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I'm among the chief skeptics when it comes to reporters telling us at this point in the off-season that player-x "is expected to draw interest from".... fill-in-the-blank with team-X, Y and Z with the most cap space.

So, why am I arguing with myself about this time that maybe this one is true?

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/barry-jackson/article246514150.html

It's not as-if there's a lot of reason to believe his game is going to grow into something more than it already is--defensive specialist, superb rebounder from the wing, and dunkmaster extraordinaire.

Here's why.

Jimmy Butler plays for Miami. Giannis, for now, plays for Milwaukee, as does Middleton. Jayson and Jaylen appear to be cornerstones in Boston for this era. I could go on, but the point would be that virtually any team in the Eastern Conference anticipated to be a contender for the next 3-5 years has someone that, if you have a Bruce-Bowen kind-of elite defensive neutralizer, becomes significantly less intimidating.

Here's the other reason why.

It's still early, but what speculation is out there has Jones Jr. getting a contract in the $10m/yr range.

I don't like that his handles are as weak as they are. I don't like that his assists all come from very routine passes. I don't like that it's no mystery why his shooting numbers are as unimpressive as they are when you watch him shoot.

But you have to like that what he does well, he does very well, if not very, very well. Already. At 23. And if Schlenk can get that by investing $10m/yr, that's a very economical outlay for potentially a key piece of the puzzle.

I wouldn't say I'm an advocate, but I would say that I won't be confused or disappointed if it ends up that Schlenk goes after him.

10m per year? I don't think I can support that nor does it make any sense to me. I have t seen a lot of upside with him.
Reports are suggesting that Chicago and Detroit will be serious about him.in free agency. Detroit has some big decisions to make this off-season, but if they get into a bidding war, and Chicago, I say we move on.

I hope Derrick Jones has worked on many areas of his game. His range on offense being a key one because he needs to be able to do note than dunk.

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He's terrible at everything except dunk contests. Bring him in to play D and he's just as likely to foul a 3 point shooter as he is to make a good play. EZ PASS.

shakes0 wrote:He's terrible at everything except dunk contests. Bring him in to play D and he's just as likely to foul a 3 point shooter as he is to make a good play. EZ PASS.

Haha, now that's funny.

I think he's better than 'just a dunk contest guy' now, which is to his credit. He's clearly gotten better.

I pondered us adding him very early this past season (when it was clear we need defensive guys). The problem, for me, is cost and role. I feel like it'd cost us too much to land him relative to the role we'd have for him. He'd be a good bench guy but not sure I wanna be paying him 8-figures a year.

As a defender, I'm still not sure if he's a 'Bazemore' defender or not - that's the guy who gets into a perfect stance, slaps the floor, and gets all up in the guy's shirt ... then instantly gets beat to the rim/fouls his man. He looked the part tho.

kg01 wrote:

shakes0 wrote:He's terrible at everything except dunk contests. Bring him in to play D and he's just as likely to foul a 3 point shooter as he is to make a good play. EZ PASS.

Haha, now that's funny.

I think he's better than 'just a dunk contest guy' now, which is to his credit. He's clearly gotten better.

I pondered us adding him very early this past season (when it was clear we need defensive guys). The problem, for me, is cost and role. I feel like it'd cost us too much to land him relative to the role we'd have for him. He'd be a good bench guy but not sure I wanna be paying him 8-figures a year.

As a defender, I'm still not sure if he's a 'Bazemore' defender or not - that's the guy who gets into a perfect stance, slaps the floor, and gets all up in the guy's shirt ... then instantly gets beat to the rim/fouls his man. He looked the part tho.

My thoughts from the FAcy thread:

jayu70 wrote:

Radioblacktive1 wrote:We’re apparently linked KCP and Derrick Jones Jr. this offseason. Thoughts?

It would depend on cost and number of years for both. Both can adequately fill a role off the bench that fits our need
KCP - short term contract in the MLE range. 2yrs/$18 million (Team option year 2)
DJJr - I see him getting around $5-6 million per, and that's generous. Something like 3yrs/$15 - $18 million.

I’m straight on Jeremy Evans.