in a halfcourt lob play. And he's not aggressive enough, but I'm not that surprised.

But what has been maddening is his soft, lazy defense. I didn't know he'd be this bad. He might be the worst wing defender on the team, and that's saying something when Mason and Finley are on the roster.

He doesn't put up any fight. Not fighting through screens, not fighting on the post. Nothing. AK47 was able to score all over him around screens. Ron Artest posted him up and RJ backed away and gave up scores. This guy is as soft as it comes to defense, with only a handful of desperation blocks which might lead people to forget about the rest.

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Originally Posted by objective

I haven't been too upset by Jefferson's scoring. Sure, it's disappointing. But he wouldn't be the first guy to see his numbers fall dramatically once joining the Spurs. And it's hard for him to score when the things he's good at aren't part of the game plan, hell it took over 20 games for Parker and RJ to come together to work in a halfcourt lob play. And he's not aggressive enough, but I'm not that surprised.

But what has been maddening is his soft, lazy defense. I didn't know he'd be this bad. He might be the worst wing defender on the team, and that's saying something when Mason and Finley are on the roster.

He doesn't put up any fight. Not fighting through screens, not fighting on the post. Nothing. AK47 was able to score all over him around screens. Ron Artest posted him up and RJ backed away and gave up scores. This guy is as soft as it comes to defense, with only a handful of desperation blocks which might lead people to forget about the rest.

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Well said. His scoring doesn't bother me too much. His role is currently the 3rd/4th option when he's on the court. The offense needs to improve for him to fully fill the role that's expected of him ... but he's not too far off on that end.

Defensively, he's been Charmin soft. I saw him play some good defense very early in the season but it seemed like he started slacking off on that end once Bogans was put into the lineup and RJ didn't have to defend the top wings. Lack of rebounding is also a concern for me ... especially when he only tends to give effort on the boards when he's getting touches on the offensive end. That's just a lame approach to the game of basketball. If he's not involved offensively ... he should be giving more effort on the other end -- not less.

The disappointment has little to do with the scoring (although, he was expected to take some of the burden off the Big 3 in that aspect).

As you stated, he's been soft. But more than soft, he's been a one-dimensional player that does nothing to fill the gaps in any other aspect of the game; a floor game need not apply. He doesn't get to the free-throw line like he should, he doesn't rebound anywhere near his capability and he's become a player that's impact on the game is absolutely minimal; his stats have been empty for the most part.

I knew I didn't like him as a fit and that the thought of him taking on Bowen's assignments was laughable, but, like you said, there's nothing that prepared me for this type of player; nothing..

At first I was super pissed that SA has lost already 17 games on their schedule. :pctoss Then I received comfort in the fact that teams like Orlando and Dallas have 16 losses too. So I'm not entirely so upset, even though I thought SA was a 60+ win team this year. If SA were to somehow only lose 5 more games after the all-star break, they could still have a 60-win season, and I'm just insanely optimistic enough about this Spurs team that I think they can do it. Granted it would take 3-4 10-12 game-winning streaks until the playoffs start. But that's usually when SA kicks their team chemistry into high gear after the Rodeo road trip. I believe, even though my belief is more like a candle in the wind--and not the way Elton John meant it.:hungry::hungry::hungry::hungry::hungry:

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Originally Posted by timvp

Well said. His scoring doesn't bother me too much. His role is currently the 3rd/4th option when he's on the court. The offense needs to improve for him to fully fill the role that's expected of him ... but he's not too far off on that end.

Defensively, he's been Charmin soft. I saw him play some good defense very early in the season but it seemed like he started slacking off on that end once Bogans was put into the lineup and RJ didn't have to defend the top wings. Lack of rebounding is also a concern for me ... especially when he only tends to give effort on the boards when he's getting touches on the offensive end. That's just a lame approach to the game of basketball. If he's not involved offensively ... he should be giving more effort on the other end -- not less.

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I originally only had expectations of Jefferson being along the lines of Sean Elliott in 99 on offense; something in the range of 12-14 ppg, an occasional dunk, an occasional three, and the ability to put the ball on the floor every once in a while. However, I don't think that's acceptable with Parker's plantar fasciitis. I think it's vital that he improves his offensive efficiency drastically since Parker and Ginobili aren't able to with the condition their bodies are in. I agree that his defense is the most disappointing part of his game so far, but he's got a lot of things to improve on that this team desperately needs.

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Originally Posted by timvp

Well said. His scoring doesn't bother me too much. His role is currently the 3rd/4th option when he's on the court. The offense needs to improve for him to fully fill the role that's expected of him ... but he's not too far off on that end.

Defensively, he's been Charmin soft. I saw him play some good defense very early in the season but it seemed like he started slacking off on that end once Bogans was put into the lineup and RJ didn't have to defend the top wings. Lack of rebounding is also a concern for me ... especially when he only tends to give effort on the boards when he's getting touches on the offensive end. That's just a lame approach to the game of basketball. If he's not involved offensively ... he should be giving more effort on the other end -- not less.

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I've seen his defensive intensity pick up after a big dunk. That's the only time he seems to lock in and get intense when he gets a big dunk. I'm not really a fan or RJ at all. He just seems to play basketball a different way and it's a soft brand of basketball.

RJ has played so soft that on numerous occassions I've clicked the 'new thread' button, and started making out a poll that read:

Softer Spur: Richard Jefferson or Willie Anderson?

But never finished the new thread because I was so young when Willie was a Spur and don't have any of those games on tape that I can't trust my memory on it. I also considered including Vinny Del Negro in the poll, but then remembered that dunk on Worthy and simultaneously felt bad that everyone thinks he'll be fired soon. :lol

It had to be Vinny.

Back to RJ, I'm still baffled that Pop and RC actually thought he'd come in here and do yeoman's work on the defensive end. Once players have played on bad teams most of their careers, they pick up and develop bad habits. RJ has never had to play any semblance of defense. Why now, at 29 years of age, would anyone expect him to morph into Dennis Rodman?

The other thing is he's incredibly lackadaisical with the basketball. Each game he makes 1 or 2 totally unacceptable turnovers (lobbing it cross court, taking his eyes off the ball, etc). These are totally unproductive turnovers-- not aggressive mistakes but careless lazy turnovers.

I guess he has another year and a half to impress...

I'm not entirely pissed at RJ for his performance. He just needs to be more consistent, but then again, so does the rest of the team. His scoring shouldn't be a concern. He's going to get his points. It's the defense that bothers me, but he's shown he can be a good defender, too. It just looks like he takes the night off on defense alot. If he improves his defense and plays solid on that end more often than not, I'm fine with him.

First of all, Jefferson is shooting less. Last season his FGA was 14.9 compared to this season, 10.1. Also, 42% of his shot selection is coming in crunch time, compared to last season, 33%. It seems that he is more comfortable when he is involved in the offense during the first 15 seconds of the shot clock.

The Spurs will get scoring from someone, it's the defense that sucks.

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Originally Posted by POP

“Those kind of opinions are for you all (in the media) to form,” Popovich said. “We just go to work every day and try to be the best team we can be. You can assess it any way you want.”

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this is Pop-speak. Translated it says:

"Fuck all you crybaby Spurs fans on Spurs Talk who question our desire and professionalism. Why don't you get off your dumb asses, learn something about Basketball, and then come back with some informed opinions as to our recent struggles. Thank you very much"

Yes, RJ is one of the softer power forwards on the team.

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Originally Posted by StoneBuddha

The other thing is he's incredibly lackadaisical with the basketball. Each game he makes 1 or 2 totally unacceptable turnovers (lobbing it cross court, taking his eyes off the ball, etc). These are totally unproductive turnovers-- not aggressive mistakes but careless lazy turnovers.

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True. Many of these kinds of RJ TOs occur during inbounds plays.

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Originally Posted by objective

True. Many of these kinds of RJ TOs occur during inbounds plays.

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It is not just inbounds plays. He tumbles the ball during the flow of the offense. I think he is resigned that he will not touch the ball on those possessions. That shows not only his lack of focus, it also shows he is not touching the ball enough unlike his past experiences with other teams that he quits mentally.

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Originally Posted by dbestpro

Yes, RJ is one of the softer power forwards on the team.

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:lol

/thread

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Originally Posted by NZ Spurs

this is Pop-speak. Translated it says:

"Fuck all you crybaby Spurs fans on Spurs Talk who question our desire and professionalism. Why don't you get off your dumb asses, learn something about Basketball, and then come back with some informed opinions as to our recent struggles. Thank you very much"

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by dbestpro

Yes, RJ is one of the softer power forwards on the team.

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:lol

http://images.paraorkut.com/img/funn...wned-12251.jpg

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Originally Posted by duncan228

I particularly haven't been playing as well as I would like,” Jefferson said. “Everyone kind of has to look in the mirror and try to step it up.”

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Ya think?

I think if I said anything else about RJ I'd be stating the obvious. However, I don't mind if RJ doesn't fill up the stat sheet like many here would hope for, but I would just hope that he would play with a lot more passion. Most nights he's just a ghost on the floor. There are other ways he can help the team...just leave your damn imprint on the game.

I'm not surprised he's bad on defense but I think he should be expected to excel at his strength, scoring. If he can do that, then based on prior play the rest of his game "might" improve. At this point that's all I'm hoping for.

IMO RJ needs to start as the SG in order to excel in the spurs system. If hes the 2nd/3rd option to start off games rather than the 3rd/4th option, i can see him playing better in a position that fits his game more. Being a small foward isnt his cup of tea apparently.

You guys asre basically saying we need Stephen Jackson back at the 3.

I'm a little tired of players SAYING they need to step it up. Unless they are morons, They all know the right things to say to the tough questions about their play.

I look at how hard Manu plays, throwing his body around like a berserk youngster and think: 'where is the heart in some of these guys, the passion for winning and hatred for losing?'

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Originally Posted by wildbill2u

I'm a little tired of players SAYING they need to step it up. Unless they are morons, They all know the right things to say to the tough questions about their play.

I look at how hard Manu plays, throwing his body around like a berserk youngster and think: 'where is the heart in some of these guys, the passion for winning and hatred for losing?'

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Wow if this was a family feud question I'd have struck out trying to guess it.

Out of 100 people surveyed, top 6 answers on the board: Why have the spurs not lived up to expectations in the 2009-2010 season?

#1 answer.. cuz they aren't playing like berserk youngsters!!

:lol

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Originally Posted by baseline bum

I originally only had expectations of Jefferson being along the lines of Sean Elliott in 99 on offense; something in the range of 12-14 ppg, an occasional dunk, an occasional three, and the ability to put the ball on the floor every once in a while. However, I don't think that's acceptable with Parker's plantar fasciitis. I think it's vital that he improves his offensive efficiency drastically since Parker and Ginobili aren't able to with the condition their bodies are in. I agree that his defense is the most disappointing part of his game so far, but he's got a lot of things to improve on that this team desperately needs.

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The thing is....Parker doesnt recognize that. TP still holds the ball and tries to do everything he did last year, even with his plantar fasciitis. RJ needs to touch the ball more in order to do something with it...

It Simple... Every Spurs Player has Played Awful At times this season. Im used to the spurs playing A game, and you know they are gonna Scrap, Fight and Battle Every Single Possesion to win that Game. I do Not See That This Year. This spurs Team is lazy, they take Plays off. You cannot Place All the Blame on RJ, he does deserve some of it, but not all.
I think we Have to many players who are comfortable in there Situation, and know that there Isnt anyone behind them to take there Job. I wish pop would Play Guys Like Hairston or Mahinmi. We all Saw Mahinmi get his One shot, And he Played with energy and fire. That Is something this team needs again. Let the young guys play, They have so much more to play for. They are fighting for a contract, and fighting to prove a point. All the other spurs players Are content and have nothing else to prove.

The biggest problem with RJ isn't what he averages, but that he doesn't bring his average every night. He'll score 25 when the Spurs win by 20 and he'll put up 3 when they lose by 6.

This guy is a soft ass dude, he plays like he doesn't care at all. I understand why Pop and RC traded for him since they sent scraps, but he just doesn't fit and kills defensive chemestry. Now most everyone on the team doesn't play defense worth a shit.

Jefferson sure does have a lot mental lapses on the defensived end. Coasting too often and lack of alertness after stoppage.

An RJ-Manu punch off the bench would be deadly, if that makes him pick his shit up.

Can't pass.
Can't play defense.
Mentally soft.
Low bb IQ.

There is nothing you can do about it, it's just th way he is.

I don't think this is a good sign.

If Jefferson was just coasting or doggin' it, without really knowing what he is doing wrong, then there would be more hope for him to figure it out and improve.

The fact that he realizes that he is not contributing enough, or being aggressive enough, and he is still actively unable to do anything about, only means that something is going to have to change if things are going to get any better. Maybe it's the system, or maybe it's his approach. My guess would be the latter, since it's up to RJ to bring it on defense every night and start scrapping like he gives a damn.

Either way, I'm glad to know he realizes it's a problem. Now he needs to stop talking about it and start doing something about it.

I also think RJ needs more touches and more responsibility on the offensive and defensive end. I think it's a confidence thing. As far as the rest of team, could it be possible that we got too many options? I mean if you are out there with a bunch of other scorers, you can get lazy. In years past we had our big 3 and everybody else was a worker bee on the offensive side, but everybody played D. Now it's more relaxed cause there are too many options and that carries over on D. I don't know that's one excuse.. I'm just tired of watching the same old game.. Spurs go up by dozen or more, Spurs get cold, the other team fights back, Spurs get down by 10, Spurs get it going but it's too late, they can't stop them. There needs to be more fire in them to bury the other team and never let up. KILLER INSTINCT!!!!!!!!

RJ needs to go. Sorry

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Originally Posted by Whisky Dog

This guy is a soft ass dude, he plays like he doesn't care at all. I understand why Pop and RC traded for him since they sent scraps, but he just doesn't fit and kills defensive chemestry. Now most everyone on the team doesn't play defense worth a shit.

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Scraps as in a wing-DEFENDER (Bowen) a bigman had a high BB IQ along with a "jack of all trades" skill set (Oberto) and a guy who was solid rebounder and jumpshooter/post DEFENDER(Thomas). BTW mcdyess is averaging 5pt and 5rbs a game. Last season Thomas averaged 4pts 5rbs and was a solid post defender for the spurs night in night out. Oberto had a thing going with Duncan/Manu kinda like Blair. And Bowen would hit the corner 3 and play defense everynight even tho it was apparent he lost a step. RJ is a much better athlete and doesnt give near the same effort Bowen did on the defensive end. If we kept the same roster we might have a (slighty) worse record, but our defense would be alot better.

Pop and Dyess underachieving too

we still don't have solid bigmen next to Duncan. Blair is great but is still just a rookie. The biggest problem in the last 3 years still has not been taken care of

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Originally Posted by crc21209

The thing is....Parker doesnt recognize that. TP still holds the ball and tries to do everything he did last year, even with his plantar fasciitis. RJ needs to touch the ball more in order to do something with it...

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Agreed. In the Houston game he's leading a fast break with RJ to his right on the wing. TP completely ignores him and takes it to the hole. Even though he made it Nash or any other "pure " PG would have passed to the wingman rather thant take it himself. I just wish TP would get others involved more rahter than do it all himself. But that's his makeup and only he or Pop are going to change that IMO.

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Originally Posted by TIMMYD!

An RJ-Manu punch off the bench would be deadly, if that makes him pick his shit up.

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Manu would definitely get RJ the ball like he is doing with Blair. I though about this recently and think it's worth a shot.

So the starters would be:
TD
TP
Hill
Blair
Bogans

Bench:
Manu
RJ/Hairston/Finley
Dice/Theo/Ian
Mase
Bonner

If RJ comes off the bench, then we can trade the expiring contracts for a defensive SF that can start and is around the height of 6-7 instead of Bogans or Hill.

I predict Richard Jefferson is going to have a monster dunk tonight.

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Originally Posted by Obstructed_View

The biggest problem with RJ isn't what he averages, but that he doesn't bring his average every night. He'll score 25 when the Spurs win by 20 and he'll put up 3 when they lose by 6.

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Exactly. I'd also like to add that to me he doesn't seem like a guy who is going to play a big role down the stretch in close games. He seems to simply disappear in those situations.

Jefferson is laughing all the way to the bank.

Everyone is underachieving except for the franchise player, but everyone is shitting on RJ and his 14 million, if it was not for that 14 million, the Spurs will not be able to get him. When will Spurs fans be happy that they got an upgrade over Finley?

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Originally Posted by Chieflion

Everyone is underachieving except for the franchise player, but everyone is shitting on RJ and his 14 million, if it was not for that 14 million, the Spurs will not be able to get him. When will Spurs fans be happy that they got an upgrade over Finley?

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You gotta remember that most spurs fans on this site are spoiled little brats with just enough brain function to use a keyboard & mouse. Most of em act like Jefferson abducted Pop and held a gun to his head and demanded a 14 mil a year multi-year contract and Pop had to reluctantly give in.

Nothing could be furthur from the truth.

well he would be a complete imbecil if he didnt notice he is playing terrible ball, not attacking the basket with enough agression, shows no energy level at all while in the court, seems like not making enough effort to win...

I thought RJ was a great adition but who knows when is he going to showup...

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Originally Posted by TwelveGs210

Jefferson is laughing all the way to the bank.

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There may be an additional facet to the RJ story that no one is mentioning.

RJ's $15 million salary, in light of his lackluster and dispassionate play (especially on D), may be negatively affecting team morale.

This could be a factor in the team's lack of defensive grit.

When one of the highest-paid players is not setting an example, the problem can trickle down. Call it the "reverse Duncan phenomenon" if you like. Duncan was always the best player on the team but he never acted like a prima donna. He always played hard on both ends and accepted even Pop's most ham-handed crticism. That good example affected the whole team and set a tone.

RJ's lack of grit and toughness, coming from a $15 million man, may be having a similar negative effect, especially on team defense.

We Spurs fans may be slow to recognize this because it has never been an issue on this team in the Duncan era. It was always the one thing that other NBA teams (but never the Spurs) had to worry about.