Let My Jimmer Go!

When Jimmer is sad, it makes me sad. :(
Pic fom www.deseretnews.com

I haven't written about King Jimmer in awhile, but I've had a lot of people asking me how he's doing in his NBA Sophomore season, so I thought I would give an update. As much as I wish I had the inside track, I don't know anything that hasn't been reported in the media, but then again, I probably pay attention to media reports about Jimmer a lot more than most, so I guess I'm somewhat of an authority (or at least I like to think I am).

I really, really, really don't understand why Jimmer didn't get traded to another team this year. It seems like everyone has been calling him a "bust", but the truth is that the Sacramento Kings are the bust, and it wouldn't surprise me if this year turns out to be worse than last in terms of their team chemistry and camaraderie-- which, at the moment, seems non-existent. Jimmer, the only unselfish player on the team who knows what an "assist" is, just keeps getting buried deeper and deeper on the charts-- now below Isaiah Thomas, Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton, and Aaron Brooks. As Dick Harmon said:

"Watching the Kings on offense, you’d swear they’ve all bought into the Mayan calendar’s claim that the world ends in a month. You are convinced their contracts have clauses that say the more minutes each player can possess the ball, the greater the bonus."

The bottom line is that the Kings have selfish players, clueless coaches, and they have no idea how to take advantage of Jimmer's skill set. Of course he'll be a "bust" if you only let him play for 6 seconds and treat him like crap, both on and off the court. From what I've seen, Smart hates Jimmer and is borderline abusive to him all the time. Overall, I am extremely impressed with the way Jimmer has handled all the criticism that has come his way over the last year-- much of it very unfairly. He's stuck to his mantra that he just wants to work harder and get better and take what comes at him-- no matter what.

That being said, the future might (emphasis on might) be looking brighter than I originally thought. As detailed in this article, Jimmer's stats really have taken a jump between years 1 and 2:

"After dropping 18 points in 11 minutes Sunday in Los Angeles, Jimmer is now averaging seven points a game in just eight minutes of action. He is also shooting a whopping 64-percent (16-for-25) from the field, 50 percent (5-for-10) from 3-point land and he has hit all six of his free throw attempts. His PER (Player Efficiency Rating) was 25.1, and that was before Sunday’s outburst."

I also saw a few Greg Wrubell tweets with somewhat-optimistic quotes from Coach Smart about Jimmer:

I do have two big complaints, though:

First, I am so sick of Smart referring to him as "that young man," "that guy", or (worst of all), "that kid", which I hear ALL THE TIME. I don't think I've ever heard or seen a quote from Coach Smart actually using his name. He has a name-- in fact, it's a name that has made your team bazillions of dollars in merchandise sales. Learn how to use it and show some respect to "that young man." It's JIM-MER FRED-ETTE.

Second, I'll believe it when I see it. I'm cautiously optimistic that Jimmer will at least get more playing time this year, but does he have a good future with the Kings, at least while Coach Smart is at the helm?

NO. No way. No how.

Coach Smart, please stop being a selfish idiot and trade Jimmer to a team that will actually appreciate him. Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder . . . anywhere but Sacramento!

I hereby give a call to action for one and all to join the Free Jimmer Movement. He deserves a lot more than he's been given. Let's get him to a team that will appreciate him for the amazing basketball player and person he is!

I will now close by singing the song of my people: "When Jimmer was in Sac Town Land . . . Let my Jimmer go!!!"

Come on, who wouldn't want this guy on their team???