The win over the Lakers was a must have, especially after a double digit lead at home...Sasha Pavlovic has everyone stoked...and no wonder...Brian Windhorst of the Beacon Journal said it best yesterday..."Sasha is like getting a guy in a trade without giving up anyone for him"...
The point is, Sasha had not been playing much, but has suddenly become an impact rotation guy, who is playing the kind of defense necessary to earn minutes. Plus his confidence is soaring to the point where he knows he will stay on the floor, even during rough moments...He is only 23 years old and is scary athletic...more importantly he is a guy who can get his own shot when he wants, meaning he now can play along side of LeBron instead of just behind him...
I have felt all along Sasha can be the Cavs X-factor off the bench, and when he can give them 8-12 points a game on a consistent basis, the Cavs go up a notch to being a real Conference contender...today, he played the entire 4th quarter and showed he has plenty of heart and toughness to be a night-in night-out force...
Sasha almost blushed Sunday at all the attention...but he's earned it...it really reminds me of how another eastern European who took a while to become a factor....Drazen Petrovic...a different type of player, but one who came out of Croatia at the age of 25, and at first, struggled with the Blazers and Nets, but once the 6-5 shooting guard figured it out, he became a star, only to lose his life in a tragic car accident, 4 years into his NBA career... Petrovic also wore #3, which the Nets retired in his honor...
Sasha has the potential to be a go-to guy as well...and again, he's only 23...
Wednesday night he gets to go against the team who drafted him, the Utah Jazz..it will make for intriguing television...
Monday, February 12, 2007
Huge Win at The Q
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Maybe they remind you, but they are not so similar players. Drazen had huge numbers in very strong Yugoslavian league in late 80s, more than 30 pts per game, which is extreme in Europe while Pavlovic suprised everyone with his position on draft. All I knew about him was that he had very good shooting skills. I expected more from Cabarkapa (from GSW) who was his teammate and but Sasha in his first season proved I was wrong. But there are no 2 exactly the same men so, let's believe that he will be better player than Drazen used to be. He's got the talent it's a fact but it is not a guarantee...
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