My open letter to RJ

Dear Richard Jefferson,

You don't know me, and I really don't know you, but I'd like to take a moment to talk over a couple of things with you.  You see, I am a Spurs fan.  I have been for 15+ years, and I was excited to see you join this team.  I've always thought of you as an aggressive guy with drive and fire. The constant effort you were willing to make was your biggest talent.  I never thought you were a great shooter or even a solid scorer, but I thought your hustle and effort were going to help this team.  I was stoked; my hopes were high, as were my expectations.

The hopes were high, maybe too high

I know this season hasn't gone as well as either of us would have hoped.  I don't know if you're unhappy with the coaching staff or your teammates, but let's be honest, this hasn't been your best year.  Even I, a guy who has only watched 6 or 7 games, can tell that you're having a rough go of it.  I recently wondered if you were to blame for this or if it was the coaching staff's fault or even the front office's for bringing you to this team.  I couldn't figure out what had gone wrong.

I'm not sure whose fault it was or why things haven't panned out to this point.  I don't know why your shot isn't falling, and I'm sure the defensive system is hard to learn.  I don't know any of that, but I do know I'd like to see that effort I thought you had.  I just want to see you out there wanting it more than the other guy.  Giving your all even if the shots aren't falling.  Watch your teammate Manu Ginobili, he has lots of nights when his shot isn't falling, but he still makes an impact on the game.  That's why we fans love him.  Show me you have heart.

Last night when you played against Carmelo Anthony you showed me something.  It wasn't your 14 points on 5-9 shooting.  It wasn't the 4 rebounds or 4 assists that I liked.  It was your hustle, effort and desire.  I saw you hound one of the premier offensive players in the world all night.  He only shot 6-17 and had 19 points.  What's more is when it mattered you stepped up.  During the run Denver put together in the 3rd quarter, you played good defense after the timeout Pop call.  You got an offensive rebound.  You made a difference!

Show us you took your lumps and you can improve

I've been hard on you these last couple of weeks.  I've said you were lost on the floor and didn't have any idea what to do.  I even threw out the idea of trading you for parts.  I'm not completely over those feelings by any stretch.  But you showed me last night that you CAN be what I thought you would be.  You can give the effort that I thought you had.  Take a break for a few days, gather up your strength and energy.  Then come out and show the NBA, the Spurs and us fans that you don't need to score 20 points to be good.  Show us that you can change the game by your hustle, effort and desire.  Become a Spur.

Your somewhat hesitant, but hopeful fan,

Big50