15mil a year for some rebounds?...

[mingus]

the Spurs don't run enough plays for him to say that he sucks, and when they do they're not neccessarily played to his strengths. Pop needs to do a way better job of intgrating him. it's been a dissapointment on so many levels this season, but his failure to do that is probably biggest. Esp. now that Parker is gone, RJ should be gone ot more often. it's ridiculous to expect much out of a guy who's getting 2 shot attempts.

RJ's strengths seem to be the 15 foot jumper. why not draw more plays where he can curl and shoot it?

he's good at getting to the basket when he's closer in. why not throw it to him in the post (he's a hefty guy who can handle most SF's pretty easily in terms of strength) and let him face up - while clearing out the weakside defense - and drive to the basket. he's got a nice first step and strength, it' just not being used properly.

why not get him to cut more without the ball? why not have an alleyoop play? guys who are as athletic as him usually have a play drawn up in the half court where they cut along the baseline and gett an alleyoop.

why not fastbreak more to get him out in the open court? with Hill, Pop, and Manu on the court together the should be running the ball.

i'm not saying he's not at all at fault, esp. on defense. his D has sucked for the most part. he's not a great defender. but the offensive part is because he hasn't been integrated well enough Pop, he just isn't that great of an offensive coach imo.

[dastrey]

the Spurs don't run enough plays for him to say that he sucks, and when they do they're not neccessarily played to his strengths. Pop needs to do a way better job of intgrating him. it's been a dissapointment on so many levels this season, but his failure to do that is probably biggest. Esp. now that Parker is gone, RJ should be gone ot more often. it's ridiculous to expect much out of a guy who's getting 2 shot attempts.

RJ's strengths seem to be the 15 foot jumper. why not draw more plays where he can curl and shoot it?

he's good at getting to the basket when he's closer in. why not throw it to him in the post (he's a hefty guy who can handle most SF's pretty easily in terms of strength) and let him face up - while clearing out the weakside defense - and drive to the basket. he's got a nice first step and strength, it' just not being used properly.

why not get him to cut more without the ball? why not have an alleyoop play? guys who are as athletic as him usually have a play drawn up in the half court where they cut along the baseline and gett an alleyoop.

why not fastbreak more to get him out in the open court? with Hill, Pop, and Manu on the court together the should be running the ball.

i'm not saying he's not at all at fault, esp. on defense. his D has sucked for the most part. he's not a great defender. but the offensive part is because he hasn't been integrated well enough Pop, he just isn't that great of an offensive coach imo.

Please wake up. You want him bricking more 15' jumpers? Have you seen his abortion of a post game that always results in a fadeaway brick? There is a reason he is only getting a few shot attempts, and it's because he cannot create for himself. He will start to drive on an opponent, then forces an awkward pass when the defense rotates. He never has a plan B. The only time he gets to the basket is when the defense has a brainfart and he has a straight line to the hoop. Running plays for him will only result in low percentage shots. He should be scoring and getting to the line without spoon feeding him. Even a guy like Shawn Marion can score without plays drawn up for him and he can't even shoot. Please stop defending this sorry excuse for a basketball player.

[sananspursfan21]

wow. please no more rj threads. understood everybody hates him. also understood he's paid 15 mil a year. trust me, i won't forget, that's a lot of money but PLEASE, no more rj threads

[rogcl1]

Maybe that's why it is hard to see his value. Too much focus on how much they paid. The play i've seen from RJ over the last couple of months has been of a guy trying and making a difference. His energy, rebounding and aggression on both ends is needed. On offense he's just not getting enough opportunities which in turn is forcing him to press. That trend will continue if his mins keep going down. Hopefully it starts to go the other way.

No offense , but this post leaves me scratching my head. How can there be no focus on the price paid when production in return for the price paid is a critical issue in managing a roster in regard to cap space ect.As for not getting enough oppurtunities, I say bull ! He plays scared. When Manu touches the ball he attacks while less slings up a jumper or gives the ball up. Manu and Tony attack and make mistakes but they continue attacking.
I am fairy certain that Pop did not neuter RJ so that he would be a timid piece of .
Now, of course if RJ were to somehow suddenly grow a new set of balls , I will be one of the first to welcome him back, but for now to with him. Let him sit a while and see if he can earn some minutes like mimimum contract players would have to.

[duhoh]

lol spurs fans. so unlike the team that they are a fan of.

[murpjf88]

wow. please no more rj threads. understood everybody hates him. also understood he's paid 15 mil a year. trust me, i won't forget, that's a lot of money but PLEASE, no more rj threads

You sir, just created 4 or 5 more rj threads.

[biba]

On his SIRIUS XM Mad Dog Radio show “Stack’s House,” Bucks swingman Jerry Stackhouse talks about Richard Jefferson's performance in San Antonio:
"I just don’t think he’s as good as everybody talked him up to be, to me. I mean, I think he has some talent, he’s an athlete but a lot of the best basketball we’ve seen from Richard Jefferson came when he played with Jason Kidd, when he was just pretty much spoon-fed at the basket and was able to run out and just be an athlete. When it comes down to a half-court set and just being able to play half-court basketball I don’t think he’s that special of a player, in my opinion. It’s just one of those things where it’s just not a good fit. It wasn’t a great fit for him in Milwaukee when he was here. He had some big games but really nothing special. He wasn’t a guy that really helped them go to another level as far as wins and losses. And I think they’re finding out in San Antonio that he may not be the right fit for what they want to do. If I know [head coach Gregg] Popovich like I know him I could very easily see him not in a San Antonio uniform next year."


http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...ay-bullets-162

[murpjf88]

On his SIRIUS XM Mad Dog Radio show “Stack’s House,” Bucks swingman Jerry Stackhouse talks about Richard Jefferson's performance in San Antonio:
"I just don’t think he’s as good as everybody talked him up to be, to me. I mean, I think he has some talent, he’s an athlete but a lot of the best basketball we’ve seen from Richard Jefferson came when he played with Jason Kidd, when he was just pretty much spoon-fed at the basket and was able to run out and just be an athlete. When it comes down to a half-court set and just being able to play half-court basketball I don’t think he’s that special of a player, in my opinion. It’s just one of those things where it’s just not a good fit. It wasn’t a great fit for him in Milwaukee when he was here. He had some big games but really nothing special. He wasn’t a guy that really helped them go to another level as far as wins and losses. And I think they’re finding out in San Antonio that he may not be the right fit for what they want to do. If I know [head coach Gregg] Popovich like I know him I could very easily see him not in a San Antonio uniform next year."


http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...ay-bullets-162

If we could ever be so lucky.

[all_heart]

On his SIRIUS XM Mad Dog Radio show “Stack’s House,” Bucks swingman Jerry Stackhouse talks about Richard Jefferson's performance in San Antonio:
"I just don’t think he’s as good as everybody talked him up to be, to me. I mean, I think he has some talent, he’s an athlete but a lot of the best basketball we’ve seen from Richard Jefferson came when he played with Jason Kidd, when he was just pretty much spoon-fed at the basket and was able to run out and just be an athlete. When it comes down to a half-court set and just being able to play half-court basketball I don’t think he’s that special of a player, in my opinion. It’s just one of those things where it’s just not a good fit. It wasn’t a great fit for him in Milwaukee when he was here. He had some big games but really nothing special. He wasn’t a guy that really helped them go to another level as far as wins and losses. And I think they’re finding out in San Antonio that he may not be the right fit for what they want to do. If I know [head coach Gregg] Popovich like I know him I could very easily see him not in a San Antonio uniform next year."


http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...ay-bullets-162

Sounds about right, it's like if Pop said "RJ don't worry about offense", just go out there and rebound and use your athleticism for some blocks. Your shot will come later." Because that is one difference I see from him this past week.

I don't see how the Spurs can get rid of him next year, nobody wanted his contract his year, nobody will either next year. Best bet is to bring in a traditional PG who can spoon feed him the ball. Perhaps trading TP for a quality big man with some skills will be an option this off season..

[sabar]

I wonder how the dude paying that contract out feels?

Holt is probably scarred for life now. There is like no return on investment on RJ so far. Could of flushed $15 million down the toilet instead and our record is only 1-2 games different.

[all_heart]

I wonder how the dude paying that contract out feels?

Holt is probably scarred for life now. There is like no return on investment on RJ so far. Could of flushed $15 million down the toilet instead and our record is only 1-2 games different.

Probably feels like he got scammed. I can see the FO trying to move him this summer, it won't be easy though. Maybe the Mavs will take him to re-unite him with Kidd.

[Slippy]

No offense , but this post leaves me scratching my head. How can there be no focus on the price paid when production in return for the price paid is a critical issue in managing a roster in regard to cap space ect.As for not getting enough oppurtunities, I say bull ! He plays scared. When Manu touches the ball he attacks while less slings up a jumper or gives the ball up. Manu and Tony attack and make mistakes but they continue attacking.
I am fairy certain that Pop did not neuter RJ so that he would be a timid piece of .
Now, of course if RJ were to somehow suddenly grow a new set of balls , I will be one of the first to welcome him back, but for now to with him. Let him sit a while and see if he can earn some minutes like mimimum contract players would have to.

No offense taken. I dont see the point on focusing on the dollars a month away from play-offs . I can see why people would be upset about 0 points and equate it with the dollars but if you put that mindset away, im sure you would see a guy that's quite valuable to the team.

This team is lot better with Rj firing and i dont mean simply with points. If you were always expecting 15mills worth then you were going to be bitterly disappointed. I expected the 4th banana which hasn't panned out but them im also seing Hill and Blair flourishing so for me that offsets RJ's lack of points.

This team has a few other weapons aside from the big 3. No Matter what their record , that's plain as day. Going into the play-offs i like our chances of progressing with a healthy TP back. Im sure im on the minority here.

[smeagol]

Whatta dissapointment . . .

It only goes to show salaries are not a measure of how good a player is . . .

[rogcl1]

No offense taken. I dont see the point on focusing on the dollars a month away from play-offs . I can see why people would be upset about 0 points and equate it with the dollars but if you put that mindset away, im sure you would see a guy that's quite valuable to the team.

This team is lot better with Rj firing and i dont mean simply with points. If you were always expecting 15mills worth then you were going to be bitterly disappointed. I expected the 4th banana which hasn't panned out but them im also seing Hill and Blair flourishing so for me that offsets RJ's lack of points.

This team has a few other weapons aside from the big 3. No Matter what their record , that's plain as day. Going into the play-offs i like our chances of progressing with a healthy TP back. Im sure im on the minority here.

I agree with your thoughts on Hill and Blair pleasantly suprising. But thats exactly my point. They had to earn their minutes. I could care less about RJ"s salary , I just feel like he has not earned . He has been given every oppurtunity to play and in my view has dramatically underacheived no matter what his salary. Let Blair , Hill and perhaps now Hairston continue to scrap and compete and earn their minutes. Test RJ"s character and sit him and make him respond and see if he has that inner will to compete and earn minutes. I do not think he has done that yet.
Given up? I never said I have given up. I have followed the Spurs since they moved here from Dallas and I certainly hold hope that they can still get it together. Perhaps Jefferson can even be a part of that, but I just do not think he has earned anything yet. Sit him and see if he responds . The other plan did not work.

[spurtech09]

blah blah blah......stop crying

[Slippy]

So RJ goes from a reserve role playing 18mins to a starter role the next game with 33mins. Yes, it is the wolves but more importantly 19 points all in the flow of the offense and 9 rebounds. Hopefully his mins stays about the same.

Probably not enough if you want 15mills worth.

[sananspursfan21]

You sir, just created 4 or 5 more rj threads.

NO, PLEASE lol

[AFBlue]

I don't want to jinx it, but RJ has been playing well the past two games. He has been assertive going to the bucket and has been rebounding like a mad man. Yes, he's the highest paid Spur not named Duncan so alot of people expect it (and more), but his contributions of late have been solid.

It'll be interesting to see how he handles the tougher compe ion, given that he seems to feel more at ease than ever and is playing with a good deal of confidence.

[murpjf88]

I don't want to jinx it, but RJ has been playing well the past two games. He has been assertive going to the bucket and has been rebounding like a mad man. Yes, he's the highest paid Spur not named Duncan so alot of people expect it (and more), but his contributions of late have been solid.

It'll be interesting to see how he handles the tougher compe ion, given that he seems to feel more at ease than ever and is playing with a good deal of confidence.

The Wolves and clippers are bad enough to make anybody look good.

[BillMc]

I don't want to jinx it, but RJ has been playing well the past two games. He has been assertive going to the bucket and has been rebounding like a mad man. Yes, he's the highest paid Spur not named Duncan so alot of people expect it (and more), but his contributions of late have been solid.

It'll be interesting to see how he handles the tougher compe ion, given that he seems to feel more at ease than ever and is playing with a good deal of confidence.

I agree. We'll see how it goes against the Big Boys.

[ulosturedge]

Honestly the point I was trying to make had nothing to do with pay vs production. It was more about stating the fact that he needs to contribute to the team in more ways then just rebounding. If you would have told the FO that RJ would bring over nothing more then 6 rebounds a game, I'm sure he would have stayed a Buck. Parker's out so their shouldn't be any more excuses about him not getting enough looks.

Anyways that being said, he has done well the last couple of games of finding his niche in the flow of the offense. You need to credit Pop for sitting his ass after that O'for. Pop's way of pretty much saying the same thing I was. You need to do more then just rebound the ball RJ; and RJ has responded well so far. Also credit the team for finally figuring out ways to get RJ involved. He isn't Manu Ginobili and He isn't Tony Parker. You can't call clear-out plays for the guy and expect him to deliver. He needs the ball in transition, he needs balls thrown up at the rim, he needs to post ppl up, and he needs some give and go plays. Unfortunately this guy only flourishes when given the ball in the right spots and when he is complemented by a good passer. As sad as it seems he is probably no better then Matt Bonner at creating for himself.

Let's just hope that these couple of games did enough to instill enough confidence for it to carry over against the upper echelon teams coming up.

[HarlemHeat37]

I used to argue for Jefferson, I supported him and thought he should have more plays in his favor for a while..the Spurs DID start running more plays for him for a period of time, his usage % went up by a few points, it was a significant increase..he didn't respond though..

When the Spurs acquired Jefferson, it was a good trade considering what they gave up..I had confidence in their scouting, because I assumed they would do their homework on such a big acquisition..Jefferson was a horrible defender for the 2 years before this one in Milwaukee and NJ, partly due to lack of a defensive role and partly due to injuries that hurt his lateral quickness..the FO assumed(as they have said) that Jefferson could get back to his great D from earlier on, and it obviously hasn't happened..

Jefferson is actually shooting less jump shots this season than he did last season on average..he has more dunks this season, he's scoring inside more this season..he's never been able to create his own offense at a high level, he's always needed the motion offense and opportunities in transition..

It appears to me that the FO banked on RJ's shooting to continue improving like it did last season..he shot 46% off jump shots last season, the highest of his career..while it isn't significantly higher when you simply look at the %, it's much higher when you consider that he took a lot more jump shots last season than he ever had before..

Looking at it now, it appears that his hot shooting last season was an anomaly..he shot 40% from 3s last season despite taking more attempts than he ever had before..this is probably the biggest factor, at least IMO..it looks like the FO was banking on this..his jump shot % is down 3% despite shooting less jump shots, and his 3-point shooting % is down by 6%..

While it would help him a lot if the Spurs got more transition opportunities, the FO shouldn't have acquired a player that only scores in those types of situations and expected him to become the missing piece for the Spurs..a "missing piece" shouldn't be a player that needs to run to be effective..we can have that in Hairston or any other athletic wing..

From my standpoint, I didn't watch much of the Bucks last year, I only caught a few games..I had followed Jefferson for years when Vince was on the Nets and he was never a guy that you could give the ball to and create on a consistent basis, especially post-injuries..I hadn't watched the Bucks play and I assumed that RJ's game had evolved a little by looking at his raw numbers, but this appears to be false..also combined with the shooting anomaly, like I said before..

The Spurs needed a 4th guy that could create for himself and his teammates, but they went out and acquired a guy that plays like a Shawn Marion-type..

While it would be nice if Jefferson could show more emotion, intensity and balls, it ultimately comes down to the FO making the wrong read on a player..Jefferson isn't THIS bad and he'll be better if he goes to a worse team that runs more, he's a guy that will continue to lose effectiveness as a player as his athleticism continues to decline..thankfully, he's finally starting to rebound and show some intensity lately, but he's not the type of guy that a team with le aspirations can rely upon..

The biggest difference between last year's Jefferson and this year's is simply shooting..it has very little to do with calling plays for him and getting more transition opportunities..he's getting more open looks and more assisted opportunities this season, but he simply isn't making any shots..the only thing we can really hope for at this point is for him to get hot and shoot like he did last season..

Based on previous years, it would be accurate to say that Jefferson's shooting last season, particularly from outside the arc, was probably an anomaly..we'll have to hope that he can somehow peak at the right time from a shooting standpoint..

[BillMc]

I used to argue for Jefferson, I supported him and thought he should have more plays in his favor for a while..the Spurs DID start running more plays for him for a period of time, his usage % went up by a few points, it was a significant increase..he didn't respond though..

When the Spurs acquired Jefferson, it was a good trade considering what they gave up..I had confidence even their scouting, because I assumed they would do their homework on such a big acquisition..Jefferson was a horrible defender for the 2 years before this one in Milwaukee and NJ, partly due to lack of a defensive role and partly due to injuries that hurt his lateral quickness..the FO assumed(as they have said) that Jefferson could get back to his great D from earlier on, and it obviously hasn't happened..

Jefferson is actually shooting less jump shots this season than he did last season on average..he has more dunks this season, he's scoring inside more this season..he's never been able to create his own offense at a high level, he's always needed the motion offense and opportunities in transition..

It appears to me that the FO banked on RJ's shooting to continue improving like it did last season..he shot 46% off jump shots last season, the highest of his career..while it isn't significantly higher when you simply look at the %, it's much higher when you consider that he took a lot more jump shots last season than he ever had before..

Looking at it now, it appears that his hot shooting last season was an anomaly..he shot 40% from 3s last season despite taking more attempts than he ever had before..this is probably the biggest factor, at least IMO..it looks like the FO was banking on this..his jump shot % is down 3% despite shooting less jump shots, and his 3-point shooting % is down by 6%..

While it would help him a lot if the Spurs got more transition opportunities, the FO shouldn't have acquired a player that only scores in those types of situations and expected him to become the missing piece for the Spurs..a "missing piece" shouldn't be a player that needs to run to be effective..we can have that in Hairston or any other athletic wing..

From my standpoint, I didn't watch much of the Bucks last year, I only caught a few games..I had followed Jefferson for years when Vince was on the Nets and he was never a guy that you could give the ball to and create..I hadn't watched the Bucks play and I assumed that RJ's game had evolved a little by looking at his raw numbers, but this appears to be false..also combined with the shooting anomaly, like I said before..

The Spurs needed a 4th guy that could create for himself and his teammates, but they went out and acquired a guy that plays like a Shawn Marion-type..

While it would be nice if Jefferson could show more emotion, intensity and balls, it ultimately comes down to the FO making the wrong read on a player..Jefferson isn't THIS bad and he'll be better if he goes to a worse team that runs more, he's a guy that will continue to lose effectiveness as a player as his athleticism continues to decline..thankfully, he's finally starting to rebound and show some intensity lately, but he's not the type of guy that a team with le aspirations can rely upon..

The biggest difference between last year's Jefferson and this year's is simply shooting..it has very little to do with calling plays for him and getting more transition opportunities..he's getting more open looks and more assisted opportunities this season, but he simply isn't making any shots..the only thing we can really hope for at this point is for him to get hot and shoot like he did last season..

Based on previous years, it would be accurate to say that Jefferson's shooting last season, particularly from outside the arc, was probably an anomaly..we'll have to hope that he can somehow peak at the right time from a shooting standpoint..

A well-researched and informative read. Thanks for posting this.

Jefferson is what he is at this point. We shouldn't expect more. He can contribute, but as mentioned above he isn't going to be the 4 in a "Big 4."