Zach Lowe: Terrence Jones could be asking for $15M per year

Maybe someone really pays him this amount, but it won't be Morey. Jones is much too limited to invest $15M (over 4 years) in him.

 

Right that's why "Trade player ASAP" out of next years free agent fear isn't always the right move especially for a contending team.

Both D-Mo and Jones should be viewed as 1 year contract players right this second. Just as Cleveland did a good thing by not being scarred off by Delly being a 1 year player, the Rockets shouldn't either IF they help the team win better than the alternative if you were to move them out of fear.

 

I think Morey will approach things the same way he did with Parsons, so in that I agree. Parsons wasn't deemed to be a rare talent, so the team let him walk and they easily replaced him. Jones isn't a rare talent, so I think the team will let him walk and look to find a replacement hustle player.

Now where things get interesting is with DMo, he IS a rare player, one that cannot easily be replaced. I could very easily see Morey paying a premium to keep him around.

 

I will be shock to see either Dmo or TJ will reach any extension with the Rockets before the deadline.

Both Dmo and TJ will definitely looking for very high number of extension, and on the other hand, Morey for sure will still want to maintain the flexibility to look for an upgrade.

It will be more logical to either keep both to be RFA or maybe trading one away before the deadline rather than giving them a close to max extension at this point.

And because of the cap situation for the coming season, many other players in the same situation will eventually ended up without an extension with their own teams,

unless your name is Anthony Davis, which is totally another level of player.

 

Zach is really high on T Jones. My god, he used a Anthony Davis comparison!

 

The irony is so many won't even let TJ have a true sophomore season, but then trumpet Tristan's performance in his 4th year. How about let TJ do what he will absolutely do this season, which is break out...

Tristan has played 4 very full seasons in the NBA.
Terrence has played 3 seasons, the 1st which was virtually all development league, and the 3rd which was virtually all erased by a freak injury. (And don't give me crap about Terrence being in the d-league. Many other teams are finally trying to copy how the Rockets systematically run their rooks through their d-league)

So judge last year's 4-year veteran Tristan's performance with the only thing we have to judge Terrence, his 2nd year, which is basically his full true rookie year on an NBA court night in and night out.

Scoring
TJ 12.1 pts, 54% FG%, 31% 3PT%, 1 assist
TT 8.5 pts, 54% FG%, N/A 3pt%, .5 asssist



Defense
TJ 7 rebs, 1.3 blocks, .7 steals
TT 8 rebs, .7 blocks, .4 steals

If someone said "Hey check it out. '15-'16 season, you can have either Terrence or Tristan, all the money stuff aside, who do you want?" Man Terrence all day.

Spoiler

 

The fan problem you guys are having though is that this replacement is going to or needs to happen NOW. The Rockets might have been able to replace Parsons the year before his FA but it would have been with a subpar player most likely, and Parsons even as a rental in that last year was probably worth more than whatever the Rockets would have gotten had they traded him before for little to nothing just out of fear of his free agency. And that was a year that the Rockets weren't close to being the contender they are projected to be this upcoming year.

I know you think that Jones is scum and that virtually any player (probably including yourself) can play the sport of basketball better than Terrence Jones so we wont go there. Its a pointless argument we shouldn't entertain.

All I'll say is that Jones and D-Mo need to be viewed as one year contracts that we compare against what is available IF we are to move them. We are a contending team that needs to field the best talent NOW. Not next Summer.

If that replacement is Harrell and he's an upgrade than great. If that free agent gem is still out there and is an upgrade than great. Move either player if they get upgraded.

But at this point, that's probably not going to happen. Even Kevin Seraphin just got the mini mid level which is more than the Rockets can afford.

Next Summer's problems are next Summers problems, and the problems that could potentially crop up would ONLY be Les Alexander problems... not fan problems most likely.

 

In Zach Lowe's article,

he also mentioned this player : Terrence Ross, is most likely the owner of a "I don't know why you worth it but here is the 15 mils per with 4 years contract".

If Terrence Ross could have the potential to land such contract, anyone will have a chance.

 

Tristan Thomas? I didn't realize that Australian hurdlers could get paid that much?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_Thomas

 

You want 15 million a year? All I ask is that you earn it this season. 18 and 9 and that contract is yours.

 

Well it doesn't have to be an upgrade, if Harrell and Dekker (small ball 4) can fill the backup PF minutes at a similar level to Jones, you absolutely flip Jones to get something for him before his "one year contract" is up.

For the future, I am 100% certain that those two can adequately fill the backup PF role.....but I'm not sure they are ready to do so this year, which is why Jones might stay with the team till the end of the season. If Harrell was ready to be the new athletic hustle backup PF, Jones would already be gone.

 

That's a rational answer even though I know its probably painful for some of you guys to think about Jones on the team another year. Thanks. But I do think it does need to at least be an eventual upgrade. If Jones is as bad as you guys think he is, then guys like Harrell and Dekker SHOULD theoretically beat him out eventually right?

For the record, I will not be surprised if Jones get's traded sometime between now and February. If that happens that means, to me, that they feel pretty good about what they are seeing from Harrell and Dekker, and they are pushing for more rotation minutes.

Keep in mind too that Jones last year (when D-Mo was out) was literally the ONLY big who could hit free throws, and it forced McHale to play him at the 5 during the playoffs even in an ugly Clippers series.

There's more to the situation than just in a vacuum, that guy is going to get overpaid, DO NO WANT/TRADE NOW. I'm glad alot of us fans aren't running the team.

 

Not a surprise, I'v been talking about this since we left Smith go.

Jones and Motie will get at minimum 10+ million, and likely will ask or get their max unless a career ending injury happens. Thaddeus Young, who is a 10 year vet at 27 just got 12 mill per for putting up mediocre numbers on mediocre teams, Jones and Motie are better, both are younger with more potential.

Either one of Dmo or Jones will have to go and be replaced with either a rookie contract PF or a vet on a value contract.

 

I'd give it to him, right after I signed Boki Nachbar back on a max deal.

 

we'll sign him for 20 mil per!

 

Jones isn't gone because sees the potential for a player making $15MM. Why trade a player, even if a league average replacement is available, when his value is not maximized? There aren't new reports of run-ins with the law or being a poor influence in the locker room. The Rockets are best served by letting Jones play for them and see if he can prove he's worth what he's asking. If he doesn't perform, the same dump off opportunities in a trade that are available now will still be there at the trade deadline.

At his best, he makes the Rockets a title contender (given health at other positions). No one else is coming in at his position that can do that right now.

 

Forgot to add Morey sees the potential in Jones.

 

That would be no, TT rebounds and defends at a higher rate than Tjones. Tjone is the softest 6'9" PF that I've seen in a long time. He behaves like a guard with double pump fakes and fears contact in the paint.

Also, TT boy LeBron runs Cleveland so he will get his. Tjones doesn't have anywhere near that leverage. We shouldn't pay no more than Brewer or Bev.