VeeshanVault

Phx is going to be even better this year, Screw you!!

From another thread because I need to go to bed!

The suns are looking to merge their now two strengths...

They still want to run, and have VOWED to still be a running team, but now they are also focusing on becoming a defensive power as well..

In their Starting Lineup they will have three VERY defensive minded players who can also score in Marion, Bell, and KT...

While Amare will continue to light up the score board as well.....

Look for Nash to score a little bit more than last year especially since teams will be forced to leave Amare, or KT or Nash open on a consistent basis, Nash is going to get his looks in....


You add Bell in the mix, who is known for being able to shut down the opposing teams lead scoring Guard, (IE Manu Ginobili), and KT who is called Crazy Eyes, and Marion who is consistently on the one of the all nba Defensive teams, the suns will not only be more physical, but more defensive minded, while not abondoning the run game..

They may not score 110 PPG this year, but the suns will be looking to keep teams to an avg of 92 PPG or less....

I do think the suns have a better team than they did llast year, and are better built for the playoffs (IE Spurs)

This year, the Suns won't be so deadly without the three point threats.

Well seeing as Bell, Nash, Marion, Padgett, possibly James Jones (or Finley), Barbosa, and Jimmy Jackson are all good to very good three point shooters I doubt the Suns will be in too much of a problem. You forget anyone can make a wide open 3... as I mentioned before Joe's percentage went from 30% to 48% in one year because of Nash. Diaw's percentage is very close to Joe's 2004 percentage too.

By the way I cannot believe you said Richardson was our second best three point shooter on the team when we had Nash and Jackson too. That's laughable.

See the percentages for yourself:

Last year:
Nash 43.1%
Padgett 39.7%
Jackson 45.9% (for the Suns)
Bell 40.3%
Barbosa 36.7 (career 38%)
James Jones 39.5% (we are targeting)
Marion 33.4% (career 35%)


So let's recount.... that's hmm... 7 players.

Do your research before you make a baseless claim saying the Suns have no three point threats. I mean that's just plain stupid to say when you actually see the facts.

That said... I hope very earnestly that the Spurs think exactly the same thing you do. That'd give us a huge advantage.

I've heard rumors that Finley is considering the Pistons and Miami along with the Suns so I don't know where we stand there except that Nash is a good friend of Finleys and he would be a starter with the Suns, moving Jim Jackson back to the bench. I hope we get him as the situation seems ideal if Finley goes for the 1.6 million instead of 2.8 max he can get from mid level offerings (factoring in the max pay adjustments for his 5 million/year payouts from this remaining ~40million owed to him by Dallas.)

Nash will miss 36 games this season with a rotator cuff injury

As the Michael Finley free-agent tour headed into full swing Tuesday — with recruiters trying to lure him onto the beach, into the desert and possibly even to a championship

Looks like Finley will be thinking about coming to the Champs!

After all, defense does win Championships not a high scoring offense, sorry to burst your Phoenix Suns hopes of winning a Championship.

WAR Spurs- I'm out.

Pherr the Dorf wrote:Nash will miss 36 games this season with a rotator cuff injury

At least we'll have Gary Payton backing Nash up this year instead of just Barbosa (if we want Payton).

Finley would be nice in Phoenix but it's not the end of the world if we don't get him. Raja Bell was brought in to harrass Ginobili. Amare averages 37 points a game vs Duncan so that's not a factor.

Sniff, a single tear runs down my cheek:

Nash 2005 playoffs ~20mb

I'm liking the Suns chances this year with a Ginobili stopper in Raja Bell. We had a chance last year. We have a better chance this year. I didn't see Joe Johnson in that video, just a lot of Nash/Amare, Nash/Amare..ok and a little Nash/Marion thrown in : )

Seriously. Focus on Duncan during that entire video.

How many times in that video did Duncan get dunked on by Amare off a Nash pass in that video? woo!

37ppg vs the ultimate defender in the league.

Winnow wrote:Sniff, a single tear runs down my cheek:

Nash 2005 playoffs ~20mb

I'm liking the Suns chances this year with a Ginobili stopper in Raja Bell. We had a chance last year. We have a better chance this year. I didn't see Joe Johnson in that video, just a lot of Nash/Amare, Nash/Amare..ok and a little Nash/Marion thrown in : )

Seriously. Focus on Duncan during that entire video.

How many times in that video did Duncan get dunked on by Amare off a Nash pass in that video? woo!

37ppg vs the ultimate defender in the league.

Hmm how many dunks did Amare have in the finals...oh wait. As far as Raja Bell being a Ginobili stopper, lets look at the point totals in the Utah games last year that Bell was in, 15 (5-7 shooting) and 31 (10-15). The 31 point game was the one in which Bell started.

Crav wrote:
Hmm how many dunks did Amare have in the finals...oh wait. As far as Raja Bell being a Ginobili stopper, lets look at the point totals in the Utah games last year that Bell was in, 15 (5-7 shooting) and 31 (10-15). The 31 point game was the one in which Bell started.

Well Ginobili went all "Amare" on the Suns and dropped 47 last year in one game so those point totals aren't bad! : )

The key for the Suns to beat the Spurs is containing Ginobili, not Duncan. Duncan can't stop Amare and will be outscored by a large margin and that will be the difference as Amare is continuously improving his rebounding and defense. Amare will never be the defender Duncan is but he destroys Duncan on the offensive side of the ball so the advantage goes to Amare which will only increase each year from here on out. Now that we have Raja Bell who can annoy Ginobili and they can trade fake flop fouls, it's anyone's series. (and yes, K.Thomas will pick up the rebound slack for us along with Marion who is the best rebounding SF in the game and Amare was averaging 10 RB/gm late in the season so you can't even whine about that anymore)

I predict a 58-24 season for the Suns and another trip to the Western Conference Playoffs where we'll have a better shot at taking down the Spurs. Whoever wins in the West will once again stomp the East but this time it will probably be Miami with an aging Shaq causing them to lose the finals.

I think the Suns will slip a bit, mostly because they were just so good last year that it's sort of inevitable. I see 52-58 wins and a loss in the second round of the playoffs. People will talk shit, but the Suns will use the money they didn't spend on Joe Johnson and the two first round picks they picked up to improve themselves. Even though I really like Johnson, I think the sign-and-trade was a great deal for them, and as long as Amare re-signs and Nash stays relatively healthy, I think they'll be a real contender for a few years to come.

On the other hand, I would laugh my ass off if Amare let himself become a free agent, signs with the Lakers, and dominates the league with Kobe at his side. Alternately, I would love to see him team up with LeBron. I imagine he'll probably re-sign, though.

Actually the secret to beating the Spurs is to play solid team defense, the Pistons showed that. So much of the NBA has turned into trying to match stars against stars. You keep bringing up the number of points Amare put up on Duncan, but does that mean he out played him? I guess if it's all about one on one match ups then yes, but as the Spurs and Pistons have shown it's about how the players execute their roles in the teams game plan.

Offensively you are correct, Amare and Duncan match up is a wash, but when you take into account the overall team defense then the advantage will go to Duncan and will continue to be so until either he retires or the Suns start playing a lot better team defense, and make Amare a key figure in that. So Amare will continue to collect high light dunks and shot blocks, while Duncan does the little things that win championships and still put up impressive offensive numbers.

Oh and the team that looks to be the biggest challenge this year are the Pacers, they were probably the deepest team last year until the Artest incident.

Sueven wrote:
On the other hand, I would laugh my ass off if Amare let himself become a free agent, signs with the Lakers, and dominates the league with Kobe at his side. Alternately, I would love to see him team up with LeBron. I imagine he'll probably re-sign, though.

Amare goes nowhere unless there is a collapse in Phoenix this year which doesn't look like it will happen.

The two first round draft picks we picked up from Atlanta, assure that the Suns have a bright future down the road as well as currently. I think the Suns would be better with JJ this year but only this year as the 14 million /year in cap space opened up by his departure and relatively cheap plentiful first round draft pick contracts we'll have the next few years will be healthier for the team.

I think almost any team would love to pair Amare up with their superstar. In Phoenix, we've done just that in Nash (MVP) and Amare which is arguably the best combo in the league...the best PG feeding the monster offensive player. Gotta give the Suns organization credit for building a solid team while leaving the other teams to dream about taking players from them. The moves made by the Suns this off season aren't sexy so it will appear to be a setback but in reality is a step forward.

Who do you see beating the Suns in the second round of the playoffs? Not Dallas for sure. They're stagnant if not heading down...so who? Lakers? Memphis? Seattle? Utah? I don't see how you place any of those teams ahead of the Suns.

Amare can go anywhere he wants. If the Suns have their way, he won't go anywhere, but it is up to him whether he chooses to sign an extension or not. I mean, the Suns can pay him more (and he seems to like it there), so he'll probably re-sign, but it's totally up to him.

I would say that San Antonio, Houston, Denver, and Dallas could all beat Phoenix in a playoff series (and remember, you and San Antonio are not guaranteed 1-2, you may have to beat them before the conference finals). Dallas is an ascendant young team-- Josh Howard, Marquise Daniels, and Devin Harris should all be significantly better next year. If they get any production out of Dampier, they can threaten anyone. Houston improved continually as the year went on, found that McGrady can get it done in the postseason, picked up a shot-blocker, and has had another year to blend their relatively new coach and relatively new superstar. Denver has an exceptional front line and, despite how well they played late in the season, has not yet peaked-- Kenyon Martin and Carmelo Anthony had sub-par seasons last year and should improve this year. Given the Suns drop-off in perimeter scoring, I wouldn't be surprised to see any of those teams beating you in a series.

That aside, it's incredibly stupid to dismiss teams before you even see them play a game in a given year. You, HAVING WITNESSED THE LARGEST TURNAROUND IN NBA HISTORY, should know this better than anyone.

Also, the fact that your team was virtually injury-free during the regular season last year does not mean that your health will be perfect this year.

Sueven wrote:
That aside, it's incredibly stupid to dismiss teams before you even see them play a game in a given year. You, HAVING WITNESSED THE LARGEST TURNAROUND IN NBA HISTORY, should know this better than anyone.

Also, the fact that your team was virtually injury-free during the regular season last year does not mean that your health will be perfect this year.

I don't dismiss any teams. Denver looks the most likely to be the "It" team this year.

The Suns were injury free save for the 5-6 games missed by Nash and JJ's faceplant which cost us a championship (kidding sort of).

The Suns spent all off season creating a bench for the upcoming season so they are more prepared for injuries this year. As for a drop off in perimeter scoring...not so sure about that..read second post on this thead and also, Qrich's 3 point percentage sucked ass...not even in the top 100 for 3 point FG percentage so he's no loss and he also sucked in the playoffs which is yet another reason he was the first to go.

Yea, Amare can put up 37 and probably outscore him in every game, but it doesn't matter since the Spurs showed that they can also put up points.(Ginobili,Parker)

Therefore Duncan doesn't need to score 40ppg. just to win, he just needs to be in there for the big threat, distraction, that he is, and when those usual double teams occur (no one can take Duncan 1 on 1, if he is 100%) he will find the open man and they have shown that they are good at getting to the basket and drawing fouls, or spotting up for open 3's.

And as far as Raja Bell guarding Ginobili, thats laughable.

WAR Spurs-Im out

Didn't basketball just end?

Hey Canelek! Great to see you back in the basketball threads!

Winnow:

Quentin Richardson: 14.9 ppg
Joe Johnson: 17.1 ppg

Total: 32.0 ppg

Raja Bell: 12.3 ppg
Boris Diaw: 4.8 ppg

Total: 17.1 ppg

Net result: -14.9 ppg

Thus: "drop-off in perimeter scoring"

I didn't say fuck-all about three point shooting.

There is no-one named "Padgett" or "Jones" on the Suns roster.

Stupid:

espn.com wrote:Ginobili, who has the same agent as Bell, Herb Rudoy, complained to Rudoy when he learned that his defensive nemesis was going to a team that San Antonio met in the Western Conference finals.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2123876

Why did he complain? I dont know, if you check the ppg. he had against Phoenix, it shows he scored 22.2ppg. While his season stats were only at 16ppg....

WAR Spurs-I'm out

Sueven wrote:Winnow:

Quentin Richardson: 14.9 ppg
Joe Johnson: 17.1 ppg

Total: 32.0 ppg

Raja Bell: 12.3 ppg
Boris Diaw: 4.8 ppg

Total: 17.1 ppg

eh? Didn't you read how every player's PPG dramatically improves with Nash as their PG? (including Joe Johnson) You're also assuming that the same positions will be in place when Marion will be moving to SF so you can't take Q and JJ and compare them to Diaw, who may not even play and just sit the bench, and Bell who will be a backup, to last years starters.

You're forgetting Jim Jackson and Possibly Finley until we hear otherwise as well. Finley spent the past few days in Phoenix.

Don't forget, the Suns also have a 6.1 Million trade exception from the JJ trade which the management has said will be used right away...probably on another shooter.

Some posts from another board on Boris Diaw since I don't know that much about him:

Boris is a good NBA role player, hes already an amazing defender with nice size and huge wingspan, hes just not a good offensive player, hes been stuck in a horrible situation all this time and never really had a chance to show his skills

heres an example - put Bruce Bowen on the Hawks and see how much attention/praise hes going to get

Boris is a Doug Christie type defender with poor offensive skills(he has athletic ability, he still might devolop)

he is a pretty good passer though

I think Boris will really work well in our system. Our system really benefits athletic guys who can run the floor. Heck Hunter has one of the worst shots I've ever seen (bricks anything from 5 feet out) but he shot 60% here. Obviously to be really dangerous in our system you need a good/decent jumper but you can still thrive by getting easy baskets on the break or pulling for spot up unguarded jumpers (even bad jump shooters can make shots when they aren't contested on a consistent basis).

Another thing is role players are exactly what Phoenix needs. The Bulls didn't win it with 10 all stars, they won it with two stars (well legends) and a lot of roll players (some that were extremely good... but still roll players none the less), same with almost any championship team. I was excited that we traded for him rather than Smith or Childress (though wouldn't have minded Smith) because I don't think they would have worked in our system as well. I can't wait to see what this guy does in a Phoenix uniform.

One last thing to note... I think he will get a lot more minutes than anyone seems to believe. The Suns said themselves they'd been targeting him for years (ever since he was drafted) so he's someone they like rather then someone they had to settle for.

Winnow wrote:Didn't you read how every player's PPG dramatically improves with Nash as their PG?

Really?

Dirk Nowitzki:

Two years ago (with Nash): 21.8 ppg
Last year (without Nash): 26.1 ppg

Josh Howard:

Two years ago (with Nash): 8.6 ppg
Last year (without Nash): 12.6 ppg

Quentin Richardson:

Two years ago (without Nash): 17.2 ppg
Last year (with Nash): 14.9 ppg

Clearly these are, to some extent, exception-- Amare and Joe Johnson increased their scoring relatively significantly last year, while Shawn Marion marginally increased his without nearing his career high. Michael Finley also slipped for the Mavs, despite Dirk and Howard's significant increases. But it is in no way shape or form a hard and fast rule that players score more with Steve Nash than without him.

If Bell is a backup, then you will be starting Jim Jackson, your backup from last year (unless you land Finley). You can't count Jim Jackson's points as new, considering he PLAYED ON YOUR TEAM LAST YEAR.

I honestly don't give a shit about your position shifting. You lost two perimeter guard/forwards and replaced them with two perimeter guard/forwards. Without any judgement on whether your team will improve or not, you lost nearly 15 ppg with those two switches. Even if you want me to compare last years starters to this years new starters (assuming they're Jackson [11.0] and Thomas [11.4]) you're still giving up nearly 10 ppg.

Personally, I think that these moves are great for you-- now you have extra money and extra draft picks to pursue the sort of players that can push you over the top to a championship. Boris Diaw was an excellent addition, and I have a lot of respect for Bell's heart from his days in Philadelphia. I am not trying to tell you that your team has hurt itself long-term. All I'm saying is that you've lost perimeter scoring since last year. If you think that the mere presence of Steve Nash will turn Diaw and Bell into Johnson and Richardson, then I don't really know what else to say to you.

PPG of last years Suns starting lineup: 92.9
PPG of this years Suns starting lineup: 83.3

Pretty straightforward.

Stupid: I don't know why the fuck he complained. You'd have to ask him. Nevertheless, a player complaining to his agent about one of his least-favorite defenders being signed by his rival seems to indicate that the defender probably does a good job guarding that player, no?

Sueven wrote: Stupid: I don't know why the fuck he complained. You'd have to ask him. Nevertheless, a player complaining to his agent about one of his least-favorite defenders being signed by his rival seems to indicate that the defender probably does a good job guarding that player, no?

Well last year Ginobili torched who ever was guarding him when they played Utah, got 31 in the game that Bell started. Two years ago he didn't do as well scoring 18 as a starter, 6 (0-7 shooting), 12, and 15 (6-14). The last three were as a bench player playing about 25 minutes per game. He also averaged 12.8 point per game that year, which is what he averaged against Utah.

So maybe Bell does make Ginobili work harder or possibly is annoying to play against like John Stockton used to be, but he still gets his points. The comments might have been said jokingly as well.

Sueven wrote:
I honestly don't give a shit about your position shifting. You lost two perimeter guard/forwards and replaced them with two perimeter guard/forwards. Without any judgement on whether your team will improve or not, you lost nearly 15 ppg with those two switches. Even if you want me to compare last years starters to this years new starters (assuming they're Jackson [11.0] and Thomas [11.4]) you're still giving up nearly 10 ppg.

You are comparing two lost SGs with two "new" SGs but not starting SGs. Thomas moves into the Center/PF starting position. Additionally, the off season moves were for defense so while the Suns may score less, opponents will also score less and we still kept the core of Nash/Amare/Marion and will now surround them with strong role players.

I haven't looked at Jim Jackson's points per minute vs Q Rich or JJ but that would be a better indication of his ability to replace what was lost. The roster is not finalized though with Finley a possibility and the trade exception to be used still.

Dirk's points went up last year because Dallas missed Nash's ability to get everyone involved. Q Rich probably lost minutes played when he moved to Phoenix and also was far from the focal point of the offense. He just lobbed three pointers at a horrid 33%. (Jim Jackson shot 45% with the Suns from 3 point land)

Winnow wrote:I haven't looked at Jim Jackson's points per minute vs Q Rich or JJ but that would be a better indication of his ability to replace what was lost.

Well I'll look for you!

Johnson: .43 ppm
Richardson: .41 ppm
Jackson: .33 ppm

That's a 30% dropoff compared to Johnson and a 24% dropoff compared to Q-Rich, in case you were curious.

Winnow wrote:Q Rich probably lost minutes played when he moved to Phoenix

Two years ago he averaged 36.0 mpg. Last year he averaged 35.9 mpg.

Checking the statistics that you are using to make your point would prevent you from being wrong about them.

Interesting fact: Raja Bell, the guy that we've been talking about as your new defensive stopper, has the same ppm as Joe Johnson.

Sueven wrote:
Two years ago he averaged 36.0 mpg. Last year he averaged 35.9 mpg.

Checking the statistics that you are using to make your point would prevent you from being wrong about them.

See! His MPG dropped off!

Hey, I wasn't making claims, I just said it would be a better indication. Now I know due to your research.

Any way you look at it, the SG position is going to be a group effort. The Suns will have a bunch of players capable of playing SG next year. Barbosa will even see more time at SG along side Nash. They've been working that angle in the offseason.

Really, it should help. While Johnson and Richardson are probably better players than Bell and Diaw, I think your team will benefit because Johnson's main contributions were defense and three point shooting. Bell and Diaw can both replace the defense, and Bell and Jackson can combine to replace the three-point shooting. Really, Raja Bell's scoring is not a huge dropoff from Johnson. I don't think Q added a whole lot to the team, and Shawn Marion in his position is a step up.

I'm skeptical about your ability to land an impact player with your trade exception in the immediate future, but down the road it can only help (provided your management is reasonably competent).

Sueven wrote: I'm skeptical about your ability to land an impact player with your trade exception in the immediate future, but down the road it can only help (provided your management is reasonably competent).

It looks like we're targeting James Jones from Indiana. Here's part of an aticle from today's local AZ newspaper:

The Suns are more sound defensively. Bell is a shutdown defender who can contain Manu Ginobli. Thomas can give Tim Duncan trouble and is a rebounding force. If Grant is healthy he can give the Suns a lot more than Hunter did, both offensively and defensively with his rebounding and toughness.

The Suns are better upfront. Stoudamire moves back to his natural position, as does Marion. The combination of Thomas, Stoudamire and Marion are better than Stoudamire, Marion and Richardson.

So figure the Suns are better in the frontcourt and not as good as they were in the backcourt. Now comes the depth. The Suns bench got outscored and outplayed on a regular basis last season. Jackson was the only real threat off the bench and they did get a little from Hunter, barely anything from Leandro Barbosa and absolutely nothing from Jake Voskuhl, Paul Shirley and Bo Outlaw.

The biggest area of improvement for Phoenix is, instead of being seven deep they are now 10 deep. With Grant, Bell (assuming Jackson starts), Scott Padgett, Boris Diaw and should they trade for James Jones as expected, the Suns will boast one of the better benches in the league. The bench consists of a solid rebounder (Grant), shutdown defender (Bell), good ball handler (Diaw), spot-up shooter (Padgett) and if Jones comes major athleticism.

Instead of a team built around four stars and two role players this version of Suns basketball will have three stars and seven role players. Are the Suns better suited for a run at a championship? No one knows for sure. That will be determined in the coming months. They believe they are. They do have more flexibility with Johnson gone. They do have a slew of first-round picks coming their way.

The Johnson trade and changeover of a team that the fans fell in love with will continue to cause debate for years to come. Maybe only winning a championship will quiet the critics. Or Johnson falling flat on his face in the basketball graveyard of the NBA. But to think the Suns have lost their status as one of the NBA's elite teams is foolish. They are still a major threat for a title.

Well you could probably get him (although apparently the knicks want him too), but I find it hard to describe James Jones as an impact player.

Are these the stats you saw for JJ vs Bell Sueven?



Not bad. If Bell comes close to the performance of JJ then we got most of trade booty from Atlanta (2 1st rounders, Diaw and trade exception) for free. He's not as good as JJ but not a huge drop off.

I like Raja's mustache better than JJ's as well

Nope, I just calculated them based on points and minutes. Interesting graphic though.

It's interesting that Raja Bell accompanied Amare and Marion on the Finley recruiting trip to Chicago Tuesday.

I've heard Raja interviewed and he's pretty sharp. I think he'll be taking on a leadership role with the Suns more so than JJ...well JJ was an anti leader being so quiet.

Raja's name also came up in support of James Jones who it looks like we'll be getting soon:

Trade for Pacers' Jones is expected by end of week

Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 24, 2005 12:00 AM

There likely will be a new Suns player by the end of the week.

That would have figured to be Scott Padgett or Michael Finley not too long ago, but Padgett is waffling a little and Finley is still pondering. In the meantime, Phoenix is poised to bring on 24-year-old Indiana swingman James Jones in a sign-and-trade deal that should be completed this week.

The trade is awaiting Joe Johnson's physical in Atlanta, which must be done by Saturday to consummate that sign-and-trade deal. Part of the Johnson deal includes a $6 million trade exception for Phoenix, which will use part of it to acquire Jones.

The Pacers have a full roster and want to lower their luxury tax-burdened payroll. That makes a trade involving a draft pick, rather than a Suns player, more plausible. Jones was a 2003 second-round pick (No. 49) who did not play as a rookie and averaged 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds last season, so the deal might require the Suns to surrender only a second-round choice.

"I'm a big Jones supporter," said Suns guard Raja Bell, a fellow Miami prep product who played with Jones in the summers. "Every year, he gets better. I think he can fit right into the system because he plays different positions, shoots the ball well and runs well."

Jones played center in his high school days, setting him up for a versatile future. Indiana's suspensions and injuries led to Jones going from scrub time to a major role, including 24 starts, last season. He played shooting guard, small forward and power forward.

Jones, who is 6 feet 8, 220 pounds, hit 39.8 percent of his three-pointers but only 39.6 percent of all his shots. His maturity and basketball IQ drew raves from the Pacers staff.

It's official. Not a bad pick up for only giving up a 2008 2nd round draft pick.

Phoenix Suns trade for James Jones

Suns News | Aug. 25, 2005
The Phoenix Suns today completed a sign-and-trade deal with Indiana that will net the team restricted free-agent James Jones, an athletic swingman, who led the Pacers in three-point accuracy last season. In return, Phoenix will send Indiana its own 2008 second round pick. Jones signed a four-year contract with the fourth year being a player option. Per club policy, financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

“James Jones gives us another long, athletic wing player who has become a very good range shooter,” said Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo. “His versatility on both ends of the floor is a perfect fit for our system.”

In only his second NBA season in 2004-05, Jones, 24, ranked 25th in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage (.398). The former Pacers’ second round pick (49th overall) in the 2003 NBA Draft averaged 4.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in 17.7 minutes in 75 games (24 starts) last season after logging 26 total minutes as a rookie in 2003-04.

The 6-8, 220-pound guard/forward took advantage of increased playing time by scoring in double figures seven times during a 12-game span in late November and early December when the Pacers were shorthanded due to suspensions to Ron Artest, Jermaine O’Neal and Stephen Jackson. He also recorded his first two 20-plus point games during the stretch, including a career-high 27-point outburst at Seattle on Nov. 28. In that game, Jones connected on a career-high six three-point field goals on nine attempts.

A successful performer on and off the court at the University of Miami (Fla.), Jones earned Big East All-Academic honors in each of his four collegiate seasons, and became the school’s first Verizon Academic All-American in 2002-03. As a senior, Jones averaged a career-high 16.9 points and led the Hurricanes in blocks (1. and rebounds (6.0) in 28 games.

Great, see you in the western conference finals.

WAR Spurs-I'm out

More info on James Jones:

I just wanted all the Suns fans to know how lucky they are to have James Jones. We are really going to miss him here in Indiana, but it was best for both sides that he moves on. After every game in Indiana, James would pull over and sign autographs until everyone got one. His wife is always with him who is very nice too. Everytime I was down their after the game, JJ would give out his shoes to fans. You can tell this guy knows how lucky he is to play professional basketball, very few actually can, and he gives back to the fans. One time I was at a mall by my house in Indianapolis and he was doing the NBA reading thing. When he was waiting I went up to him and asked to get a picture with him and so did others. He was more than happy to do it. I heard that after he read the story, every kid got like 2 books and he offered to sign one for everyone. He stood there and gave about 100 kids an autograph. Jermaine and James are known as the two nicest Pacers and some of the nicest in the NBA. James is a pretty good basketball player too, he's not ever going to be a superstar but he is a team player. Out of any other team in the NBA I'm glad he's going to Phoenix. You guys are really lucky.

I was really hoping this wouldn't happen, but apparently one of my favorite players has been traded to the Suns. I guess I'm a Suns fan now.

I think James Jones is a stud. He's long, can shoot the ball, nice rebounder, should fit in nicely in Phoenix.

Very nice pickup. This guy can drain three pointers all day, and he has shown some good improvement over his short NBA career thus far.

Reading through all the Pacer comments, it's clear they are disappointed to lose Jones. Not knowing much about him, it's nice to see he'll be missed.

Spurs Sign Nick Van Exel

The San Antonio Spurs have announced that the team has signed veteran guard Nick Van Exel. Per team policy the terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We are very happy to have Nick as a part of our team,” said Head Coach Gregg Popovich. “His leadership and skills will be assets at both ends of the floor.”

The 6-1 Van Exel has appeared in 815 regular season games averaging 15.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 6.9 assists. For his career Van Exel has shot .405 from the field and .357 from behind the arc. His 1,473 three-point field goals made ranks him fifth all-time in the NBA and first among active players. Van Exel has also appeared in 64 postseason contests averaging 15.7 points and 5.1 assists in 35.3 minutes per game.

Nice pickup for us, guess we dont need Finley after all.But if we do get him, that would be a nice pickup too.

WAR Spurs- I'm Out

Double blow:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/s ... id=2147720

Yeah, that's not what I wanted to see in the news today.

I wasn't going to mind too much if Finley didn't end up in Phoenix but wasn't expecting him to pick the Spurs. I bet Mark Cuban isn't too happy. Suns or Spurs probably equally suck for Finley to go to in Cuban's eyes.

Yea was about to post that, didn't think we'd get Finley, but I guess I was wrong.

Well it should be an interesting year, always wondered what kind of numbers Duncan could put up surrounded by shooters. Although more than likely he won't put up any more shots than he already does.

OMG, I thought he would of went to the Heat.But he does bring a very nice shooting game, i guess it was Van Exel who really got him to come. Looks good for us, but I still think we should've stayed with Devin Brown, for the long run.

WAR Spurs-I'm Out.

WTF does "WAR Spurs-I'm out" mean?

Its a saying on the Jim Rome show (a sports talk show on Fox sports A.M.)
A saying that they used to use for some college team that used to say WAR eagles as they started it(not sure which college). WAR eagles meant that they cheer for them, so its used for the callers (Clones) on the Jim Rome show, that call in to rep thier team.

You should listen to this guy, he's hilarious. All sports, he comes on at 10:00 am. east. You might not like it at first, but once you listen for a while, you get where he's coming from.

So basically I'm saying a cheer for the Spurs.

WAR Spurs-I'm Out

Rome bores the snot outta me, egomaniac with penchant for not showing his vast knowledge of sports