LAFAYETTE -- It's rare in professional sports when an athlete is told his playing time might be cut, or his starting position given to someone else, and there is unconditional acceptance. Yet, Hornets forward Peja Stojakovic, the highest-paid player on the roster with a salary this season of $14.2 million, not only is comfortable with third-year player Julian Wright being the starting small forward heading into training camp, but Stojakovic seems to be embracing the prospect of coming off the bench. "This is my 12th season," Stojakovic said, "and I really believe I can still play good Basketball. I still love going out there and competing against younger guys. There are a lot more games and practices, but the main thing for me is to stay healthy. That was the most frustrating thing for me, not being able to focus on the Basketball when I'm on the court.
"I still believe that I can be a productive Basketball player. I spoke to Coach (Byron Scott) at the beginning, and no matter what role he has for me, I'm for it, if I can be helpful to this team. We talked about it. I'm not looking for any individual achievements. I really believe that this team has the talent and the potential to play good Basketball. If we all understand our role from the very beginning and know what we have to do on the court, I think we can be a successful team. It's up to us."
About the only thing Stojakovic has not achieved in his NBA career is a championship.
He has been selected to the All-Star Game three times (2002, '03 and '04), finished second in the league in scoring (24.2 in 2003-04, the same season he led the league in 3-point field goals with 240) and appeared in the postseason 10 times.
But the closest he has come to the NBA Finals was in 2002, when the Sacramento Kings lost to the Lakers in seven games in the Western Conference finals. Stojakovic, a native of Serbia, was a member of the World Championship-winning Yugoslav National Team in 2002.
Stojakovic signed a multiyear, multimillion-dollar free-agent contract with the Hornets in 2006 and has one year remaining after this season, when he is scheduled to be paid $15.33 million.
He underwent back surgery in 2007 after an injury-shortened season with the Hornets in which he played just 13 games. After the 2007-08 season, in which he enjoyed good health and played 77 regular-season games, Stojakovic appeared in just 61 games last season. Most of the 21 games he missed were because of back issues, and he had the worst statistical season in his career, averaging 13.3 points per game.
"I can't really think what I was able to do before surgery," Stojakovic said, referring to his training regimen. "Now I'm thinking what I can do after surgery and how to manage my body throughout the season, and in the offseason, and how to work to get stronger and to get better, health-wise. Try to prevent any setbacks that might happen. I'll see how it goes. It'll be a process for me to listen to my body and see how I feel.
"Even last year, for the moment in the beginning of the season, I was pain-free. Then I had a setback, and I never really had time to fully recover. I was on and off. I did not want to stay out of any games, trying to stay in a Basketball rhythm, which didn't help with the back. But I feel OK now. I know it's going to be different when training camp gets going and we start playing four games a week. It's definitely going to be another challenge for me, but I'm up to it."
Scott said he knew Stojakovic would be comfortable with an off-the-bench role this season because of reports he'd received this summer from Hornets director of athletic performance and rehabilitation Mark Cranston, who'd been dispatched to Greece to monitor Stojakovic's offseason progress.
"It's a position he's accepted and has no problem with it," Scott said. "His main thing is he just wants to win. He wants to do whatever he can to make this team better. The funny thing is when I talked to Mark, he said that Peja had mentioned (coming off the bench) to him. We were already on the same wavelength. When I brought it to his attention, he was all for it."
Stojakovic didn't become a regular starter until his third season. Playing a reserve role, he said, won't be that great an adjustment, even though he doesn't know if it will prolong his career.
"I don't think about that," he said. "I just want to feel, and this is the main thing for an athlete, I just want to feel right and healthy," he said. "As long as I have that, and I have the desire to play Basketball, I think, 'Why not?' We'll see how it's going to work. I really don't have a problem with it."
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Jimmy Smith can be reached at jsmith@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3814.
