The Struggles of Rashard Lewis

Rashard — he of the enormous contract — has seen his numbers fall across the board. He doesn’t sound concerned, although everyone else is, as FanHouse reports: “His problems have become a worrisome undercurrent for a team that otherwise has looked strong since the All-Star break. He is scoring less (14.2 ppg), rebounding less (4.5 rpg) and shooting a lower percentage (.425) than he has in 10 years. ‘Rashard is just not playing well right now. It’s not just the shooting. He’s not rebounding the ball. He’s just not playing with much energy,’ said Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. “He’s turning the ball over. He’s not making the shots he’s taking. I have confidence he’ll bounce back, but right now he’s not playing well.’ Share  Lewis is the best-paid player ($18.7 million) on the defending Eastern Conference champions — ninth highest-paid player in the NBA — yet he has sunk to the fourth option on his own team, an issue that could cause problems quickly if the team falters.
‘There have been times (in the past) I was frustrated over shots, when I wanted the ball more, but I wasn’t on good teams then,’ Lewis said. ‘I’m a veteran now on a good team, a team competing for a championship. It’s loaded. Sometimes you have to sacrifice for that. As long as we’re winning, I’m comfortable with it.”’