BINGO,been saying this for a very long time and I like T.Jones as the go-to guy with the second unit. I think if you can turn him loose with bench players it would give that spark we need while the starters rest. D-Mo is not a better player or PF...period. But for the sake of the team I would think he fits better with Howard. I am really hoping the coaching staff figures how to effectively use Howard and Asik together with one playing spot minutes with the 2nd unit (Asik more than likely). Overall im excited about this season...I can care less in the preseason, I just want to see them all play honestly.
I never said it was his NBA numbers. He only shot ten threes in April in the NBA. Small sample size. He shot more than thirty in March in D-league and it was at 36%.
But he was 1 out of 14 in February in the D League. Overall Jones is just not yet an adequate 3-point shooter. I like Jones alot, but to say that he is solid from deep is just not true. Of course I hope that he turns into Michael Redd. TJones and DMo are so close that a slight improvement by either would vault that person into the lead. As of this moment, DMo by a hair.
I know we said "DMo needs one more season under his belt" last season. IMO from what i have seen, DMo is not ready for this season either. TJ is more NBA ready (as a hustle role player) due to his body size and athleticism and should start the season, unless he screws up in preseason. I believe DMo is perfect for our system, he just doesn't have the body size to work effectively in the post just yet, he can't just spinhook everytime. I think this conversation will become relevant again during the mid-season break - if there isnt a trade before then
I'm not saying TJ's solid, but from watching the games, I saw that he shot better from 3 than DMo. At least he has shown that he can shoot well for a month; post-injury. There's a reason that after Dmo had been given plenty of opportunities, his minutes were given to TJ at the very end of the season and the playoffs. DMo obviously didn't look like he belonged out there. The other factor is having an NBA ready body.
I think the premise is ultimately flawed and HOU can indeed run a 9-man rotation to take advantage of each player's strengths. D-Mo is going to work better in some situations while Jones is going to work better in others. I would not put D-Mo in there except when Lin is in there running the show, preferably with Parsons and Hardens in there as well. T-Jones, on the other hand, will work a lot better with the likes of Beverley and Casspi. If Howard starts at the 4 and Asik sits early to stagger their minutes, I would sub D-Mo in until Lin comes out, at which point I would send T-Jones in along with Beverley. A smoother rotation, though, may be to use Asik in a Harden/Ginobili role and start D-Mo, who will come out early for Asik. T-Jones+Casspi+Beverley will then sub in late for Howard+Parsons+Lin to play some individual ball against the opposing bench. Lin will then sub in at the start of the 2nd to give Harden his rest while D-Mo takes over for T-Jones. One thing is for sure, though, I do not want to see D-Mo in there when Lin is sitting on the bench. Ever. It is terrible to watch D-Mo play when there is little ball movement. Give me T-Jones any day of the week and twice on Sundays when the offense breaks down into isos/iso-kickouts/one-on-ones.
Once again. Last season Motiejunas played in 44 games. Had a player efficiency rating of 12.28. Jones played in 19 games. Had a player efficiency rating of 17.11. Quite telling indeed.
According to player efficiency rating, these players are better than Dwight Howard: JJ Hickson Jeremy Evans JaVale McGee Brandon Wright Andray Blatche According to player efficiency rating Dwight is barely better than Robin Lopez, and Samuel Dalembert is way better than that scrub Asik. If player efficiency rating was really quite telling, then the Rockets are in big trouble. Thankfully, it isn't.
We need the PF on the starting 5 to help anchor the defense, block shots, grab rebounds and get in the way of guards driving the lane. I think TJ is more suited for this role than DMo. Besides, as jtr pointed out, he's not going to get that many shot opportunities anyway. I think of Jones as more of cleanup man with putbacks and dunks off rebounds which suits him well.
You know what, you're right. Let's just forget the fact that D-Mo played in 20+ more games than Jones. It's meaningless.
the 4 spots needs to be a blue chipper. someone who hustles. rebounds. plays defense. this position isn't going to get many touches. neither jones or dmo have a great 3 point shot. dmo's strength are his post moves, but he's playing next to howard and isn't going to get many touches. his main selling point is diminished. he isn't that great at finishing either. jones can play D better. he can rebound better. that's good enough for that spot. i hope jones comes out the winner. although convington might replace both in a year or 2 depending on his development.
Why did McHale start DMo last year right after the trade? And why did he start DMo this year in the first scrimmage? Because he felt like it? Probably not.
I support whoever suggested pairing D-mo with Lin since D-mo has shown to be a very willing and skilled PnR player. Pairing these guys up can greatly improve both of their efficiency. I don't think I have seen Jones executing the Pick and Roll unless my memory fails me.
PER is an offensive rating and shows that those players mentioned (mostly bench players) can be effective in limited minutes. Motiejunas wasn't effective as a starter and in the bench mob. And we are not talking about his Defense and his Fouling Out strategy to save himself some face. Let's hope he gets better but trying to say he is a better fit at all cost is just a WRONG thing to do.
Lol and why the hell do you keep on defending Moti? What's the purpose? YOU clearly voted for CASSPI.....
DMo ain't bad but it's certainly not a no brainer that he starts. Remember one thing, Jones was playing more at the end of the season and in the playoffs.
