The basketball gods have had enough of Sasha Vujacic's good luck streak. The 6'7" two-time champ Slovenian has been traded from the Lakers to the New Jersey Nets. Despite being best Italian-speaking buds with Kobe Bryant, the Lakers dumped Vujacic and his $5.5 milion expiring contract for journeyman Terp, Joe Smith.
Vujacic's run as a repeat champion is over. The Lakers have barely had any use for him since the arrival of Matt Barnes this season. Barnes, also 6'7", is better on both ends of the court and consistently plays harder than Vujacic. Yet the Slovenian will make almost $4 million more than Barnes this year despite playing less minutes than any other Laker. He also makes almost $2 million more than Laker legend and starter Derek Fisher.
The Lakers don't need an overpaid and fading Europuff whose only show of toughness has been his non-skirmish with fellow Slovenian, Goran Dragic. What impact will the trade have on Vujacic? How will he transition from basketball heaven (Los Angeles) to hoops hell (Newark)?
Vujacic's last day with the Lakers was spent celebrating their championship with President Barack Obama . Perhaps Vujacic had an idea he was about to be dealt as he stood near the embattled president. Maybe he secretly identified with a guy who's own team (Democrats) were turning on him the way the Lakers were distancing themselves from Vujacic.
Vujacic's fiancée is tennis player Maria Sharapova. Unlike Laker wives Vanessa Bryant and Khloe Kardashian, Sharapova built a substantial career on her own before linking with a Laker. Her $13.6 million career earnings are on par with Vujacic's $14 million as of last summer. Yet as her own career fades, she must have enjoyed living in the limelight with a champ like Vujacic, no matter how small his role on the Lakers. Those days are over.
It's likely Sharapova and Vujacic are feeling denial and anger over his banishment to Newark to join the 6-19 Nets.
The transition from sunny Cali to the tough cold bitter winter months of Newark may be even more brutal than the long losing streaks Sasha will endure with the Nets.
Fortunately, potassium helps geographic and emotional adjustments. Sharapova's love of bananas will serve her well in her transition.
Vujacic will join ex-Laker teammate Jordan Farmar with the Nets. Together, they have more NBA rings (4) than the entire Miami Heat roster combined (3- Wade, Haslem, House). The Nets are like the Eastern Lakers. Imagine how dominant they could be if they add another ex-Laker and man without a team, Adam Morrison.
OK, not that dominant. But at least they'd all have each other.
The biggest winner of all will be New Jersey. Not the Nets, but the people of New Jersey. Between majority owner and bachelor Mikhail Prokhorov's babes, part owner Jay-Z's wife Beyonce, Kim Kardashian (currently dating Nets forward Kris Humphries), and now Maria Sharapova, the fine female factor in New Jersey stays on the rise.
Maybe Snooki should link up with Brooke Lopez before her fifteen minutes are up.
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