For his defense. As a matter of fact, Jeffries defense alone should have gotten him more playing time. He plays better defense than Miller and if it weren't for the fact that he has only played in 9 games, he could probably score just as much. This is not 9 games straight mind you, but 9 games spread out over a 29 game period. That would definitely affect your rhythm. He has good post moves, he's just not finishing them. Thats probably due to not having playing time. We don't need him to score in bunches. We just need another good defensive presence in the paint. I'm not saying he should take minutes from Miller, at all. Actually, it would be nice to see him and Miller on the court at the same time. Bill Worrel mentioned a few times that Jeffries was a great locker room presence which is always a plus with the Rockets. Keeping him around and letting him contribute can only be a good thing. I just hope i'm not too late posting this, seeing as his name has been popping up in trade rumors.
No, Miller's job is to run the high post offense and help develop Hill. We didn't bring in Miller to be a starter nor be a defense force. He's doing what he was brought in to do. If anything, Jefferies should be taking Bud's minutes but now we have Terrance so too bad for him. His role is the same that Chuck used to have. Only for certain defensive situations or people get in foul trouble.
Jeffries can't guard other Cs and can't run the offense. At least, Miller can run the high post offense.
If you play Jefferies, who sits???.... thats the problem here bud. He is a very useful player to have on your roster, and if the Rockets were in the playoffs he could be a useful defensive presence to have off the bench, but its more important at this junction to develop Hill, and Patterson. Its also unfair to him if he wants to net him a contract after this season is up to get on the floor with a team that needs a flex 3/4 veteran defender that will play him. A younger team like the Bulls or Knicks would really value him as a Shane Battier type off the bench player in the playoffs.
While I like Jeffries as a good defensive player off the bench, I disagree with the OP's assertion that the Rockets keep Jeffries beyond the trade deadline for the following reasons: (1) This current rotation is playing well enough to get into the playoffs. They don't NEED Jeffries in order to accomplish that goal. (2) Jeffries is good salary filler in any trade for a talent upgrade. (3) The Rockets already have good frontcourt defenders at both forward positions (Battier and Hayes). (4) If no trade (that includes Jeffries) can be made for a talent upgrade, the potential luxury tax savings from "dumping" Jeffries on an under-the-cap team will greatly improve the "war chest" for buying picks or throwing cash into future trades.
Thanks Bima. Te nicest "no" i have ever gotten. When i made this thread, i had assumed that they were having trouble moving him or not agreeing to a buyout. Also, i made this thread at the same time as the Yao trade possibility thread was made. This new Yao situation shines a new light on Jeffries situation as well, seeing as he may be moved with Yao.
No problem, man. :grin: I think an interesting situation will be if the Rockets can find neither a deal including Jeffries for a talent upgrade nor a deal to "dump" Jeffries for luxury tax savings. Jared appears unwilling to take any sort of paycut in a buyout arrangement. And unlike Brian Cook, as you say, Jeffries is a useful player for this team. Morey and Adelman will need to decide whether having Jeffries on the roster is better than waiving him and then using his roster spot to sign a nice young free agent to a rest-of-season deal with a team option for 2011-12 at a fully non-guaranteed salary (like they did with Alexander Johnson last season). Remember, those non-guaranteed salaries can be combined for trade purposes and may help facilitate a trade next offseason, albeit in only a small way.
Supposedly, we had multiple teams that would have given us a 2nd-rounder or more for JT. We got nothing for him, really. Getting excited about the fodder at the end of the bench is futile, unless they are just here for potential (PPatt). The point of an expiring contract is to get added to a bigger trade, or to trade for somebody that has a longer contact, roughly the same salary, but is a better player. If Jeffries survives the trading deadline, and we're fighting for a playoff spot, then I think he might be able to contribute. As for now, the coaching staff doesn't seem to think he can help much. If we can get something worthwhile for him, we should trade him. Letting him expire is worthless, unless we are letting Yao and other players expire, too. It wouldn't bother me to re-sign him at $2.5 million.
Yep, good point. I wrote about that possibility with Hilton Armstrong (as part of a potential Bosh sign-and-trade package) after the Kevin Martin trade last February, prior to the team waiving him. But I bet Jeffries just opts to sign with New York or some other team that actually WANTS him.
Jeffries is a scrub...he gets paid almost 7 million to sit on the bench and when he is given playing time i start to hate him more...but lets give it to him he is a good high-fiver
