[Fox 26] Rockets contact Mike James, Speedy Claxton, Fred Jones

I looked at his draft measurement. 6-2 3/4 barefoot, 6-4 with shoes on.

He's one of the players that chooses to be listed barefoot.

This is repeated so many times that SOME players go by barefoot listing but people just can't seem to grasp that.

He's 6-4 218, which is exactly why he plays SG and has never been a PG, he's bigger than Mobley.

 

Maybe, but I think Yao is gonna to be the most obvious mismatch on the court night in night out. Yao may not to be the best player on the team, but he can be the best option for the team.

I really hope Tmac can get back to his best shape and kick some asses next year.

 

Thanks for the clarification. Mostly in the NBA I see guys listed in "shoes". Why would someone want to be listed smaller than they are?

6-4, 218 is solid. To me Jones has the size to be able to matchup with some of the stronger SGs in the West as well as the quickness to match with the smaller quicker ones.

 

Yao, Battier, Kobe, Vince, Stromile, Bradley, Sprewell, Jones those are just a few players listed barefoot.

In some cases it is extreme like with Yao being 7-5 3/4 barefoot and although officially he is listed 7-6 sometimes they list 7-5.

Same with Jones, mostly he's listed 6-3 but some times they list 6-2, but actually with shoes on he's 6-4, and Yao is 7-7.

Jones actually changed his listing to shoes and that's why he went to 6-4, but so many sites never update.

Just like with Yao, nba.com refuses to update his height like all the other sites.

Notice Redick was listed at 6-4 in college and people were convinced he must be 6-2 or 6-3, then he gets measured and is 6-4 barefoot.

He's listed at 6-5 and officially 6-5 (in shoes) then what happens, he gets listed on his player profile at 6-4.

Redick musr have requested being listed at barefoot height in college and now NBA which players can do.

Then again people will be convinced he is 6-2 or whatever again.

See Swift was measured 6-9 1/2 barefoot and he's listed at 6-9. he came in at 6-10 1/2 in shoes.

Look at T-<ac next to swift and there's about maybe 1/4 an inch to half an inch height difference.

T-Mac has already said he's actually 6-10 in shoes in Slam Magazine, and yet he's listed at 6-8. But most people are convinced he would really be 6-7, or even some people believe you deduct 2 inches for all players.

Then look at T-Mac next to Vince or Kobe, who were both measured 6-6 barefoot and originally listed 6-7 in shoes, then changed it to barefoot listing (rumor was to be more like MJ)

They might even be taller than 6-7 in shoes now looking at them next to T-Mac.

Think Kobe was 17 and so was T-mac when they were measured.

T-Mac was measured at 6-8 barefoot at 17 and chose barefoot listing, he has since grown an inch and a half supposedly and is at least 6-10 in shoes.

So many of these heights are bogus.

Just like many of the players are shorter than listed even if it's with shoes on.

The heights are a big joke.

 

And some players grew taller after they were drafted. Like Yao Ming, he's still listed often as 7'5"; but he's actually now 7'6" barefoot and over 7'7" in shoes.

 

Sam played behind Kenney because he had zero choice. He was an unproven rookie and a sophmore the years he played behind Kenny Smith. Cassell was not going to demand that he starts or anything during that part of his career. Hell he was just trying to secure a roster spot. Remember Cassell was not a lottery pick.

 

Offensively? Maybe. But what about opponents attacking him using small and quick players?

I really hope Mr. Van Gundy can study some zone defense. It is ridiculous to see Yao guard small guards around the perimeter so often. See how effective Heats used zone to protect Shaq in the finals? That is why Pat Raily is a way better coach than his apprentice Gundy.

 

And who exactly do we have to trade that Toronto would want?

 

Wow. What a HUGE dropoff in our wish list from Mike James to Fred Jones. Say what you want to make yourself feel better about the possibility of signing Jones, but he's no better as a 4th year player than Luther Head was last year as a rookie. In fact, it's hard to find a stat that Jone faired better in.

Size - Jones 6'4" 210lbs, Head - 6'3" 185lbs
MPG - Head 28.9, Jones 27.0 (just to show they played roughly the same minutes)
APG - Head 2.7, Jones 2.3
RPG - Head 3.3, Jones 2.5
FGP - Jones 41.7%, Head 40.3%
FTP - Jones 81.7%, Head 69.9%
3PP - Head 36.1%, Jones 33.7%
SPG - Head 1.1, Jones 0.8

From BasketballReference.com, Head as a rookie, surpassed Jones as a 4th year player:

Approximate Value - Head 6.9, Jones 5.6 (high of 7.3)
Versatility Index - Head 4.3, Jones 3.8 (high of 4.4)
Efficiency - Head 9.43, Jones 8.51 (high of 10.73)

Given the choice between the two, I'd play Head over Jones and continue to watch his development.

FYI, Here is an eye-opening comparison of Mike James' and Jason Terry's numbers (I threw Alston's number in there for the hell of it)

Approximate Value - James 11.4, Terry 9.7, Alston 7.8
Versatility Index - James 7.3, Alston 6.9, Terry 5.1
Efficiency - James 18.84, Terry 15.03, Alston 14.25

How sweet it will be for the Rocket's to sign James over Dallas.

 

The key for Jones over Head though is the LBS. Jones has the strength to guard bigger SGs. Head does not. Jones does a better job of creating off the dribble and finishing at the basket than Head. Those are big pluses in his favor. Head is a better set shooter however. Both are probably the same "quicknesswise."

I would feel a lot better about Jones as our starting SG than Head, using defense as the primary reason.

Jones would be a nice addition.....but Mike James is clearly option #1.

 

Head has room to improve and develop physically though. It's funny, I get the feeling that just about everyone on the board thinks that Luther's going to be the player he was his rookie year for his entire career.

I think he could develop into a pretty good player. Maybe not a full time starter, but perhaps a part time starter/good sixth man on a playoff team.

 

I wouldn't trade Head for Jones, but Jones clearly is the better defender of the two. It would be coup if Rockets are able to sign Jones without having to give up any assets other than a TE or 2nd round picks.

Trade Juwan + Head for Troy Murphy and the 10 man rotation looks clearer.

James, Alston
McGrady, Jones
Battier, Novak
Murphy, Hayes
Yao, Deke

 

That roster does look much, much better. Although I'd probably prefer Jared Jeffries over Jones. But that's nitpicking. I don't know if we could land Murphy either, but it's nice to dream.

 

As much as I like Troy Murphy, I don't see why GS would do this when they have Richardson, Davis, and Pietrus in the backcourt.

 

Pietrus is a restricted free agent next season. He plays mostly sg & sf but his shot can be inconsistent regardless of position. When J-Rich goes to the bench, iePietrus fills in at sg, their offense usually dips dramatically.

Head's been name dropped by a few GM's. Maybe he can be the dependable backup SG they need behind J-Rich? His ability that comes along with a rookie contract would be ideal for Warrior's payroll situation.

 

If the Rockets added Murphy and Jones, I’d probably start Jones at the 2 and move Battier to the bench. Battier and Mcgrady at the wings makes us too slow on the perimeter. You have 2 small forwards on the floor, one of which is below average in athleticism (Battier). Not to mention, two slow unathletic big men in Murphy and Yao. I would be shocked if both Mcgrady and Battier start at the 2/3 next season. Either Battier starts at the 4, or he comes off the bench, but he’s not a good enough player to force Mcgrady to play out of position at the 2.

 

I don't know if it is possible, but couldn't we try a sign and trade Mike James for David Wesley. That way we don't have to use our MLE and we can give Mike James a little more money. Wesley has Bird Rights so we can sign him up to 125% his salary last year (5 million) and then in a trade there has to be a plus minus of 25%, so technically we could sign Wesley for about 6.5 mil and Mike James for about 8 million. Sure, we'll be over the cap and will be paying luxury taxes, but we also keep both the 4.2 mil TE and the whole MLE.

Also, who thinks it would be possible to get Boozer out of Utah for Juwan Howard (and a filler or two)? Boozers looking to get out of there, and he has a massive (4 year 49 million dollar) contract. This would free up alot of money for Utah by taking Juwan (3 year 21 million).

 

Forget the Boozer idea, I read some of the trade rules incorrectly. I thought the yearly salary had to match within 25%, but the total salaries have to match withint 25%.

 

You got a point with Pietrus being a RFA. But now tell me why GS would want to take Juwan Howard back.

 

salaqry dump.