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MIAMI – With less than a dozen games remaining before the playoffs, Erik Spoelstra hasn't exactly posted a 'Help Wanted' sign as he looks to shore up his team's postseason rotation.

But it appears the Miami Heat coach is currently poring through resumes.

And if that's the case, it might be time for Spoelstra to amend his view of at least one applicant. James Jones shouldn't be seen as a luxury as the Heat look for reliable shooters who can space the floor around LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

It's time to make Jones a necessity in the rotation.

http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/




Got me thinking as I read the article, JJ is a consistent 3pt shooter, he'll come in and knock down his open 3s and give you occasional charges.With Cole you're not sure what to expect, as he's been in a slump for god knows how long.I think there have been times where we've face-palmed seeing him get blocked time after time again or chuck up a shot early in the shot clock.

However one may argue it could be that his legs are shot due to the nba schedule transitioning from college basketball.Possibly be better after some rest?Not sure.

One thing for sure is that JJ is always ready when his number is called upon and he allows Wade/LeBron to handle to ball (when substituted for Cole with Chalmers on the bench more which imo makes them a lot more comfortable.


Right now the rotation is looking something like

Chalmers
Wade
LeBron
Bosh
Turiaf

Miller
Haslem
Battier
Joel

Harris***
Cole**
JJ***

JJ without hesitation. Cole doesn't add anything except highlight blocks for opposing teams.

James Jones!

Spo has done such a great disservice to that man! That is money from three point land and we need him to space the floor and make teams pay when they don't respect him.

Battier is a great defender, but has been a poor shooter in general. I still want Battier in the rotation for his defensive presence, but James Jones needs more minutes.

Spo better recognize!!!! lol

I don't have much faith in Miller even though he hustles, rebounds, and shoots well. His durability is suspect at best. Also, Miller will pass up open shots which I hate. James Jones won't hesitate.

James Jones all the way

Cole is too raw. I love his energy but his decision making and unpolished game tends to hurt us. He needs a consistent jump shot. I do like him, but he is not polished yet. He was playing great in the beginning of the season, but is in a huge slump.

Get him going in the last few games. He is streaky but once he gets on that streak it'll be hard to get him off.

Why does it seams that it always have to be "either or" can't it sometimes be "AND" - I wish this staff concentrate more on what/who to add rather what/who to remove.

Harris.

I don't get why it would be a choice between Cole and JJ. It's Mike Miller and Shane Battier that are keeping James out of minutes. I really don't want to go through the whole playoffs with Lebron trying to guard every team's opposing point guard for the bulk of the game. So if I'm not playing Cole, I'd play Harris since he can guard PGs.

JJ can't guard PGs. I don't care if he can shoot better. That's not the role we're talking about. Mike Miller shoots as well as JJ but also rebounds and defends and passes and dribbles better.

So I probably, like Spo, wouldn't have much room in my playoff rotation for James Jones except in spot situations. Don't know why that's so hard for fans to understand.


Maybe maybe one idea could be to play Lebron more at the 4 in the playoffs and give Joel Anthony's minutes to JJ. But I'm not sold on that either.

Could also just play Rio bigger minutes.

Situational. If we face Philly, we might want Cole or Harris in to guard Lou Williams, who comes off the bench and is their best scorer. If we face Boston, we'd probably want JJ in there gunning. If we face Chicago, we don't want any of the 3, we'll want Miller's minutes expanded to help with rebounding. If we face Indiana, we could use any of the 3. Cole for Collison, JJ if we're facing a deficit and Harris if we need more length on defense. If we face the Knicks, JJ for shooting. And on and on.

I think it all depends on the situation. One thing is for sure. If Cole doesn't start shooting better, it will be an easy choice for Spo to give Harris his minutes. You know, some guys need a kick in the pants to get them on the right track. Cole might just need to sit to get his focus back. If he makes the most of his spot minutes, he'll be back in the rotation. He did well yesterday.

JJ should get minutes whenever they're available, but I just don't see it. He's the best pure shooter, but Miller is also statistically as good and adds crucial rebounding, which we need. Now that he's healthy, I don't care if JJ disappears again. Battier's defense has come in handy. The only time I wish Spo would play JJ is when we're trailing and struggling to hit 3s. We're leaning way too hard on Lebron and Battier to hit those rally 3s for us. PEACE.

If Battier had JJ's shooting stroke!



He'd be the ULTIMATE role player!

Somebody tell me why we can't get a center out the d league and make curry inactive, this is a serious question

JJ in a heartbeat. Cole is not ready for the NBA playoffs at this point, and we have enough ballhandling as it is. Even if Cole was playing like he was back at the beginning of the season, I'd still say JJ.

Cole over JJ, JJ for situation lineups and shooting.

we are lucky JJ can come in col and heat it up so fast without being a regular part of the rotation. Whovever it is I want sto see some consistency and that goes for all our players. When we fail its when we have scoring lapses. Going forward I see us not settling for too many jumpers in a row and going for some plays at the rim more often.

Wade can handle Rondo, but against Rose, we will need Cole. He can stay in front of most point guards, maybe not Rose but he will be able to pressure him.

and lol @ the one who said Battier with JJ's stroke... If he were to ever had that we wouldn't be able to afford him. He would easily get full MLE.

JJ without a doubt. If Cole is buckling right now, the playoff pressure could be an epic disaster. But you never really know with Spo, or Cole. He can come in and have a great game or just be an epic fail.

looks as though Spo is already tinkering with playoff rotations. all of a sudden Harris getting regular minutes, Cole bench warming and towel waving when he's not giving Spo cranky looks for being dumped. haha Cole looks annoyed as to be benched lol.

but in all seriousness i like Harris over Cole at this point, kid is hitting his shots, hustles for boards and spaces the floor better than Cole at this point. i think they both may get limited minutes but now Miller is back i see him getting more and more each game. we need him to get that shot back asap imo

**off topic rant i know

JJ is our only consistent shooter off the bench, but people are discriminating against him because of his defense. Let's not act like Mike Miller's defense is so good, or our PG's are unstoppable. Battier as great as he is, gets burned multiple times and then would contribute nothing offensively, so what's the big deal? So many other teams have their 3 point guys be liabilities, but they are still game changers. Even the most defensive coach in the NBA players Kyle Korver more than JJ has ever played this year. SPREADING THE FLOOR for your main core is vital. We have seen we have UGLY spacing, and it results in stupid shots by LBJ/Wade/or god forbid Bosh dribbling the ball.

Cole is not ready. I'd want him in maybe for defensive purposes because he can keep infront of guards, but it looks like Harris is more promising. He's bigger and a defensive guy too. The thing with Harris, he works well with Cole or someone feeding him the ball. He has bad handles. He's like Rio but more athletic lol.

Miller is scrappy, and he gives up a lot of 3's, and if he isn't hitting his 3's he is useless too. Lol@Rebounding. Yeah he can be good at it, but even when we needed rebounding badly, he wouldn't be there. We don't have a huge reliable guy, and what's sad is I'd trust JJ every time, but everyone discriminates against him.

Battier is getting on my nerves with his inconsistency, he better be **** James Posey come playoff time, but better.

JJ is a major x factor for us. We've all seen him have great moments in helping us break open leads or make furious comebacks with his shooting. I'm really hoping they keep him in the mix.

DefenseWins wrote:
Miller is scrappy, and he gives up a lot of 3's, and if he isn't hitting his 3's he is useless too. Lol@Rebounding. Yeah he can be good at it, but even when we needed rebounding badly, he wouldn't be there. We don't have a huge reliable guy, and what's sad is I'd trust JJ every time, but everyone discriminates against him.

Battier is getting on my nerves with his inconsistency, he better be **** James Posey come playoff time, but better.

Battier could miss every single shot he takes out there I'd still play him before James Jones. The guy just knows where to be on the defensive end and gives us a true stopper besides Lebron for the wing, so we can rest Lebron on defense at times.

As for Mike Miller if he has use of both of his thumbs he's the fourth best player on this team.