The thing we are missing on Jones is that he plays in a conference where virtually every other playoff team has a HoF caliber power forward. Jones is a good player just not a potential Hall worthy player so yes he will get exposed by Duncan, Aldridge, Griffin, Dirk not to mention Ibaka and Randolph (can't include Love since Minny isn't a playoff team). When in history has one conference had that much domination at one position? He could improve his defense and still get exposed. If the Rockets had Millsap, the same talent discrepancy would be there. If the Rockets are going to upgrade at PG then that has to be accomplished without sacrificing Jones because then the discrepancy at that position could be too great to get through the West playoffs.
Pot Kettle Black You bring this stuff on yourself with your long winded posts where you act like an expert insider, but you're just posting your opinions just like the rest of us.
There is no need for me to state what has already been well documented statistically by Aelliot. You chose to ignore him then and you would simply ignore me now if I recapped his insightful post. He actually brought something to the table that was statistically based and full of merit. You brought out a trumpeteer for the band and I called it as I saw it. How many times did we hear Tracy McGrady's trainer say he was elite and going to be the best. I also jokingly made fun of the players you referenced under Thorpes watch. While both average but good players, they are no where near elite. So an all-star in their presence would look other worldly. I used to play a lot of basketball. I was a pretty good point guard and could hold my own. Then one day a group of kids from Willowridge came up to our park and I drew the assignment of their point guard. Prior to this game, I'd look pretty damn good against all the competition I'd faced and wasn't concerned. But this point guard ate my lunch and played games with me. He was by far the best I'd ever played against or seen. Long story short, TJ Ford didn't end up being a world beater in the NBA but he sure looked good against me that day.
It would be a very "Harden-esqe" move. No one knew the beard could be a top 5 player until we gave him his current role. I'm concerned where that would leave our front court. We'd have to go high risk/reward at the 4......Ersan Ilyasova or Mike Scott. Bledsoe Harden Ariza Whoever Howard
You posted _ones stuff before I even uttered a word about it. This board has become too negative for a fan site. I have read and been a member for a few years. I decided to start speaking out because I got sick of every thread I read I see the same garbage. You are very disrespectful and dismissive in your tone and responses to people in addition to your incessant Jones bashing and it's time you got called out. You are no better than anybody on this board and if no one else will say it I will. Treat others as you would like yo be treated. Or did you skip that lesson in grade school?
I've responded to aelliot's argument in the past in another thread. Not everyone reads every thread so perhaps people didn't read them. There are enough stats out there nowadays for folks to pick and choose to support any argument about a player-- some much more useful than others. It's not surprising that there are stats suggesting that Harden defended OK in certain settings as measured by certain ways, but these stats fall well short of proving anything in light of evidence going the other way. James Harden's defensive xRAPM/Real Plus Minus are very poor and while these stats, like all stats, are not the be-all-end-all of how to measure a player's performance, they are generally recognized by the stats guys as the best overall measure of a player's on court effect among those available right now right now because these stats 1) account for a player's overall effect on team defense, not just how he guards the guy that he is supposedly matched up against (whom he is often not guarding due to cross-matching, switching and rotations, etc.), and 2) use statistical methods to eliminate "noise" better than other similar measurements. On the non-statistical front, Kelvin Sampson publicly discussed Harden's lack of defensive effort in a couple of interviews after he left the Rockets for the University of Houston. When asked about what Harden has to do on defense, Sampson said "How about play some defense first?" Sampson said that 1) he "went back and forth" with Harden about his need to improve on defense many times, 2) Harden played better defense in the 4th quarter but his effort in the first 3 quarters are lacking, and 3) Sampson thinks that Harden will improve defensively as he matures and understands that to be a leader for a title-winning team, he will get better on D, but he "obviouisly isn't there yet." (See: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=252732) Similar observations have been made by media members from Zach Lowe to Stephen A Smith or in "insider rumors" posted here (cyberx saying that Kevin Love does not respect Harden's defense). While some of these sources may be biased or are basically in the business of being loud, critical and opinionated (like Stephen A Smith and Skip Bayless are with their First Take gig), others like Lowe do their homework both in terms of reviewing a ton of game film and talking to sources around the league. It is unlikely that they, and Kelvin Sampson, just all hate on Harden for no good reason.
good take. But my question to you is this - if you are looking at the quote from Sampson talking about the bird in hand and how as an expert in the industry who has seem him first hand, expects him to mature and improve in this nature (defensively) - why are you continually hoping to trade him for a person with a similar deficiency? Moreover, loading all our scoring in the front court would be a disaster and we'd be pining for a guard that could create and more specifically, someone who could be a finisher at the end of games. Traditionally, that role comes from a guard-small forward. Not a center or power forward because they must be fed the ball and defenses can easily key on them. our makeup is fine - growth is what we need.
So if Sampson says he can play D and does in moments and needs to mature, then why don't you subscribe to that line of thinking and think he will never improve. He is about to play for USA basketball. Do you honestly think he won't defend there? If he didn't defend the last time he would not be back.
