In my opinion there is one massive thing missing on this team: someone who is a proven winner and has been in big game situations in the the crunch. Some may say that Barbosa fills that role, but one thing to keep in mind about Barbosa is that he was a sixth man and never had significant success as a starter. The Suns were about Nash and Amar'e.
Enter Peja
For those who aren't familiar with him, Peja is a former all NBA second team player who is considered on of the greatest shooters ever in the NBA. He was a member of the Sacramento Kings squad that took the 2001-2002 Lakers (Shaq-Kobe dynasty) to seven games and only lost the series due to a blown call on a late buzzer beater. He played a massive role on a very good team in very big games and is a proven winner.
This leads to the point of this post which is that maybe the assumption that Peja was brought in to be trade bait is inaccurate. This is a guy who brings winning to this franchise and who can act as a great mentor to guys like Kleiza and Bargnani. I am hoping he was brought in not with the intention of trading him, but rather with the intention of letting his contract expire then giving him a new deal at significantly less money.
I know the current direction of the franchise is about getting young players and flexibility but at some point you need to start establishing a winning culture in the Raps locker room and I think Peja could be the first step of that process.
Enter Peja
For those who aren't familiar with him, Peja is a former all NBA second team player who is considered on of the greatest shooters ever in the NBA. He was a member of the Sacramento Kings squad that took the 2001-2002 Lakers (Shaq-Kobe dynasty) to seven games and only lost the series due to a blown call on a late buzzer beater. He played a massive role on a very good team in very big games and is a proven winner.
This leads to the point of this post which is that maybe the assumption that Peja was brought in to be trade bait is inaccurate. This is a guy who brings winning to this franchise and who can act as a great mentor to guys like Kleiza and Bargnani. I am hoping he was brought in not with the intention of trading him, but rather with the intention of letting his contract expire then giving him a new deal at significantly less money.
I know the current direction of the franchise is about getting young players and flexibility but at some point you need to start establishing a winning culture in the Raps locker room and I think Peja could be the first step of that process.
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