Pacers sign Solomon Jones to 2-year deal

[hooper543]

http://www.indystar.com/article/2009072 ... -year+deal

I'm not a huge fan personally but some more depth isn't necessarily a bad thing if someone goes down. We obviously still need another SF/wing type player to back up DG...

[Wizop]

when Jones came in against us, he blocked some shots as I recall. I think he continues the trend toward guys who can defend.

[Scoot McGroot]

It's depth. Worth a shot and worth having on hand for if Foster misses another 15-20 games with a hip or back injury.


I'm betting both Jones and McRoberts are going to be combo PF/C's for us in kind of a Chris Andersen style. Murphy and Hansbrough will be the PF's, and Hibbert and Foster will be the C's.



Now, if AJ Price gets a guaranteed contract, that would give us 14 guys under contract before any possible Marquis Daniels deal.

[dixava]

http://www.indystar.com/article/20090725/SPORTS04/90725012/Solomon+Jones++Pacers+work+2-year+deal

I'm not a huge fan personally but some more depth isn't necessarily a bad thing if someone goes down. We obviously still need another SF/wing type player to back up DG...

He is more a PF/C than a wing player, but is he´s cheap and worth a shot.
I think he can be a solid defender with shot block skills... In his senior year he averaged more than 3 blocks a game

[Wizop]

Now, if AJ Price gets a guaranteed contract, that would give us 14 guys under contract before any possible Marquis Daniels deal.

unless I'm miscounting, it is only 14 if you count Quis. if we do nothing with Boston and he signs there for an exemption, we only have 13, don't we? Quis is gone best I can tell. if we turn it into a one for one trade, them we're at 14. or am I missing someone?

[greenway84]

cool

[magee]

Let the spare minutes battle for unproven athletic big men between Jones and McRoberts begin.

[count55]

Now, if AJ Price gets a guaranteed contract, that would give us 14 guys under contract before any possible Marquis Daniels deal.

unless I'm miscounting, it is only 14 if you count Quis. if we do nothing with Boston and he signs there for an exemption, we only have 13, don't we? Quis is gone best I can tell. if we turn it into a one for one trade, them we're at 14. or am I missing someone?

Price is the 14th guy.

[eagles nut]

I thought Jones was a restricted free agent.

[laydo]

Nice move!

Now, the Pacers have 13 players under contract. Base on the well performance in the summer league, A.J. Price is likely going to stay. Mike Wells said that the Pacers may have 14 players to start the season. So, does that mean we aren't going to sign & trade Marquis Daniels to Boston?

[Scoot McGroot]

I thought Jones was a restricted free agent.

Apparently Sekou Smith was incorrect when he reported that the Hawks had extended Jones a qualifying offer, otherwise, this would've been an offer sheet, and Indy likely wouldn't have even considered signing Jones.

[fj20]

hmm interesting...shall see how it works out

[OnFire]

For a li'l more understanding
of who he is a player, here's
a scouting report from when
he entered the draft:

Source: NBADraft.net

Strengths: Very fluid athlete who runs the court exceptionally well ... His speed running the floor is very good for a 6-10 player ... Has very nice touch on his shot from 15 feet and in ... Face up jump shot is good ... Excellent free throw shooter at 80% ... Extremely long wing span makes him a formidable rebounder and shot blocker ... Late bloomer who has shown excellent improvement in his abilities in the past year, becoming South Florida's main option inside ... Upside is intriguing ...

Weaknesses: Lacks great body strength, should be able to add some weight, but may always be on the thin side ... Will get pushed around due to his lack of body strength ... added weight should allow him to play more aggresive inside ... Lacks great basketball instincts and post fundamentals ... Still figuring out the game, how to use his athletic abilities ... Needs to develop better moves inside ... Not a good passer, vision and passing ability must be developed ... Needs to work on being more aggressive inside and get to the free throw line more often ...

Some of his NBA career
highlights thus far:

Source: NBA.com

Career Highs

Points: 14 2 Times
Field Goals Made: 5 2 Times
Field Goals Attempted: 10 @ Detroit 12/23/06
Three Point Field Goals Made: 1 vs. Oklahoma City 12/23/08
Three Point Field Goals Attempted: 1 5 Times
Free Throws Made: 8 @ Sacramento 12/10/06
Free Throws Attempted: 10 @ Sacramento 12/10/06
Offensive Rebounds: 8 @ Detroit 12/23/06
Defensive Rebounds: 7 vs. Toronto 11/07/08
Total Rebounds: 10 2 Times
Assists: 4 vs. Memphis 03/09/07
Steals: 1 21 Times
Blocks: 5 4 Times
Minutes Played: 34 @ Cleveland 04/14/07

Like many young players
who don't get enough PT,
these are somewhat the
norm.

Based on our current
rotation, it may be safe to
assume that he'll get the
same minutes here in IND
as he did in ATL.

[Hawks]

Forget those scouting reports. He didn't get much playing time because he sucks. He has got skillet hands/butterfingers whichever one you want to go with.

There were many times he let rebs just bounce off his hands and land out of bounds. His defense is mediocre at best. He showed signs of being a good shotblocker,he is athletic, and at times showed off a nice jumpshot.

After 3 years of hoping he would progress he never did. Last year was supposed to be his breakout year. He put on extra weight and got stronger. He still as raw now as he was his rookie year.

[Kuq_e_Zi91]

The game-high 5 blocks that he accomplished 4 times stands out, given that he hasn't seen regular playing time. So we know he can block, and interior defense was one of our biggest weaknesses. It'll be interesting to see if he can help.

[PR07]

Nothing to get really excited about, but Jones could be a nice energy big who can block some shots and rebound. Might even excel in an up-tempo system like the Pacers in limited minutes. Looks like a nice third string center and adds some depth.

[Dunthreevy]

Nothing to get really excited about, but Jones could be a nice energy big who can block some shots and rebound. Might even excel in an up-tempo system like the Pacers in limited minutes. Looks like a nice third string center and adds some depth.

Pretty much. Hopefully only the first year is guaranteed. I think McBob has proven his worth to us enough to warrant the 2 year deal with about 1.5 years being guaranteed, but I don't know if giving that same deal to a player who has statistically done about as well but not played in our system at all.

[twinthunder3]

they sign WHO?

[Dunthreevy]

they sign WHO?

Pretty sure it says his name right in the topic, but to clarify, they signed SOLOMAN JONES.

[Grang33r]

Not a bad signing as a project player. If he doesn't work out, i'm sure we didn't break the bank on this kid. If he works out to what Bird and JOB think he might be able to, then it's a steal. Just looking at several career stats like the 5 shots blocked that he performed like 4 times is impressive. And his build too.

I don't know much about the guy but our front office must have seen something they like. They don't make too many mistakes so i'll hold judgment until after i see him but even if he does suck, i still think it was worth a gamble.