But tucked away in the footnotes of those forgotten years was a brilliant display of basketball from one of Kentucky's very own; When you consider the circumstances, Jodie Meeks' performance as a member of the Lakers during the season is one of the most impressive by any former Wildcat over the last 10 years.
Let's preface the situation first. Enter the "Now This is Going to be Fun" tag-team of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, two multiple time all-stars and surefire Hall of Famers with the former still stuck in his class-clown stage and the latter turning 38 years old. Even with Bryant and Gasol in the fold to make up the oddly assembled foursome, misfortune quickly befell the team; Nash never stayed healthy, Howard didn't last more than one season, and the miles on Bryant's body began to wear on him.
Entering the season, Meeks was just year olds, still new to the league, and trying to find a stable home in the NBA. Two moderately successful seasons to begin his career with the Philadelphia 76ers helped land him a tiny deal out West that would eventually prove to be a steal. In the season prior, , Meeks saw a decent chunk of court time for L. Meeks was a decent rotational piece, but not a player fans could rely on as a go-to scorer.
Then the stars aligned, due to mostly unfortunate circumstances. Bryant, who was recovering from a serious Achilles injury, played in only six games that season before breaking a bone in his knee. Nash was only available for 15 total games due to various injuries in what ended up as his final season before retirement. Howard was already gone and teaming up in Houston with James Harden. That left a year old Gasol with the impossible task of replacing the lost production. Someone had to step in with the season seemingly lost before November.
Meeks assumed control. In what was just his fifth NBA season, the sharpshooter from Atlanta played at a level no one outside of a small group of people in Lexington believed was attainable.
Meeks posted still career-high averages in points He shot over 40 percent from 3 on a career-high 5. While Meeks didn't begin the season as a full-time starter, it only took him nine outings to officially earn that role. During this odd-ball season, one that saw the Lakers win just 27 games, there were none of the usual expectations that surrounded the Lake Show.
With the stars injured and aging along with a lack of clear direction from the front office, Meeks was allowed to play loose and free, a perfect match in head coach Mike D'Antoni's offensive system. Once he gained control as the starting shooting guard, the explosive, point-scoring savant that the Big Blue Nation was lucky enough to witness for three seasons in Lexington, was put on display across the entire country.
Meeks wasn't just spotting up in the corner and scoring when the ball came his way, he was expected to initiate on every other possession. Meeks tested positive for ipamorelin and growth-hormone-releasing peptide-2, both banned substances. The Kentucky product denied accusations and called the allegations "wrongful," saying "I have never used a drug of any kind I am absolutely heartbroken and perplexed Let me be clear: I have never taken anything whatsoever for a performance-enhancing reason.
Accordingly, we will appeal the suspension and vigorously defend Jodie's rights. Unfortunately, under the CBA, a player is guilty until proven innocent and while Jodie's appeal is pending he will be forced to sit out the playoffs.
Meeks has averaged 6. The Wizards squeaked into the playoffs as the No. In the month of March, Meeks holds per-game averages of 7. Meeks illness has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Spurs. Meeks was averaging Meeks will be a game-time decision for Wednesday's contest against the Spurs after missing morning shootaround due to flu-like symptoms, Chris Miller of NBCS Washington reports.
Meeks has garnered extended run lately due to the absence of John Wall knee , averaging 8. So, if he's unable to play Wednesday, it would seemingly result in rotational changes. The strongest candidate to see an expanded role is Kelly Oubre, who often steps up when a wing player is unavailable. Meeks put up a season-high of 23 points in Saturday's embarrassing loss to Miami.
He was afforded some additional playing time with the game basically over midway through the third quarter. Meeks has the ability to score the ball when he is given the opportunity but fails to contribute anywhere else. Owners should not get too excited about this line and other than a streaming option in deeper leagues, he should be left alone.
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