Keeping Up With the Jones

by RaptorsHQ - Archives on Jul 23, 2006 12:11 PM EDT

Didn't take much time for Colangelo to make his next move. It is now being reported that restricted free-agent Fred Jones and the Raps are close to having a deal in place.

As the Salmons "signing" was to Franchise, the Jones signing is to Howland. Provided the Pacers don't match, the Raps have just signed themselves an athlete who will give them a great spark off the bench. A former Oregon Duck and Slam Dunk Champion, this 6'2'' combo guard was Indiana's best player off the bench last year and averaged close to 10 ppg in 27 minutes of action. Although not staggering numbers, Jones has the ability to fill it up and put up 20+ points. This was something that was definitely lacking on the Raps bench last year. Although he doesn't shoot the best percentage he is a threat from beyond the arc and also has good slashing ability.

Don't be mistaken, Jones is an undersized two, but he also has the ability to play a little of the one. Although never really asked to play PG when in Indiana, when he did start at PG for two games in the 05 season he managed to dish out 13 assists with just three turn-overs. It will probably be rare to see the Raps use him much at the point but he does have the ability to play that position and there is comfort to be had in that. Of course in a league where suddenly players are being asked to play multiple positions Jones does not really fit that mold, but he does have some other appealing qualities.

In my opinion the best thing that Jones brings to the table is a true scorer and energy off the bench. He is a player the Raps will rely on to get the team out of a first quarter slump and is a player you can be excited to see pop off the pine at Mitchell's calling. He has more or less always been a bench player for the Pacers and will not have any issues doing the same for the Dinos. It's thi's guys explosiveness that you have to love. At what point last year did I ever get excited to see the Raps dip into the bench? Rarely. Sure when Graham checked in I was excited to see what he could do but Joey is not the model of consistency, and players like Eric Williams, Matt Bonner, Loren Woods et al never made me feel upbeat if the Raps started off slow.

The one thing Raps fans will be interested to know (as there will undoubtedly be some comparisons right off the bat) is that in very similar minutes, Jones had equally as strong rebounding and efficiency numbers as Salmons. Although perhaps not a player who can play 3 even 4 positions, Jones can bring a lot to the table and in my opinion, has similar upside to Salmons. In fact to me Jones brings an excitement to the table that was more than lacking in Salmons game.

Of course this thought of having a great sixth-man may be all for not. The last time the Raps made a pitch to a Restricted FA, the Bulls matched and Chris Duhon was more than happy to stay in Chicago. How likely is it that the Pacers match? It's hard to tell at this point in particular with the Al Harrington rumours circulating around. Although the Pacers have just dealt Anthony Johnson, they still have some large contracts on the books including O'Neal, Tinsley, Jackson and Daniels. Add in a likely 6 year, $60 million dollar deal for Harrington and there is not much dough left to go around. You also have to wonder if the Daniels trade didn't make Jones dispensable. (As an aside how funny and rare is it that two teams, the Pacers and the Mavs made two separate deals this off-season?)

Of course what this potential deal doesn't bring to the table is a FA chosing Toronto over a contender. I however do not think that is a big of a deal as many others. Toronto needs to win games in order to truly be a destination of choice. Simply having Colangelo is not enough and if Indiana is willing to let Jones join the Raps franchise, we are one step closer to those long desired winning ways.

If Jones sports the new Raps uni this year, I will be one of the first to grab one off the shelves at Centre Sports.

HOWLAND

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Comments

Wow...that is the perfect player to accompany TJ Ford at the 2 and Moe Pete at the 3....Fred Jones and TJ will be a small frontcourt but you will defianly not want to get in there way on the break...this sesaon is gonna be quite fun.

by !~LIL Scrappy~! on Jul 23, 2006 12:28 PM EDT reply actions

Good pickup for us if it goes down. Once I heard the salmons deal was off (he will regret his decision); F. Jones name crossed my mind. With our up-tempo style T.J. will be giving lob passes from all over the place. Getting Jones gives us a nice athletic swingman who can finish on the fastbreak. Who knows how many wins the raps will have next season but I'm "all in" to betting that the atmosphere at the ACC will be filled with energy & enthusiasm that may help us at least win more games at home (15-26 last year). There are a lot of questions to be answered with this new team but I think our team has upgraded in talent & now have better players that fit the style of play BC wants to run. wOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

by the claw for life on Jul 23, 2006 12:57 PM EDT reply actions

This is a nice signing if it comes to fruition. Jones is only 27 and I think he has a chance to really come into his own as a player. This is the kind of system that should maximize his athletic talent and minimize his deficiencies (i.e. his lack of size). Plus, with MoPete, Parker and Graham ahead of him, he won't be asked to do too much; it'll be more of a Nate Robinson kind of role.

I don't see Jones handling very many point duties, so perhaps the Raptors are still in the market for a 3rd point guard, unless Ukic comes over or Alvin experiences a medical miracle the likes of which have never been seen. However, Jones' athleticism should allow him to at least guard a couple of positions.

by Skywalker on Jul 23, 2006 1:05 PM EDT reply actions

Fred Jones is dope. Although he didn't shoot the ball all that well last year. (41% from FG). He still brings alot of athleticism and energy to a team. He especially fit in well with the Raptors if they play the up-tempo game that they are always talking about. I would definitely look for Jones to start at SG. He's definitely a scorer and he might be able to put up some big numbers in Toronto. He's not as versatile as Salmons in the positions that he can play but he's definitely a more proven scorer and a decent defender. I hope the Raps throw some money at him.

by Damir on Jul 23, 2006 2:43 PM EDT reply actions

Looks like the Jones deal is a go......

"The Pacers made a qualifying offer to Jones earlier this summer. But Jones' agent, Bill Duffy, told The Associated Press they rescinded the offer last week, making Jones an unrestricted free agent. Jones will sign with Toronto in the next few days. "

by Art on Jul 23, 2006 5:04 PM EDT reply actions

The pacers recently rescinded their qualifying offer which means Jones became an UFA. I'm okay with Jones I guess. I would have perferred Salmons however Jones isn't anything to sneeze at I suppose

by Chakley on Jul 23, 2006 6:32 PM EDT reply actions

Fred Jones will bring the Raptors some electrifying dunks and excitement this season. I think I'd take Fred Jones over John Salmons any day. Hey, speaking of the new Raptors uniform, any idea what they'll look like? I'll hook up a TJ Ford and Fred Jones jersey for sure.

by Justin on Jul 23, 2006 8:24 PM EDT reply actions

Justin,
May want to wait on picking up a Ford jersey until/if he signs a new contract. He's only got one year to go.

Spudz

by Spudz on Jul 24, 2006 6:44 AM EDT reply actions

the move is good and all. more exciting players to watch. but seems like we keep getting smaller and smaller. what about the interior? i know we have rasho..but that's it. AB won't really do much inside defensively. is the game plan goin to be..outscore them..forget D ?? lol sounds fun.

by aaron on Jul 24, 2006 2:29 PM EDT reply actions

well aaron ... i think that is the game plan .. as you've seen from the phoenix suns which bryan colangelo managed before coming to toronto ... they didn't even had a legit centre .. they only had boris diaw most of the time ... and now that we got ford as a pg ... and smaller players ... they are definitely going for that run and gun game ... and i am sure excited about it as well.

by dj on Jul 24, 2006 7:21 PM EDT reply actions

In an unrelated subject... any news on how CB4 is doing down in vegas?

by Chris on Jul 24, 2006 7:44 PM EDT reply actions

It seems John Salmons will be a King and battle Kevin Martin for the starting 2-guard job. I can't find any word on his contract length or amount yet though...

by MattK on Jul 24, 2006 11:31 PM EDT reply actions

Looks like Salmons is going to Sacromento....

by Art on Jul 25, 2006 12:03 AM EDT reply actions

i really dont think fred jones height will make a difference. hes stronger than most guys that play the 2 so its not likely hes going to get set up in the block anyway. salmons has done nothing in the league. he was mvp of the summer league like two years back i think but then blew it in the regular season. fred jones has shown a lot of upside and i think that it will show in sam mitchells or should i say Colangelos system.

by cb4 for prez on Jul 25, 2006 8:39 AM EDT reply actions

the inside is the reason BC signed Garbajosa and traded for Humphries. Plus Slokar will be coming to fill in the reserve gap left by Sow's injury. The front court rotation after CB4 and Rasho will be Bargs, Garbajosa and Humphries -- scoring, toughness and rebounding.
In the backcourt, BC has added pace, athleticism and versatility. For the first time in a long time the Raptors have bench depth and guys who can play more than one spot, competition and mix of youth and experience.

by graham on Jul 25, 2006 11:45 AM EDT reply actions

Salmons to Sac - 5 years $25.5 mil.

Don't worry about Jones' height he's got like a 6'11 wing-span.

by Damir on Jul 25, 2006 1:09 PM EDT reply actions

â€œNaughtâ€ means â€œnothing,â€ and the phrase â€œall for naughtâ€ means â€œall for nothing.â€ This is often misspelled â€œall for notâ€ and occasionally â€œall for knot.â€

by Al Naught on Jul 25, 2006 2:01 PM EDT reply actions

Howland, I agree with you about Fred Jones being a very good signing. While I was intrigued by the potential of Salmons, I see Jones as a certain boost to the Raptor bench. Plus they only had to give Jones a 3 year deal at a very reasonable rate. He may be able to provide some spot minutes at the point if they have an injury, but he will play almost exclusively at the 2. He is not as undersized as people think. He is blessed with great wing span and reach, which allow to play surprisingly good defense.

by CapitalJ on Jul 25, 2006 5:23 PM EDT reply actions

Although Salmons may be more versatile than Jones, I think Jones is better at what he does do. Jones is a weak starting SG and a great buck up. He gets after it on D and is aggressive to the net - something the raps have needed for a while. Salmons seemed to do a bunch of things well but nothing great. Salmons might be a better SF and PG than Jones, but who really wants to see Salmons playing at those spots anyways? I am not as worried about Ford and Calderon as everyone else, and I do think that Alvin is an excellent option for the 3rd PG. He was ready at the end of last year but I think the raps have been trying to get him to retire for cap reasons. I say let him play an over paid Darrick Martin role, we all know and love the character he brings and he is the longest serving Raptor by far. Two years at 6.5 won't kill us and he might have some value as an expiring contract next year even if nothing else works out.

by Robert Archibald on Jul 26, 2006 8:47 AM EDT reply actions