Built Ford Tough Posted March 9, 2011 Report Share Posted March 9, 2011 In the seven games since the arrival of forward James Johnson in a trade on Feb. 22, Weems has been ditched from the starting lineup and been used sparingly, playing more than 20 minutes just once. That’s bad news for a player whose contract expires at season’s end. Though there’s little doubt Weems will find work in the NBA going forward, suddenly the specifics of the scenario — where he’ll be playing next year, and for how much — aren’t nearly so clear. “It is my contract year, and I want to feed my family,” Weems said. “I’m disappointed every day. It’s not pleasing at all, and it doesn’t make me happy. But it’s something I have to deal with. That’s the way the cards were dealt.” The critiques of Weems’s games are no secret to anyone who spends time around the club. To summarize: The coaching staff would appreciate it if he shot less and defended more. Maybe that’s a difficult gospel to preach on a team on which the statistical leaders, the likes of Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan, also refuse to practice it conscientiously. Still, Johnson is getting a chance to show what he can do in the first five because, though he has arrived in town with an unpolished offensive game, he has drawn praise from Jay Triano, the head coach, for his imposing physicality on the other end. “More defence? I don’t know about more defence,” Weems said. “If I recall, the whole team’s been giving up more than 100 points a game defensively. You can’t put it all on me.” “I’m disappointed, as every other NBA player would be. It’s something I’ve got to deal with,” Weems said. “I can’t hang my head. That’s what I’m not going to do. I’m not going to give anybody any ammunition. I’m going to hold my head up and keep going.” http://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/article/950839--feschuk-weems-a-far-cry-from-happy-with-reduced-role I can't really blame him for being uspet that he is constantly singled out for not defending considering how DeRozan and especially Bargnani play little to no defense either, yet they are rarely called out on it (again, Bargnani especially). However, you can't really blame the team for giving Johnson more minutes since he is a new acquisition and they would like to see what he can do. At this point in time it is pretty clear what Weems can and can't do and playing an extra 5-10 minutes a game isn't going to change that. You might as well see what you have in Johnson (which doesn't seem like much from what I've seen) and, unfortunately for Weems, those minutes are going to come at his expense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Check my Stats Posted March 9, 2011 Report Share Posted March 9, 2011 (edited) If Weems wants to be a player in this league he is going to need to become a very good spot up shooter. There are tons of athletic wings and his reluctance to get to the line holds him back. He also needs to be committed defensively. He could definitely be a good role player in this league with the tools he has. He just has to realize he isn't going to be a high volume scorer and needs to carve out a niche in this league as a defender/shooter. Edited March 9, 2011 by Check my Stats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Built Ford Tough Posted March 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2011 (edited) If Weems wants to be a player in this league he is going to need to become a very good spot up shooter. There are tons of athletic wings and his reluctance to get to the line holds him back. He also needs to be committed defensively. He could definitely be a good role player in this league with the tools he has. He just has to realize he isn't going to be a high volume scorer and needs to carve out a niche in this league as a defender/shooter. I honestly thought that he had done that last season as he was without a doubt the best perimeter defender on the team (isn't saying a whole lot, but I would say he was the only wing to play average defensively) and his mid range jumper was pretty much money whenever he got an open look. It seems like he figured that since Bosh left he needed to become this lights out scorer for the team and completely ignored what got him minutes with the Raptors in the first place. If he gets back to just playing within himself, playing defense, sticking open jumpers and running the floor in transition I'm sure that he will get an extension with the team considering how popular he is with the fanbase and teammates. Even if the Raptors aren't in his future, he will still be able to get a job somewhere. However, should he continue to refuse to play any defense, chuck and force things on offense, he will be out of the league within 2-3 years. He simply doesn't have the ability to play like that. PS: How awesome was the "I need to feed my family comment" considering PJ is a coach on the Raptors? Love that. Edited March 9, 2011 by Built Ford Tough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckets! Posted March 11, 2011 Report Share Posted March 11, 2011 Trade or Cut Weems, we don't need him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Swish* Posted March 11, 2011 Report Share Posted March 11, 2011 DeRozan is just playing WAY BETTER Trade or Cut Weems, we don't need him.Yeah we do. He could be a good player off the bench Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckets! Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 Yeah we do. He could be a good player off the benchNo we don't, sign someone from free agency. Also draft someone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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