Zombie Derrick Jones to Portland

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calvin natt said:
He fits by playing defense and transition. He’s not a go to guy. He’s not an all star. He’s 23. It gets annoying when people go so out of their way to find things to be upset about.
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Isn't it possible that people aren't "going out of their way to find things to be upset about" so much as they're just disappointed that Olshey didn't have the same approach to team-building that they would?
 
UKRAINEFAN said:
Agree with Wizenheimer that fit might be a problem. He excels in zone defense; we really don't play zone. He excels is fast break situations; we don't really fastbreak.
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We play zone. We suck at it though. Every time we go zone the other team scores.
 
I used to coach D2 basketball in Southern California. I was young and would get frustrated with a guy who was 6’9’ but a total puss. Finally our head coach said “if he wasn’t a puss, he’d be playing at UCLA, not here”. So when a team gets a guy like Derrick Jones, who is 23 and far from perfect I immediately think about the kid I coached who was not perfect but if he was we wouldn’t have him. If Jones was great offensively guess what we’d have no shot. You have to have guys who are imperfect. Might as well be a 23 year old freak athlete who likes playing defense.
 
calvin natt said:
He fits by playing defense and transition. He’s not a go to guy. He’s not an all star. He’s 23. It gets annoying when people go so out of their way to find things to be upset about.
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what's funny is you're spending a lot of time complaining about people complaining about this signing. Seems like you're also going out of your way to be upset about something

again, I'm not saying this will be a bad signing because I don't know much about Jones, But what I do know of him kind of matches several recent Blazers that simply didn't fit into the Stotts offense
 
PtldPlatypus said:
Isn't it possible that people aren't "going out of their way to find things to be upset about" so much as they're just disappointed that Olshey didn't have the same approach to team-building that they would?
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I suppose its possible people think it's as easy as playing MyTeam NBA2k.
 
If he doesn’t work out this season I don’t think it would be impossible to trade him, especially if we added another asset(Simons) or expiring(Hood is basically one). I don’t think anyone thinks he has a bad contract and I doubt we were the only ones trying to sign him(espn #9 FA) so let’s hold off on the punch bowl party, if Neil can turn Bazemore into Ariza I think if the fit just isn’t there with DJJ he won’t be here long.
 
PtldPlatypus said:
Isn't it possible that people aren't "going out of their way to find things to be upset about" so much as they're just disappointed that Olshey didn't have the same approach to team-building that they would?
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There is this impression that some people think Neil turns down other/better options and signs/acquires who he does. This isn’t a garage sale where whoever shows up first gets what they want. And it’s funny that forever people have wanted more defense on the perimeter and want to run more and Neil adds a 23 year old athlete who defends and within minutes people are upset.
 
calvin natt said:
He fits by playing defense and transition. He’s not a go to guy. He’s not an all star. He’s 23. It gets annoying when people go so out of their way to find things to be upset about.
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Finding things to be upset about? Many of us had the rather modest hope we could sign someone who could start opposite Covington (EG Milsap or Crowder). Not sure why that would offends you?
 
wizenheimer said:
what's funny is you're spending a lot of time complaining about people complaining about this signing. Seems like you're also going out of your way to be upset about something

again, I'm not saying this will be a bad signing because I don't know much about Jones, But what I do know of him kind of matches several recent Blazers that simply didn't fit into the Stotts offense
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Just since I started seeing people up in arms within three mins of the signing having all the answers.
 
LayneStaley said:
If he doesn’t work out this season I don’t think it would be impossible to trade him, especially if we added another asset(Simons) or expiring(Hood is basically one). I don’t think anyone thinks he has a bad contract and I doubt we were the only ones trying to sign him(espn #9 FA) so let’s hold off on the punch bowl party, if Neil can turn Bazemore into Ariza I think if the fit just isn’t there with DJJ he won’t be here long.
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I called the contract a potential overpay, but it wouldn't be by a lot. But it is a very trade-able deal so that offsets the worry about overpay
 
calvin natt said:
Ok so that’s one end of the floor. If he shot 3% better would everyone be happy? He is a long athletic defender. What everrrrryone has been asking for. “We miss Aminu”. So they get a younger more athletic guy who isn’t out there to shoot threes. He’s there to move without the ball and defend. Why does he need to sit in the corner and miss threes? That’s the scenario you came up with to evaluate the entire deal?
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Aminu was actually a 35% 3pt shooter. No use in his athleticism if he's stuck in a halfcourt offense sitting in the corner. I dont want him stuck in the corner. It's as much about how I think Stotts will (mis)use him as it is about DJJ himself.
 
Buffalo Custard said:
Finding things to be upset about? Many of us had the rather modest hope we could sign someone who could start opposite Covington (EG Milsap or Crowder). Not sure why that would offends you?
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The offseason isn’t over. Till then, they added a nice young defensive minded athlete. But he shoots 28% so people are unhappy.
 
He’ll be a fine pickup.

I think the initial nitpick is that after the RoCo and Kanter pickups, folks expected NO to come with a bomb to blow our minds, so this is a bit of a letdown in that scenario. But it’s a solid but unspectacular pickup.
 
It will be interesting to see how he fits.

  • He is great on lobs. We don't really do that.
  • He is great in transition. We don't really do that.
  • He is good in a zone defense. Uh, we rarely do that
  • He is not good shooting '3's. We do a LOT of that.
 
BLAZINGGIANTS said:
He’ll be a fine pickup.

I think the initial nitpick is that after the RoCo and Kanter pickups, folks expected NO to come with a bomb to blow our minds, so this is a bit of a letdown in that scenario. But it’s a solid but unspectacular pickup.
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because Dame is at the very top of his prime. The moves we have made are supplemental moves. The problem is that many of us feel we have a foundational problem. We are still rolling with the Dame/CJ/Stotts show and I’m sick of it.
 
Buffalo Custard said:
Finding things to be upset about? Many of us had the rather modest hope we could sign someone who could start opposite Covington (EG Milsap or Crowder). Not sure why that would offends you?
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Who says that he can't start opposite Covington. I think he has a real shot to win the starting SF spot and it's obvious by this move that our team looks at Covington as a PF... the same position he played full time for Houston and part time for Minny.
 
BLAZINGGIANTS said:
He’ll be a fine pickup.

I think the initial nitpick is that after the RoCo and Kanter pickups, folks expected NO to come with a bomb to blow our minds, so this is a bit of a letdown in that scenario. But it’s a solid but unspectacular pickup.
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for me, it's that Portland really doesn't have a legitimate PF. They have one small-ball PF...and they have an injured Zach. There's a hole in the roster IMO
 
bemac said:
Making it through the times...Looking forward to the distraction of Blazer's basketball to carry me through. Dropped in to check out the excitement level of the recent additions. Looking forward to seeing what these guys put together.
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Nice to see you back! I'm looking forward to seeing what this team does this year too.
 
Natebishop3 said:
because Dame is at the very top of his prime. The moves we have made are supplemental moves. The problem is that many of us feel we have a foundational problem. We are still rolling with the Dame/CJ/Stotts show and I’m sick of it.
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In my view, you are too stuck on that idea and you’re failing to notice how much deeper and tougher the roster is. The Blazers had the 3rd best offense in the league last season and one of the worst defenses. There won’t be any fall-off in the offense, if anything it’s going to be better with improved outside shooting. The defense should be light years better. The combined effect is going to move the Blazers into the upper tier of the West.
 
BonesJones said:
Aminu was actually a 35% 3pt shooter. No use in his athleticism if he's stuck in a halfcourt offense sitting in the corner. I dont want him stuck in the corner. It's as much about how I think Stotts will (mis)use him as it is about DJJ himself.
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Just so you're on record: What (measured) level or productivity would he have to have for you to say Stotts utilized him well?
 
Jason Quick last month:

https://theathletic.com/2141622/202...olshey-sign-derrick-jones-jr-blazers-mailbag/

What’s one realistic move that Olshey can pull off to improve this team’s ceiling for next year? — Husein A.

Sign free agent Derrick Jones Jr.

It’s no secret the Blazers need better defensive players. Badly. Only Cleveland, Washington and Atlanta had a worse defensive rating than Portland last season. The 6-foot-7 Jones is a plus-defender who can switch on pick-and-rolls, much like Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu did the last time Terry Stotts coached a top 10 defense (2017-18). Jones has a 7-foot wingspan and has pogo-stick hops that make him an elite shot blocker. According to Cleaning The Glass, Jones last season among NBA wings ranked in the 93rd percentile in offensive rebounds, 92nd percentile in blocks and 88th percentile in steals. The guy can instantly help shore up the Blazers’ soft perimeter defense.

If there is a hesitation with Jones, it is his shooting, which the Blazers value from a wing for spacing purposes if he is going to be paired with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Jones is a poor 3-point shooter (career 28 percent), but I would argue he can excel as a slasher who is exceptional at finishing around the rim. Plus, I’m not worried about the Blazers’ offense. With Lillard, McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic, this team will always be a top 10 offense. It’s time this team starts addressing its defense.

The biggest hurdle will be convincing Jones to leave Miami. In April, before the Heat’s run to the NBA Finals, Jones said he wanted to return to Miami, noting a sense of loyalty to the franchise that gave him his first real shot at playing in the NBA. Miami holds his Bird Rights, meaning it can go over the cap to sign him, but it is also believed that the Heat want to preserve cap space for the summer of 2021 to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Olshey’s biggest carrot in this free agency will be the roughly $9 million mid-level exception, and even though Jones will likely be a hot commodity, I don’t think it will take the full mid-level to land him. And if it does take the full $9-plus million to lure him from Miami’s beaches to Portland’s pine trees, I think you still do it. He’s only 23, which down the road could align him with the next iteration of the Blazers’ core that includes Anfernee Simons, Gary Trent Jr., Nassir Little and Zach Collins.
 
blazerkor said:
Who says that he can't start opposite Covington. I think he has a real shot to win the starting SF spot and it's obvious by this move that our team looks at Covington as a PF... the same position he played full time for Houston and part time for Minny.
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And when the other team swarms Dame, how will he be any more useful than Hark and Aminu were? I'm not just bitching to bitch - I look at Jones and see a poor man's Chief. I would have been fine with keeping Aminu as a reserve, but it always seemed to me he was over-matched as a starter. How is Jones any different/better?
 
e_blazer said:
In my view, you are too stuck on that idea and you’re failing to notice how much deeper and tougher the roster is. The Blazers had the 3rd best offense in the league last season and one of the worst defenses. There won’t be any fall-off in the offense, if anything it’s going to be better with improved outside shooting. The defense should be light years better. The combined effect is going to move the Blazers into the upper tier of the West.
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heres the problem though, I don’t care about the regular season. If it doesn’t translate to the playoffs it’s irrelevant.
 
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