JJ appreciation thread

[MIA]

I liked him, but his D was gross. Could shoot the lights out, Ill miss seeing him on the bench

[mopper8]

Miami for life? He played for 3 teams in 5 seasons before he got here.

What I meant is born and raised here, went to college here. Once he got here, he always talked about how he never wanted to leave Miami, that Miami is home.

We may not have offered him a contract. It's possible that he was on the back burner while we waited on Ray Allen ... or that he was no longer in our plans at all. I don't blame him for leaving.

David Aldridge said we offered him a contract, he just chose Cleveland over us.

[Prince Ali]

man **** JJ

[contract]

What I meant is born and raised here, went to college here. Once he got here, he always talked about how he never wanted to leave Miami, that Miami is home.

We may not have offered him a contract. It's possible that he was on the back burner while we waited on Ray Allen ... or that he was no longer in our plans at all. I don't blame him for leaving.

David Aldridge said we offered him a contract, he just chose Cleveland over us.

It's just as well. Certainly nothing to get upset over.

[Heat3]

after the season just ended ethan said JJ might leave cause he wanted more playing time. this was when we assumed Lebron was returning. JJ was here 6 years and always loved being here and never complained. but I find it interesting that after this season he was all if a sudden looking for playing time. things just don't smell right...

[dancing2thabeet]

Cleveland Heat

[Sc0pe92]

I saw him at Miami Seaquarium today lol

[chiefinspector]

Another no big loss. Guys who can come in and hit a couple threes are not what we need. San Antonio has players who can shoot lights out from three, just like JJ, but they can also have an impact in the game in other ways, not just standing in the corner and hitting an occasional three.
We need guys who can shoot, defend, get turnovers, etc.

[SilvaHeat3]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JxPy95ogiw[/youtube]

[HIF]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JxPy95ogiw[/youtube]

TBH - that was the highlight of his career. He didn't shoot good 3's after the ASG that season.

[EscapoTHB]

He might be sitting the bench in Cleveland too. Lebron, Miller, Wiggins, Waiters would all be ahead of him in the rotation.

It's going to be funny when Coach Lebron benches Waiters and Wiggins for Miller and Jones. Nothing rookies trying to set up their career in the NBA like more than grabbing pine behind vets they think they are better than.

[xMADEinDADEx]

Fav JJ moment during the big 3 era:

Game 4 ECF finals 2010 vs Bulls.
In the midst of his barrage of 3s, The rain man salutes to the crowd after Chicago calls timeout right after a gut wrenching 3 by JJ

[twix2500]

James Jones... thanks for providing professionalism and being a great practice guy. It is lucky that you are still in the league but you did everything we asked from you thanks... James Jones is not sticking it to Miami, he just going to a place where he may be used and i mean Maybe.

[Scum Freezebag]

I appreciate James Jones for playing on a fun Miami Hurricanes team that included John Salmons and Darius Rice (far left).

Speaking of Rice, I was surprised that he never panned out in the pros. A 6'10" forward with a condor-like wingspan, range beyond the three-point arc, and the added panache of being Jerry Rice's nephew -- I expected him to have a long career in the NBA.

[RJM]

I'm thankful for his contributions and the fact that he remained a mature professional all these years. Hard to believe that after six seasons and three different contracts, James Jones is gone. His shooting was invaluable for the pre-LeBron teams, but his usefulness waned significantly once Mike Miller and then Ray Allen came to town.

With the overhaul this roster is undergoing, I knew that last season would be JJ's last in a HEAT uniform. It had to happen. Miami needed better depth and more versatility. James is long and can shoot like the best of them, but Miami needs more than what he can give. This league has players that can do more at this point.

It is what it is. He's Miami for life and he understands that. Miami just wouldn't have room for him anymore, so he left. No hard feelings at all. He even took the time to visit the Zaslow & Joy show on The Ticket the other day to talk for a little bit about what went down. He's always welcome back with this team I believe, and he's the sort of player I could see coming back to Miami's front office in some capacity when it's all said and done.

He's a true staple of the community down here, and like LeBron, I wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors. He won two championships with this HEAT team, and had a real role in it. Salute to the man James Jones.

[heat4life]

I appreciate James Jones for playing on a fun Miami Hurricanes team that included John Salmons and Darius Rice (far left).

Speaking of Rice, I was surprised that he never panned out in the pros. A 6'10" forward with a condor-like wingspan, range beyond the three-point arc, and the added panache of being Jerry Rice's nephew -- I expected him to have a long career in the NBA.

This is the last I read of Rice. He was the most talented player to ever sign for the UM Basketball program..

http://miami.247sports.com/Article/Former-Miami-Hurricane-Darius-Rice-Still-Fighting-to-Reach-NBA-112488

[KDS91]

Little late for this but thank you James Jones. You had the unfortunate predicament of being stuck with Spobot's spreadsheet often, but you were always ready to drill it when your number was called. You shall be missed.

Sent from my LG-P769 using RealGM Forums mobile app

[Scum Freezebag]

This is the last I read of Rice. He was the most talented player to ever sign for the UM Basketball program..

http://miami.247sports.com/Article/Former-Miami-Hurricane-Darius-Rice-Still-Fighting-to-Reach-NBA-112488

That was a great write-up. Thanks for the good read.

When he went undrafted in 2004, I remember Darius immediately regretting his decision to go to college rather than jump straight to the NBA after high school. That would've been the 2000 draft, which was a year that had two important factors going for it: preps-to-pros hype was at its highest (a savvy agent could've sold Rice as the next Jonathan Bender, another 6'10"+ lookalike swingman who went 5th overall the year before), and 2000 just so happened to be the leanest, least talented class of all time.

Even being a tweener (too slow for SF, too weak for PF) with average athleticism, it would've been hard to see him slip out of the 1st round, probably going somewhere in the 20s. It may or may not have made much of a difference for his career's longevity, but he would at least be several millions dollars richer today.