LA Times story on the Slovenian player Sasha Vujacic

By Broderick Turner

Sasha Vujacic

After going scoreless in the NBA Finals, he wants to regain the shooting touch he displayed in 2007-08.

October 2, 2009 - "The Machine," as Sasha Vujacic was affectionately known by Lakers fans late in the 2007-08 season and into the playoffs because of his prolific shooting, mostly was broken down last season.

And so his goal for this season is simple "Just bring 'the Machine' back, that's all," Vujacic said after practice Friday. "I don't want to talk and then on the court don't do anything. I want to play up to my potential and help this team win as many games as possible." 

So far during training camp, "the Machine" apparently still needs to be calibrated 

"He hasn't shot the ball with the accuracy that he's known for. His 39% [from last season] is 38% right now," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson cracked. "Aw, I'm just kidding. But he has not shot the ball well right now." 

When told of Jackson's comments, Vujacic smiled but agreed. 

"I just think it is the beginning of the training camp," Vujacic, a 6-foot-7 guard, said. "I kind of have heavy legs. But I'm not worried about my shot at all." 

Vujacic, known as the team's best shooter, according to Jackson, shot a career-best from the field (45.4%) and threepoint range (43.7%) during the 2007-08 season. He averaged a career-high 8.8 points.

The Lakers rewarded him with a three-year, $15-million contract in the summer of 2008. 

But the Machine sputtered last season. 

Vujacic made only 38.7% of his field-goal attempts during the 2008-09 regular season, but a respectable 36.3% of his threepointers, although his scoring average dropped to 5.8 points per game. 

Then he shot only 26.4% from the field in the playoffs. 

He didn't score in the NBA Finals against the Orlando Magic, missing all six of his shots. 

And things didn't get any better for Vujacic in the summer. 

He badly wanted to represent his country, Slovenia, in the European championships. But Vujacic suffered a minor left knee injury while training with the Slovenian national team. 

That led to some controversy for Vujacic, who was dismissed from the Slovenian team. He said it was because of the injury; the team said he was cut. 

"Everything happened for whatever reason," said Vujacic, who also mentioned that he doesn't plan on playing for his national team any time soon. "I think everything helped me to mature and realize how last season went. I analyzed everything and took my mind off things. I had to see what mistakes I was making and what Phil was bringing across to me during the season." 

Vujacic also cut his locks, something Jackson suggested, even cracking that Vujacic spent more time fixing his hair than playing.

Vujacic acknowledged that he needed an attitude adjustment. 

"Throughout the season, I was just stubborn," Vujacic said. "We all are grown-ups and we mature in different ways. We make mistakes. The only question is whether you are ready to admit them or not. I didn't have the best season last year and I'm looking forward to having the best season this year."

The whole article is published at: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-lakers-notes3-2009oct03,0,7102118.story