Just wondering...I know the guards are not really where we need help, but Eddie Jones is a free agent and apparently, he is not 100 % happy in Charlotte. "A no-show count of 5,000 fans per game has become typical in Charlotte, and don't think Eddie Jones, a free agent, hasn't noticed. "I won't say I'm frustrated, but I have to weigh every little thing," EJ said. "It's not a problem as such, but I'll never forget that when we played the Lakers here, there were more L.A. fans than Hornets fans." . . . (from Yahoo news) Should the Rockets try to get Eddie Jones somehow? He is a great all-around player. It doesn't seem too realistic to me to try and go after Duncan and Hill. Some sign-and-trade with Mobley, Jones and some of our other players involved might be a bit more realistic? Francis and Jones in the backcourt would be incredible...just imagine that backcourt, and Hakeem returning to his old self (ok, not 25/15, but something like 17/10, he could still do that), a good SF draft pick and Kenny Thomas developing into an above average PF. That seems like a very good team to me. It's just an idea and I'm wondering what people think about that. ------------------
Jones is going to want the max in the free agent market. I don't think he is worth the max. I think he is even slightly overrated. ------------------
Can the best defensive player guard/SF in the league scoring 20+ really be overrated? Da Man...could you be underrating defense? Personally, his top ten on my list in the league. ------------------ The farther the Rockets move down the standings, the farther I move down the bleachers.
I like Eddie Jones. If we could afford him, plus be able to resign then trade Cat Iwould do it in a heartbeat. I would love to see Anderson & Jones playing the 2/3 positions, just because they are both great defensive players. Keep in mind I am a big time Cat supporter, but I like Eddie! ------------------
Some folks like to call Eddie Jones the best 2 guard in the league which is outrageously wrong. I don't even think he's the best defensive 2 guard. I take Kobe's defense over Eddie's any day. Sure, Eddie has quick hands and hits those passing lanes well. But Kobe is the better on the ball defender. And he's a much better interior defender than Eddie. Nonetheless, Eddie is a pretty damn good defender, finishing 2nd team all defense in 2 straight years. I wouldn't call him a regular 20+ point scorer. The guy is averaging 20.4 points this year, which would be the 1st time he ever finished above 20 ppg. He averaged 16 points for his career. He's an inconsistent deep ball shooter. Has choked or disappeared in too many playoff games. If you want to pay a player the max, I would assume you would have the expectation that the player has the ability to carry your team for weeks at a time. I just don't think Eddie Jones has that ability. ------------------
I think Da Man assessment is pretty fair, but I would still give either Jones or Finley the maximum if they would play here. With Stevie there to break down the defenses, an all-around player who can play great defense, finish the break, and consistently make the opponents pay with open shots or even one man coverage (I am not saying they always demand & beat double teams) would be a near perfect fit. I think Jones or Finley can't wreak havoc on defenses the way Kobe, Cater or Iverson can, but man would either guy compliment our current young guys so well. ------------------
I stand corrected...Kobe may have passed him this year on defense. Damn...those Lakers are playing the best defense in the league right now. I hate Phil Jackson. ------------------ The farther the Rockets move down the standings, the farther I move down the bleachers.
I'd agree that Kobe is probably the better straight up defender, but I think he is still well behind Eddie on team defense. Still, just the fact that you are using Kobe as a comparison is a tribute to Eddie's value. A career 16 ppg still is pretty good and that number would be more likely to increase rather than decrease on a Rocket's team that could use more offensive threats. Also, I don't know if you can really question the outside shooting of someone that averages a career .455 fg% and .378 3 pt%. As for disappearing in the playoffs, both his playoff fg% and 3 pt% increase (.456 and .432 respectively). Still, you're right about him not taking as many shots in the playoffs. Still, I would guess that the point is moot, since we have no cap room to offer him and no players the Hornets would really do a sign and trade for. ------------------
HeyPart, you know that Phil always gets credit for the Triangle/Triple Post. It is Tex Winter that is the real Zen Master.. Det, as far as Eddie, he is one of the best defenders in the league and he is a lot like Kobe. However, we are set on the 2 and hopefully Shandon can move to the 3 and then what we need is some big men and backup big men.. I am not completely sold on KT and Cato. Both are too inconsistent. ------------------ Was that a cross over that made you buckle at your ankles?
Eddie Jones is GOOD at this point he can help a team more than ANY other 2 gaurd in the league. Kobe might be a better player but as far as team ball like someone else said Eddie is the best. ------------------ "We need to fockass".....Dream back in the day
When I look at our roster I only see one quality starter in Francis. We need Jones. We need another "player" in the starting roster. Jones is a "player". So is Finley, but I don't see how we could get them. I think our draft pick will be a quality starter. Especially if we get Kenyon Martin. That will make two quality starters. We still need a third to compete. Cato can start, but he's not what I would consider a "player"... or Someone who can impact and or change a game. I'd like to see us with the following roster. Cato/Olajuwon K. Martin/ Rogers/ Miller Williams/ Thomas/Bullard Jones/Anderson Francis/Mobley/Drew ------------------ humble, but hungry.
I am in the minority here. I love Shandon Anderson. His style of play is what we need on this team. If Eddie comes here, I can see him whining about his shots. He is alot like Glen Rice. If he doesn't have the ball, he is pretty much useless. He won't say "I will just focus on defense tonight" like Anderson does. Anderson is also only 25. I love Andersons attitude and work ethic. He is never injured and never complains. I think he should not be messed with at all. Keep this guy happy and he is the type to give you 150% on top of his 100% he gives you every night. The Rockets do need another scorer. But not at the 2. Lets get a 3 or a 4 in the draft to compliment Francis. Anderson is just to valuable at this time and does everything we need him to do and then some. ------------------ Live Rocketball. Breathe Rocketball. Die with Rocketball. [This message has been edited by Almu (edited March 29, 2000).]
"Eddie Jones is GOOD at this point he can help a team more than ANY other 2 gaurd in the league. Kobe might be a better player but as far as team ball like someone else said Eddie is the best." What is this obsession with Eddie Jones? He can't even help his current team right now. Where has he been the last month when his team has been struggling? And in the last month, is it a surprise that Eddie has been playing like crap. Did he ever step up in L.A. to provide the perimeter balance for Shaq in the playoffs? This guy still isn't even the best player on his own team this year. Just complains about how he isn't respected, his team needs to make improvements, and he needs to be paid the max. The guy is going to turn 29 this year. He's going to be demanding the 6-7 year contract with the max amount of money. The last 2 years of his contract, you are going to have a 35-36 year old, over the hill, overpaid, superdud. Do you want the Rockets to keep overpaying aging stars. Trust me when I say you want to avoid Eddie Jones. And why is Eddie Jones the best team player out of all 2 guards? I figure Kobe's ability to handle the ball and his superior ability to create shots for his teammates would help his team more than Eddie would. His weak side shot blocking is an advantage over Eddie too. I think Latrell Sprewell is a better team player than Jones. Jones is good, but he is not worth it. ------------------
I don't think Latrell is as good as Eddie (the former is too inconsistent of a scorer), maybe Houston is better than Eddie though. Still, I think Kobe is better than all three (and better than Iverson), I haven't seen Carter enough to have a preference for him or Kobe. Da Man, what about Finley versus Eddie. I know Finley has a little more size, but do you see him in the same light. Personally, playing next to Stevie, I think either one would be an ideal swing player (a significant notch above Mobley, SA or MD). Not that three I mentioned aren't good, but not in the deserved all-star class of Eddie or Finley, IMHO. I would pay Finley or Eddie the maximum to play here, not because they are the best at their positions, but because of how they would compliment and enhance what we are trying to do. [This message has been edited by sir scarvajal (edited March 29, 2000).]
Steve Francis, I agree...But in this case, I'm talking about his team defense. I cannot believe the overall great team defense LA is playing. While I think Pat Riley is an overrated coach for his ineptitude in the 90's, I believe the Bulls defense was always underrated. IMO, it wasn't the Tex Winter triangle that won those banners as much as the team defense. And much like the success of offense is not defined by the talent of your superstars, the success of defense is not the sum of your talent either. The Zen master indeed gets all his players to play D. That is tough. Now as for Pat Riley, it is unbelievable the Knicks never beat the Bulls with the talent he had on that team: offensively and defensively. Not to downplay Jordan's contribution, but it is a tribute to the Bulls and Jackson's ability to get a team to play as a unit that he never lost to the Knicks...plus that whole conferense was awesome back then. And no one ever beat them. ------------------ The farther the Rockets move down the standings, the farther I move down the bleachers.
EJ is easily one of the best SG's in the league right now, if not the best. Eddie plays SMART team basketball. He is invaluable to Charlotte. There isn't anything he can't do well. He can post up, hit the three, slash, handle the ball, and D you up. His rebounding and assist numbers are nothing to laugh at either. He fills the stat sheet, much like the Pippen of old. Hmm, wonder how the Bulls would have done with EJ and MJ.....scary. I don't think we can get EJ, but it would make me happy! ------------------ HOOP-T Hey Shaq, Acme called, and they want their bricks back!
