Savovic endures baptism in NBA
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Predrag Savovic got minimal playing time, was "injured" for more than half the season, and struggled when he did get on the court for the NBA's Denver Nuggets.
Garrett W. Ellwood • NBAE/Getty Images
And that was just fine with him.
Denver Nuggets rookie Predrag Savovic uncharacteristically shot 31.2 percent from the field.
"I am Savo" endures.
Savovic, the former star guard for the University of Hawai'i, had a statistically sub-par rookie season. Yet, he said he accomplished his goal of completing the season among basketball's elite.
"It was a learning process and there were many ups and downs," said Savovic, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard originally from Yugoslavia. "But the main thing is I made it. I made the team as a rookie and got to play some. Now I have something to build on."
The Nuggets' season ended yesterday, but Savovic has not been in uniform since April 4 because of a dislocated finger. He will finish the season the same way he started it — on Denver's injured list.
In between four stints on the injured list, Savovic appeared in 27 games. He averaged 3.1 points and 0.9 rebounds in just 9.5 minutes per game.
He admittedly struggled shooting the ball, the strong point of his game. He finished the season with a .312 percentage from the field, including .154 percent from 3-point range.
"You can look for excuses, but mainly, I still have to learn how to play at this level," Savovic said. "There's more of a mental aspect on this level. It's not just basketball. It's a business."
The Nuggets also struggled as a team. They finished with a 17-65 record, which tied Cleveland for the league's worst record this season.
"We had so many young players; some times we had five rookies on the court," Savovic said. "We had some games that went well, and some that were not good at all."
Through it all, Savovic said it helped to have assistant coach Jarinn Akana — also a former UH guard — by his side. Akana, who is from Moloka'i, often showed up one hour early for practice to work one-on-one with Savovic.
"He put in a lot of extra work for me," Savovic said. "A lot of days it would be just me and Jarinn shooting in the gym."
But it probably didn't help Savovic to spend more than two months on the injured list with what could probably be described as minor injuries: a sprained right ankle and the dislocated finger.
"That's part of the business," he said. "I'm professional about it. I understand why they do it. I just have to wait my turn."
NBA teams are allowed to carry only 12 active players during the season, so Savovic often was the odd man out when other players returned from injuries.
"He was at the bottom of the totem pole this year," said Marc Cornstein, Savovic's agent. "He actually was hurt, but he probably could have played the whole year if that's what was needed. The best thing is he got a full year in the NBA under his belt. That's an accomplishment in itself."
The Nuggets have the contractual rights to Savovic for next season, but it is not guaranteed. If the Nuggets re-sign Savovic, he will earn more than $560,000 next season as a second-year player.
"This is professional basketball," Savovic said. "Nothing is for sure."
If the Nuggets do not re-sign Savovic, he will become a free agent and can negotiate with any other NBA team.
"He's probably always going to be in a position where he has to prove himself and fight for a spot," Cornstein said. "But he's always been successful at it before. Obviously, we like Denver as a fit for Savo and want him to have a 10-year career there."
Savovic earned the NBA minimum of around $350,000 this season, and said he saved most of it. He purchased a new Ford Explorer at the start of the season, but not much else. He has been renting a small apartment in Denver the past eight months.
"My plan is to save enough money to buy a house in Honolulu," he said. "I've learned that there's no place like Hawai'i, and that's where I want to live."
He can start scouting homes next week. Savovic said he will be in Honolulu for the next two weeks visiting with friends.
"Hawai'i is a part of me already," he said. "I got used to Denver, but it's nothing like Hawai'i."
• Finishing strong: Anthony Carter, the only other former UH player in the NBA this season, also played through injuries with the Miami Heat.
Carter, a 6-2 point guard, played in just 49 of Miami's 82 games because of knee and shoulder injuries. He finished the season averaging 4.1 points and a team-leading 4.1 assists per game.
Over the last month of the season, Carter reclaimed the starting point guard position for the Heat. He started Miami's final 16 games, and averaged 5.4 points and 5.9 assists during that span.
Miami finished with a 25-57 record and did not qualify for the playoffs.
Carter just completed the second year of a three-year contract with the Heat.
