Lately I've seen alot of post regarding JJ and how they think it would be best for him to come off the bench. Are you nuts? Who would start for us? Pike? Pike has been nothing but inconsistent so far. In fact, JJ is putting up better numbers than Pike, even in Pike's "specialty" JJ: FG=41% - 3P=38% - APG=3 - RPG=6 Pike: FG=36% - 3P=36% - APG=1 - RPG=2 *rounded up JJ has been perfect for the Rockets. He provides veteran leadership, tough, hard-nosed defense, and stabilizes our offense. JVG was even quoted as saying he doesn't feel comfortable if JJ is not in the game. The point is, those of you who think he would be better suited as coming off the bench must not have watched any games these past two months. Pike is paid to shoot, and JJ has better percentages than him. Pike is also probably the worst defender in the 8 man rotation. Why you would want to start him over JJ, one of the few (Cato) consistent players we can count on, is beyond me. If anything, I'd like to see JJ's minutes go up. He has been exactly what the Rockets need, making the Rice trade look like a smart move on CD's account.
JJ has been a real good lock down defender as well. For those who wanted Ward.... Why not give those minutes to JJ? I don't see Ward being ant better than JJ at point / forward.
Ultimately I think JJ would be best served off the bench. But the way our roster is made up he needs to start at the 3 spot. I think him starting is also important because I really feel like he is our "point forward" as he always tends to get the ball to the low post and to the right people. He is a very good system player and plays within himself and trusts his teammates. With a backcourt of Mobley and Francis, Jackson is a must in the lineup. If you got a real PG in the lineup then Jackson could be moved to the bench. I think Jackson has been playing TOO many minutes but I think JVG feels very comfortable with him on the floor as he can trust Jackson to make the right passes on offense and make the tough defensive stops on defense. I think JJ is JVG's security blanket. In my opinion Pike has had a terrible year and so far hasn't given us the 3pt shooter and zone stretcher we need. He is getting open shots but is not nailing them. Disappointing. JJ is quickly becoming one of my favorite Rockets players. I am glad we got him! He is worth every penny we are paying him. Great role player for this team.
Why so many people want to treat JJ with kid gloved? Playing too many minutes? No way! This guy has always been very durable throughout his whole career. And its not like he's injury prone and fragile like Horry. JJ is in the prime of his career.
He's 33 years old and hasn't played his current level of minutes since he was 27. Look at how effective JJ was with SAC @ 20.8 mpg: http://www.nba.com/playerfile/jim_jackson/index.html?nav=page If anything, his minutes need to go down.
Right now, JJ's been my favorite Rocket this season. That said, he still isn't a 3. He should be playing the 2 guard. We all know over time, small ball simply doesn't work. We start 3 guards and 2 centers. I think over the long haul, this line up will prove to be fatal.
I don't understand that at all. Who cares how old you are? If you're producing, why would you EVER play less? That's ridiculous. To say less minutes will increase his production is absurd. It worked for Cato last year, but Cato isn't JJ. JJ isn't huffing and puffing down the court, tired to all hell.
Before the season started I started a thread about JJ and how we NEEDED to sign him. Then a week later CD happens to trade Rice and we get JJ and the rest is history. Great veteran and plays the game right. His shots will hopefully keep going down because he can put up 15+ any night.
I think he's best suited to come off the bench, but right now we don't have anyone better. If Boki or Pike were producing anything consistently it would be a different story, but right now we need to stick with JJ, especially since he's been on fire.
I see a lot of folks already throwing Pike down the stairs. He is going to be a very important for the team, and I think Van Gundy actually needs to play him more especially with Yao on the court. He'll get more wide open shots which eventually will go in. I can't imagine his confidence is too high. He airballed a 3 pointer in the Detroit game. My preference is for Cuttino to come off the bench with Piatkowski starting in the SG spot. Having him rot on the bench like Boki is a strategy that will hurt the Rockets later on.
Mine as well. I don't understand why someone would want him to come off the bench or reduce his minutes. He's Houstons defensive leader out there. Jim Jackson is becoming our Mario Elie. Right now he's on a bit of an offensive tear and his shooting percentages are improving which is great. But forget that. I love great defense, and dammit I apperciate the havoc he reeks out there.
were lucky to have a bench that can make their own shots. jimmy got skills and can get his own shot but hes playing such good D we dont need him creating shots off the bench. mo is money offensively so usually theres no need to worry when the starters arent all out there. jackson is turning out to be an awesome pickup for us. so cheap too. this guy was a cancer?
As much as I like Pike and his shooting abilities, I would never NEVER start Pike over Cat. NO WAY. Its all the intangibles that Cat brings to the table plus his shooting. Cat is playing borderline all-star caliber ball this year. Cat, JJ, Cato, and Motay to some extent has shown me a lot of improvement this year.
Yeah, Piatkowski over Cat is absurd. Piatkowski is a defensive liability and not even the offensive threat Cat is. However, I do believe the reason his %s are down is because he has to come in cold off the bench and is expected to just start hitting shots with limited minutes. He's not used to that role. But that doesn't mean he should start over Cat
I'd like to bring Walt Williams here to play a few minutes off the bench. He's got decent size, great passing for his size, and is a veteran. This way we won't lacka veteran presence when JJ sits. I think he could be very valuable come playoff time, and won't cost much.
Is he still out there or is he on a team currently? Dallas didn't sign him? Knowing JVG though, seems like someone that he would not be interested in because of the lack of defense. But Walt would be a solid bench guy.
dallaso would be eager to offload some heavy contracts. they signed up big but are coming off small. if we take finley would they take weatherspoon?
JJ needs to start and finish games for this team. He's the only emotionally solid veteran on the squad who can keep his wits about him when things start going south. Although he doesn't have the best FG%, he stays aggressive offensively (not hesistating on open 3s) while maintaing pretty good shot selection (for a Rocket). Pike will come around. I think he needs to inspire himself by growing an Air Bull goatee.
