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Sasha Vujacic

August 24, 2010 by · Comments Off on Sasha Vujacic 

Sasha Vujacic, Sasha Vujacic is going to have to get rid of a terrible 2009-10 campaign if he wants to save his career for the Lakers. Can the auto-fire on all cylinders start again in 2010-11 or is it time to send him to the scrap heap?
2009-2010 by game stats: 8.6 minutes, 2.8 points, 0.6 assists, 1.2 rebounds, 0.3 steals, 0.3 turnovers, .402 FG%, .309 3PT%, 11 39 PER

2009-2010 Season in Review: For all but two free throws this season, Sasha Vujacic had a year absolutely horrible. Even with the Lakers bench desperately seeking some production, the machine was broken more often than a 1970 AMC Gremlin. Their problems shooting the previous year in 2009-10 only deepened as he finished the year shooting just a hair better than 40% of the field and just over 30% of the center. If ever was moderately accurate three-point land, surely could have had a more important role in a team so timid in the quality of outside shooters. Oh, Vujacic shot his way straight to the doghouse, Phil Jackson, and finally the disabled list. His ankle injury cost him the last weeks of the regular season and much of the playoffs, which are buried in it even more in the end of the bench and playing a career worst 8.6 minutes per game. None of that really matters, because although the 2010 season, Sasha will always be associated with him knocking down two free throws in the difficult moments of Game 7 of the Finals to help seal the Lakers’ second consecutive title. Right place, right time.

Three questions for the 2010-2011 season:

How much longer will be a Laker Sasha? Sasha contract is up after this season, thank God, and it seems very unlikely that the Lakers should re-sign. However, with Jerry Buss be kind enough to add to the already strong roster during the offseason, the Lakers are sure to be looking for any chance they can dump his contract in a team with some remaining cap room or an exemption from trade, if they can find like a fool, that is. There is also the possibility that the Lakers will cling to his offer until the deadline expires and use it as currency trading in the event that come to have a hole to fill due to injury. No matter how you look, it seems the clock is ticking on the days Vujacic in purple and gold.
What role has Sasha on the list suddenly full of people? As always, Sasha playing time is almost completely tied to how well you are shooting from the perimeter. If recent years are any indication (and are), we will not see much of this year’s machine. However, it is a one-year contract Vujacic, so maybe he can deceive the Lakers again with another hot-shooting season as in 2007-08. Job security and the money can be some very strong motivators.
Can he keep Maria Sharapova as a bride? Let’s face it; Sasha is simply not as interesting on the ground. Off the court, now that is a horse of an entirely different color. Vujacic has always had a representative for being a womanizer, but seems to be established with Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova. What I know is if the machine can maintain a fine specimen in his arm once she realizes that it is a mere washing of the NBA. She probably is not as superficial as that, but just to play it safe, Vujacic might want to remember to buy flowers on a fairly regular basis. After all, maybe your need to be your sugar mama soon.
2010-2011 Season Prediction: My prediction? Pain! And so, I mean pain in the ass Vujacic all chips from going to charge this season. Sasha’s best chance in the game is to make your mark as a shooter, but I suspect that Steve Blake fulfill that role pretty quickly, even if this means the relationship with Fisher in the backcourt at the same time. Phil Jackson will probably still the dust from the machine from time to time just to see if your bridge is working again, but that is not too often with Blake Barnes and Brown all in front of him on the bench rotation. It would be a real surprise for me if Sasha played over 50 games this season.

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