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By Mike Tulumello, Tribune
October 6, 2005
TUCSON - The Suns are hoping for an uncommon season from a guy with the most common of names. James Jones is supposed to help make up for what the Suns lost in the departures of shooters Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson over the summer.
Related Links
Phoenix Suns / NBA
Or is that Damon Jones? Or Jumaine Jones?
Maybe it was Jerome James.
Last season, he wasn't even the best known Jones — the NBA's second-most common name, behind Williams — on the Indiana Pacers; that was Fred Jones.
At least, he pointed out, "People may say the wrong name, but they won't misspell it, or mispronounce it."
Even when he got significant time last season, not many people were paying attention.
That's because of the nature of Jones' opportunity: The near-riot between the Pacers and Detroit Pistons.
Because of all the suspensions, the guy who benefitted most was. . ."me, definitely," Jones said.
"It was an opportunity for me to show what I'd been doing for the past few years behind the scenes," he said.
Jones averaged a modest 4.9 points last season (he barely played at all as a rookie two seasons ago), but he shot 40 percent from 3-point range both in the regular season and in the playoffs.
Still, he made these shots largely in anonymity, as most people figured — correctly, as it turned out — that the Pacers weren't going anywhere after the brawl-caused disruption.
Now, he'll get a chance in a much higher-profile situation.
Jones appears a lock for a spot in the rotation, backing up at both the off guard and small forward spots. He could play the three position when Shawn Marion moves over to the power forward spot. He could even pose as a four when the Suns go ultra small.
The 6-foot-8 Jones played quite a bit on the inside in college at Miami, where he earned both playing and academic honors, so he's at least a bit familiar with the paint.
"He's tougher and stronger than his frame suggests," club president Bryan Colangelo said. "He knows what it's like to bang."
But that's not why they got him.
"He shoots the heck out of the ball," coach Mike D'Antoni said.
"He makes good decisions. He should be a good player. He'll just have to get used to being a rotation kind of player."
Jones agreed, saying, "I'm a shooter. That's the strongest part of my game.
"I can get up and down the floor, and I can get the ball up."
It shouldn't take long for Jones to figure things out with the Suns.
He was an honors student at Miami, where he completed a finance degree. He's now starting to gather information on how to set up a non-profit organization geared to helping people learn language and literacy skills. "It's a slow process because I'm balancing my time with basketball," he said.
But he hopes to get the idea going within a few years.
He's also planning to become a partner in a relative's mortgage business.
After the Pacers-Pistons incident, it didn't take long for wheels to start turning in Jones' head that his playing time would surge dramatically.
With the wayward Pacers all returning to the fold for this season, there wasn't much room for Jones, while the Suns had a crying need for a shooter. So the Suns got him for a second-round pick, then signed him to a four-year contract.
D'Antoni points out that the two and three spots are the subject of much competition — Marion, Raja Bell, Jim Jackson, Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa also could see time at those positions — so backups are fighting for anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes a game. But it seems clear that Jones will play.
The bottom line: Jones finally has a chance to make a name for himself.
By Mike Tulumello, Tribune
October 6, 2005
TUCSON - The Suns are hoping for an uncommon season from a guy with the most common of names. James Jones is supposed to help make up for what the Suns lost in the departures of shooters Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson over the summer.
Related Links
Phoenix Suns / NBA
Or is that Damon Jones? Or Jumaine Jones?
Maybe it was Jerome James.
Last season, he wasn't even the best known Jones — the NBA's second-most common name, behind Williams — on the Indiana Pacers; that was Fred Jones.
At least, he pointed out, "People may say the wrong name, but they won't misspell it, or mispronounce it."
Even when he got significant time last season, not many people were paying attention.
That's because of the nature of Jones' opportunity: The near-riot between the Pacers and Detroit Pistons.
Because of all the suspensions, the guy who benefitted most was. . ."me, definitely," Jones said.
"It was an opportunity for me to show what I'd been doing for the past few years behind the scenes," he said.
Jones averaged a modest 4.9 points last season (he barely played at all as a rookie two seasons ago), but he shot 40 percent from 3-point range both in the regular season and in the playoffs.
Still, he made these shots largely in anonymity, as most people figured — correctly, as it turned out — that the Pacers weren't going anywhere after the brawl-caused disruption.
Now, he'll get a chance in a much higher-profile situation.
Jones appears a lock for a spot in the rotation, backing up at both the off guard and small forward spots. He could play the three position when Shawn Marion moves over to the power forward spot. He could even pose as a four when the Suns go ultra small.
The 6-foot-8 Jones played quite a bit on the inside in college at Miami, where he earned both playing and academic honors, so he's at least a bit familiar with the paint.
"He's tougher and stronger than his frame suggests," club president Bryan Colangelo said. "He knows what it's like to bang."
But that's not why they got him.
"He shoots the heck out of the ball," coach Mike D'Antoni said.
"He makes good decisions. He should be a good player. He'll just have to get used to being a rotation kind of player."
Jones agreed, saying, "I'm a shooter. That's the strongest part of my game.
"I can get up and down the floor, and I can get the ball up."
It shouldn't take long for Jones to figure things out with the Suns.
He was an honors student at Miami, where he completed a finance degree. He's now starting to gather information on how to set up a non-profit organization geared to helping people learn language and literacy skills. "It's a slow process because I'm balancing my time with basketball," he said.
But he hopes to get the idea going within a few years.
He's also planning to become a partner in a relative's mortgage business.
After the Pacers-Pistons incident, it didn't take long for wheels to start turning in Jones' head that his playing time would surge dramatically.
With the wayward Pacers all returning to the fold for this season, there wasn't much room for Jones, while the Suns had a crying need for a shooter. So the Suns got him for a second-round pick, then signed him to a four-year contract.
D'Antoni points out that the two and three spots are the subject of much competition — Marion, Raja Bell, Jim Jackson, Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa also could see time at those positions — so backups are fighting for anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes a game. But it seems clear that Jones will play.
The bottom line: Jones finally has a chance to make a name for himself.
