Jeffrey Parmer realizes the two-time defending champion Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix are a work in progress.
At 5-5 under first-year head coach Ryuji Kawai, the Phoenix are not playing like an elite team, but like a dozen or so other squads in the 19-team league.
That reality, he admitted, doesn't frustrate the bj-league's 2010-11 regular-season and playoff MVP. It motivates him to stay focused and push his teammates to achieve better results on the court.