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@  jorgeaam : (19 April 2015 - 09:46 PM) It was made for getting Josh Smith out, but I also think he send a message "two can play this game"
@  cointurtlemoose : (19 April 2015 - 07:40 PM) I enjoyed it as a "screw you" sort of move, haha
@  Mario Peña : (19 April 2015 - 07:20 PM) The intentional foul on Rondo was made so McHale could make substitutions.
@  JY86er : (19 April 2015 - 05:34 AM) Was that a hack on Rondo after Dallas hacked Smith and did they pull Rondo after that foul?
@  cointurtlemoose : (19 April 2015 - 05:25 AM) Also, Dwight. I like that guy. He's real good at basketball.
@  cointurtlemoose : (19 April 2015 - 05:24 AM) We did a good job of going at Dirk on offense, need to keep that up
@  Mario Peña : (19 April 2015 - 04:56 AM) Woot woot!
@  08huangj : (19 April 2015 - 04:24 AM) His past three games: 16.7 mins, 8.7 pts, 5.7 rebs, and 1.7 blocks.
@  08huangj : (19 April 2015 - 04:23 AM) Wow. Capela has HUGE potential.
@  Cooper : (19 April 2015 - 04:21 AM) We dominated when he was on the floor.Capella did as much as you could expect probably more; but TC dominated the boards
@  08huangj : (19 April 2015 - 04:17 AM) Howard was absolutely amazing. Assuming that he played 34 minutes(double the amount he played/hate foul trouble), He would've got 22, 10, and 10 blocks. Triple Double.
@  jorgeaam : (19 April 2015 - 04:12 AM) 1-0!
@  jorgeaam : (19 April 2015 - 03:55 AM) Hahahaha, who called the Hack-a-Rondo for Hack-a-Smith earlier?
@  jorgeaam : (19 April 2015 - 03:55 AM) Oh no, Hack a Smith
@  08huangj : (19 April 2015 - 03:33 AM) Josh is shooting way too much
@  RudyT1995 : (19 April 2015 - 03:30 AM) I don't know whether to cringe or laugh at every Josh Smith jumper
@  jorgeaam : (19 April 2015 - 03:28 AM) I'm amazed by Capela's hustle, he runs the floor every single time
@  jorgeaam : (19 April 2015 - 03:12 AM) Just as I sent that, he airballed a corner 3 <_<
@  jorgeaam : (19 April 2015 - 03:11 AM) Terry doesn't miss
@  Cooper : (19 April 2015 - 03:08 AM) Yeah at least Terry is shooting well to make up for it. Also doesn't help that Howard had to sit so much with 3fouls

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Is Terrence Jones playing himself out of Houston?


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#1 Red94

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    Posted 23 January 2014 - 03:00 PM

    New post: Is Terrence Jones playing himself out of Houston?
    By: michael pina

    It’s early, but 2014 has already been an incredible year for Terrence Jones. Since Jan. 1 (eight games) he’s averaging 16.9 points and 11.4 rebounds. He’s already attempted more free-throws than in the entire month of December (twice as many games), bumped his usage rate to 21.9%, and made 53.3% of his field goal attempts.

    Jones has also notched a double-double in four of his last five games, scoring 25 points to go along with eight rebounds and six blocks in the one that missed out. He’s an omnipotent, versatile, athletic compliment who’s been asked to back up Dwight Howard at center and guard some larger power forwards in the post. He hardly ever turns the ball over and never complains about anything. The natural follow up question here would of course be: Is Jones playing himself out of Houston?

    Earlier this season it felt like Jones was more a product of his environment than a beastly, developing individual talent. And as a scorer some of that’s still true. He scored 36 points against the Milwaukee Bucks last Saturday, but according to mySynergySports, 11 of his 14 made field goals came via a cut into open space, a put back off an offensive rebound, or in transition.

    He’s far from the stage where Kevin McHale is calling plays to get him open, but that’s perfectly fine. As the fourth option in a starting lineup that already has two All-Stars and a budding third, right now the Rockets need Jones to be efficient in opportunities others create for him. Not the other way around.

    And efficient he has been. Only seven players in the entire league average more points per possession in transition, and he’s shooting 65.1% on cuts. He might be the most athletic player on the team—it’s tough to name 10 guys who’re able to do more with their body, especially above the rim, in the entire league.

    Jones has fallen back to earth after starting the season on flames from behind the three-point line. He’s now down to 28.3% after shooting 47.6% in November. But this hasn't been to much of an issue so far.

    Jones makes up for it with fantastic timing away from the ball; he does a wonderful job flashing into open space off Howard post-ups and high pick-and-rolls that draw his man’s attention (which is a vast majority of Houston’s offense).

    Here’s his shot chart.

    The more he plays the better he gets, opening the possibility for two different futures Daryl Morey will choose from.

    He can either acknowledge Houston probably isn’t winning a title as currently constructed this season, stay the course, hold onto Jones and let this Rockets core grow together, take their postseason lumps and improve around the margins. (This scenario is independent of whatever the Rockets get for Omer Asik, who remains the number one trade asset on the roster, if they trade him.)

    Or he can do Daryl Morey things and package Jones in a deal to upgrade some other part of the roster. This is the less patient option, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. If you’re of the thought that Houston should “go all in” and try to win a championship every year until James Harden and/or Howard are no longer elite players, then moving the second most attractive asset to get better wouldn’t be that much of a sacrifice.

    The decision is ultimately based on two things: how well Jones fits beside Houston’s franchise center, and how high his new-ish ceiling stands. So far, so good on issue number one. The offense has scored 1.6 more points per 100 possessions than their average in the 818 minutes Jones has shared the court with Howard. (Interestingly enough, Jones’ field goal percentage is actually 4% higher when Howard's on the bench.)

    The Rockets' defense has stayed the same with both out there, which is to say they’re a top-10 outfit. Jones isn’t perfect on defense (he can’t protect the rim—yet—and tends to get bullied in the post) but he’s improving as a pick-and-roll defender, finally learning how to use his speed and length as an advantage.

    At the rate Jones is getting better, even if Houston fails this postseason they could come back next year with Howard, Harden, Chandler Parsons, their 2014 first round pick, whatever can be had for Omer Asik (again, if he’s not dealt before the deadline), and be a better basketball team.

    They’re incredibly young, have spent this season battling myriad injuries, and are still 29-15. They’ll be better next year even if no trades are made. But “better” doesn’t mean they’ll be good enough to win a title.

    Trading Jones would be an interesting proposition. If the Rockets really wanted to, they could package him with Asik and their 2014 draft pick to create an incredibly enticing bundle. I’m just not sure anyone out there is willing to offer anything substantial in return.

    The good news is that there’s no pressure to do anything. Jones is on a cheap rookie scale deal for the next two seasons. He’s very good, with a skill-set that fits inside Houston’s scheme on both ends.

    Jones could very well be on his way to making the same developmental leap Parsons did. Who knows. He's been Houston's most pleasant surprise either way.

    Michael Pina has written for Red94, CelticsHub, The Classical, Bleacher Report, Sports On Earth, and Boston Magazine. Follow him here.


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    #2 rm90025

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      Posted 23 January 2014 - 05:04 PM

      How they handle Jones will reflect more on the Rockets and Morey than on Jones.  Parsons too for that matter.  These two are basically players that the organization developed. If Morey trades them in a package for that illusive third star, then Houston really comes across as a team of hired guns rather than a true organization that builds a spirit of camaraderie and belonging.  The 90s Rockets had that spirit.  It may be lacking a bit under Morey.  


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      #3 BenQueens

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        Posted 23 January 2014 - 06:27 PM

        It's vaguely possible that Morey packages Jones in the last year of his contract, but I can't imagine him doing that earlier unless a team is willing to take a truly horrible contract off his hands in exchange for a star player.  I think the situation you're going to see is this: Assuming one of Asik and Lin are still on the roster going into 2015, they won't be resigned and their Bird rights will be renounced. That money will be used to make an offer to Parsons.

         

        How many non-lotto players can you imagine returning anything close to production-for-dollar as Jones and Bev, especially if TJ extends?


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        #4 timetodienow1234567

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        Posted 23 January 2014 - 06:27 PM

        Who cares? GMs don't care how they win, their goal is to win.
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        Why so Serious? :D


        #5 Buckko

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          Posted 24 January 2014 - 12:15 AM

          Parsons will be resign after this season with his bird rights to a 9 or 10 million contract and Parsons and Jones will develop to co-fill that 3rd star role. Asik might be traded or keep but I think lin will be resign to 4 or 5 million after his contract runs out. 


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          #6 pretty pleaze parsons

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            Posted 24 January 2014 - 12:26 AM



            I really hate how the salary cap forces teams to underpay players, thus making team continuity very difficult. NBA careers are short enough as they are.

            Not only does a team have to develop players, it must flip them when they are about to command a market salary.


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            #7 Sir Thursday

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            Posted 24 January 2014 - 12:49 AM

            I really hate how the salary cap forces teams to underpay players, thus making team continuity very difficult. NBA careers are short enough as they are.

            Not only does a team have to develop players, it must flip them when they are about to command a market salary.

             

            In theory Bird Rights exist to counter balance this effect. You can still keep the players you developed if you want to pay them, it's just that you have to pay extra for the privilege. It seems that the more punitive salary cap has been scaring teams away from doing that recently though. Leslie Alexander has said in the past he's willing to pay if it puts the Rockets in contention...I guess we'll see whether the organization thinks they are in a position to do that when Jones is in line to get paid.

             

            ST


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            #8 smeggysmeg

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              Posted 24 January 2014 - 02:19 AM

              if handsome Chandler and Jones continue their growth, the question has to be do you need a full blown 3rd star or can you win with 2 stars and then 2 players that are not 3rd stars but better than a typical 4th complementary players..... more importantly can this work under the cap and also will Jones be ok be the 3.5 option on the team..... handsome seems like he will be but not sure about Jones (even with more growth i'm not convinced about is own shot creating ability which would be needed to be star), also messing with the Rockets cap at some stage will be the requirement to pay PBev..... how much does he get and when does that happen?


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              #9 Buckko

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                Posted 24 January 2014 - 06:02 AM

                Jones is under contract for a while and Beverly won't command much.
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                #10 BenQueens

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                  Posted 24 January 2014 - 04:06 PM

                  Beverley is a RFA in the 2015 offseason- his qualifying offer will be about $1.2M, but I will be surprised if he doesn't get a better offer than that somewhere. Parsons is also a RFA that year, Lin and Asik are UFAs. 

                   

                  Jones and Motie will be RFAs in 2016, as far as I know.


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                  #11 Steven

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                    Posted 24 January 2014 - 04:15 PM

                    Beverley is a RFA in the 2015 offseason- his qualifying offer will be about $1.2M, but I will be surprised if he doesn't get a better offer than that somewhere. Parsons is also a RFA that year, Lin and Asik are UFAs.

                    Jones and Motie will be RFAs in 2016, as far as I know.

                    Parson will be a RFA this offseason if the Rockets don't pick up his option for next season. If they do pick up his option, then following next season he will be a UFA. 2nd rounders are RFAs up until after their third season, UFA after their fourth. I used to think he would be a UFA after his fourth as well, until someone helped explain it to me.
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                    #12 Buckko

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                      Posted 24 January 2014 - 04:33 PM

                      We'll just use the bird rights after this season, no worries.


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                      #13 Steven

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                        Posted 24 January 2014 - 10:58 PM

                        We'll just use the bird rights after this season, no worries.

                        Only if they decline the option first. Then they can sign him or match another's offer. If they pick up the option and wait until next summer, then they could lose him for nothing (can't even say cap space).
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                        #14 Cooper

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                          Posted 24 January 2014 - 11:16 PM

                          It's not like parsons is itching to leave if he got offered by another team his agent would give Morey a chance to match it probably even try to start a bidding war.
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                          #15 Buckko

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                            Posted 25 January 2014 - 12:18 AM

                            Only if they decline the option first. Then they can sign him or match another's offer. If they pick up the option and wait until next summer, then they could lose him for nothing (can't even say cap space).

                            I know this and I would think they would go the RFA route.


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