Raptors trade Jones

The Deal: Fred Jones to the Blazers for Juan Dixon.

The numbers: Jones has started only nine games this season, and he'd missed nine in a row before last night with a dislocated finger. He's a career 7.7 pts and 41 per cent shooting. Dixon's near identical from the field and a 9.3 pts a night player in his five-year career - both Dixon and Jones came into the league in 2002.

The financials: Jones is one year into a three-year deal that pays him $3.1, $3.3 and $3.5 million per year. Dixon has this year and next left at $2.7 mil' and $2.9 mil respectively.

The breakdown, from Doug Smith: "It's a financial thing, with about $4 million the difference between the contracts, and the Raptors get out a little earlier. Dixon's probably a better outside shooter than Jones ever will be - Jones never really became anything here. He was never really the slasher he was supposed to be. As for Dixon, if he's going to take minutes from anyone it'll be Joey Graham. Graham is bigger (at 6-6), but he's just so inconsistent."

Comments

[Vincent Muambi]

Well, both are identical in some ways, but I guess the trade was made to free a bit more of the cap which is ok. Would laugh my head off if Dixon goes on to tear it up in Toronto. (Think Keon Clark as an example)

[Andrew Barrie]

With Wade being out for the rest of the regular season, you have to imagine Miami falling out of the last playoff spot, and New Jersey thinking they have a chance.

So New Jersey just might stand pat now, and not trade Kidd or Wince.

I was looking forward to the Nets dismantling, so I hope it still does. Miami should go hard after Wince, since they will need someone to replace Wade in the short term if they are to have a chance of making the playoffs.

Although, I think Wince and Shaq's personalitis mix as well as oil and water, or Shaq and Kobe. so it might be bad chemistry.

ANy word on Gasol? The raps should take a shot at him!

[Gaetano DeBenedetti]

What this trade tells me is BC doesn't have a ego ... He traded his free agent signnings
this summer .. He could have forced the coach to play him more but he undid a mistake
( maybe not a mistake but not working well in Toronto ) but sloved the problem ..

Guy

[Andrew]

Dixon fits this team. He's a winner from his days at Maryland, and he's a good outside shooter. He can handle the ball better than Jones, he can score, and, more importantly, he's a team-first, 0 ego kind of player. Great pick-up by Colangelo, even if his minutes will be limited.

[Gene Augustine]

BC made another good deal, Juan Dixon is a deadly 3 point / perimeter shooter. Fred Jones struggled to fit in to the Raptors system, swinging the ball around and look for a free shooter. Jones cannot consistently shoot at the perimeter which sent him to the bench. I hope BC could try to give JYD (Jerome Williams) a 10 day contact to give the Raptors a boost to their rebounding that they badly needed.

[Mike]

What I want to know is, what are the Raps going to do with all those Fred Jones Bobbleheads they're scheduled to give away on March 16th?

[Andrew Barrie]

This is definitely a good trade. Its low impact on the court, seeing as Dixon is a decidely better, but not spectacular perimeter shooter, and not a significant downgrade in rebounds. 1 and half rebounds won't make or break the team.

a 10 day contract for JYD is not the answer to our rebounding woes.

Pau Gasol though... a long with 20 points a game, would make this team unbeatable.

I'd even be willing to give up Mo... I'd be sad, but willing.

[Darren McPhee]

Does this mean a last-minute Mo Pete deal could be in the works? Dixon can shoot, although his defense is suspect, and he could take minutes away from Mo and Joey. I can't see him getting the same playtime (virtually none) as Fred Jones did...

[Andy Phillips]

Meh...lateral move talent wise. A bit better scoring, but Dixon is undersized and will be abused in the post.

cap wise its obviously a great move. I like how colangelo has no problem pretty much admitting his offseason aqcuistion was a mistake.

[Jason Sinnarajah]

This means the end of Joey Graham in Toronto. What a waste of talent? The guy is way too inconsistent. Now if the Raptors could somehow get into a Darko Milicic trade involving say Morris Peterson, I would be very pleased.

[Andrew Barrie]

well, the deadline was 3:00, ET. that's passed. so unless trades were in the works, but so far unannoucned, this was one boring trade deadline.

and i am upset that Gasol did not come to TO.

[cy]

Good point about the bobblehead night, Mike. Any suggestions about what they might do now? they could take off the heads and call it "Brainless Raptor Night" (unless they did that already when Rafer was here, i don't remember).
Nothing else in the works, it seems. That was one dull trade D-day.
As for BC undoing a mistake, recall that Jones was a second choice pickup when Salmons turned around and said no to him.

[Jason Sinnarajah]

I like Bryan Colangelo admitting his mistake and dealing Fred Jones before his contract become hard to move. I only wish JP Ricciardi could learn this lesson.

[Jason Sinnarajah]

We need a shooter, but really need some rebounding help. If the Cavs get Scottie Pippen and Mike Bibby, they will be tough to beat unless we can rebound better than last night.

[TK]

I think BC did this very professionally. I think Jones was upset with his role in Toronto, and you could see it in his court demeanour. BC knew he wouldn't get much of a difference maker for Jones so he did the only thing that would make Jones happy other than sending him to a contender, send him back to his home town. My guess is that Jones will start playing much better now.
It seems that BC has at least an interest in doing some thing to at least try to help out the player.
Hoffa back to where is played in college (Utah), and Jones back to his hometown (Oregon) is too coincidental to think otherwise

[Tony baksh]

Nice Move !!! Good Job Brian C.

[Burly]

Gasol is over-rated and plateau'd already. I wouldn't trade Mo for him, plus we're stacked at the 4/5 spot and he doesn't offer a ton of boards either. Mo is a great 6th man, which is more improtant right now than trying to jam in another star, which takes touches away from CB & AB. No way I make that trade. You can't underestimate chemistry and right now, the Raps have.

Dixon/Jones...same thing, just new scenery for each...hope it works, but won't care if it doean't either...

[Justin]

I just heard that the Clips want Wince and may give up Shaun Livingston AND Corey Magette to get him. That would make Babcock's deal for the non-palying 3-some of Zo and the Williams brothers truly the worst trade in NBA history. OUCH!

[Mike]

Are you guys serious about Pau Gasol for Mo Pete? Memphis wanted Luol Deng or Ben Gordon. Why are we even talking about Gasol? And for the record, I would take Gasol for Mo pete straight up in a heartbeat. If that trade happened it could have been the worst in NBA history, perhaps supplanting the Wince trade of course.

[Andy Phillips]

"Gasol is over-rated and plateau'd already. I wouldn't trade Mo for him"

My god...some toronto fans HAVE to learn about basketball..

[jeffrey thomas]

Mo Pete stays in T.O. Pau Gasol stays in Memphis. Vince is a baby, who cares about him

[Jt]

Onions baby Onions......Hey Frank, Raps are going to suprise a lot of people including yourself. But I do agree Leo does suck.....

[DougA]

Good trade. Now let's hope Colangelo dealt T.J. Ford last-minute before the deadline. There must be some teams looking for a point guard who can't play D and loses his mind in critical situations. That was some intelligent basketball T.J. played last night. What a shame Jose Calderon will apparently never get the ball in those key minutes. All he's done is win a world championship and show everyone around the NBA he's a top-drawer court leader. Not enough to unseat the always-out-of-control T.J. Ford on this team!

[Jon]

Vince had ZERO market value when he got traded. No one was interested in someone who had quit on his teammates. No one was interested in a whiny baby who always had this pained look on his face. Maybe they didn't get any quality players, but they GOT RID OF HIM - which was a HUGE plus and allowed the Raps to get to where they are today.

[rubeus]

From the financial point of view this is a good deal, but the
raps really don't need an othe outside shooter.
What they need is what jones was supposed to be a slasher.

Agree wholeheartedly about the TJ think, I put last nights lose
squarely on his shoulders. First putting up that totally out of control shot and then not being able to to get that tip that was clearly won right back to him.
The play before that he took almost 20 secs dribbling the ball before
dumping off to bargnani for a tough shot with the shot clock running down.

[mike]

All you TJ Ford haters are the worst type of basketball fans. You're telling me that loss last night was squarely on his shoulders. Hey, you're "MVP" didn't play like an MVP should (good night statistically but he was absolutely manhandled by Varejao, but I don't hear anyone say a bad thing about Chris Bosh). The entire team stunk last night including Jose Calderon. Toronto fans have short memories and no faith in their players or coaching staff. Before you throw this guy under the bus, how about you support him because he is this team's point guard. And as for the last play, it was clearly the same play as in Chicago. TJ can penetrate kick it out for an open shot, but if the defence doesn't collapse take it straight to the basket and draw some contact. Granted, TJ played bad last night, but to put the loss squarely on his shoulders is absurd. And his defence is much better than Jose's. He can stay in front of guys because of his quickness and he hasn't let his size be an impact. There aren't a lot of Marc Jackson post-up point guards anymore. It's all about the combo guard in the NBA now. Have faith that TJ will come around and play like he can.

[Gene Augustine]

BC had done a an execellent job ! I agree with you guys reagrding TJ Ford's out of control decisions on a critical situations. I WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THIS TO COLANGELO AND RAPTORS COACHING STAFF.... WHAT ARE YOU GUY'S THINKING ???? IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS THAT CALDERON IS THE RIGHT GUY TO BE A STARTING POINT GUARD AND THE GUY THAT MUST BE IN A DOWN THE WIRE SITUATIONS. HOW MANY LOSSES THE RAPTORS SHOULD BE PUNISHED WITH BEFORE YOU GUY'S CHANGE YOUR MIND ? TO COLANGELO: I KNOW YOU PAID A LOT MONEY FOR FORD TO BE A STARTING POINT GUARD BUT CALDERON HAS BEEN THE SHOUT OF EVERYBODY WHO DESERVES THE STARTING JOB.
TO MITCHELL AND COACHING STAFF: I QUOTED YOU SAYING "I DON'T LOOK PLAYERS AT THE NAME WRITTEN ON THE BACK OF THEIR JERSEYS. IN THIS CASE, DO YOU JUSTIFY YOUR COACHING PRINCIPLE ON THIS ? OR COLANGELO IS HOLDING YOUR DECISION TO PUT FORD FOR OFF THE BENCH POSITION ?

[Tim Morris]

Great move. Even though, I hope they can get someone to help them in the rebounding department but I guess there isn't a good one available. I think BC is the best GM even though the signing of Jones didn't work out.

If it doesn't work out then let's do something. He doesn't force the coach to an inconsistent player or stick with them do nothing like the Hoffa situation.

Jones just won't fit in here and Dixon is a good player. I saw him played when agent 0 was hurt and he can make some big shots. That will be a great plus u can have from the bench and he could start the point if there's injury too.

Good move!!!

[See Double You]

Gasol's pretty good but the Raps are already loaded with forwards. And what makes you think Memphis would give him up one-for-one for Mo Pete?
And please stop with this bipolar, freak-out attitude towards Ford (and Mitchell, remember?). Sometimes players have bad nights, and sometimes teams to do. Settle down.

[Mike]

They wouldn't that's why that post was a joke.

[DougA]

I can't say I hate T.J. Ford, because I don't know him. I suspect he's a decent person. But I sure hate the way he plays basketball. It seems to me that most of the "T.J. Ford Haters" you refer to are not down on him because he had one bad night. T.J. has been pretty consistent all year long. Consistently reckless with the basketball, and consistently weak on defence. I have bit my tongue since the start of the season, because I wanted to give him half a year before I jumped on him. But T.J. Ford is the polar opposite of astute, intelligent "court generals" in the mold of Steve Nash and Jason Kidd. Jose Calderon has shown consistently that he has the potential to be a Nash/Kidd type of point guard. He's a leader, he involves all his teammates, he distributes well but can kill you with his shot or his strong moves in the lane. T.J. Ford's game seems to be all about CHAOS! He's out of control. And he can't finish around the basket. How many layups has he missed this year? What's up with that? So it's hard for knowledgeable basketball fans to see the undisciplined T.J. Ford with his hands on the ball at crucial moments closing out games, with Calderon watching from the bench. It just makes no sense. Do you understand our reasons now?

[Andy]

"Gasol's pretty good but the Raps are already loaded with forwards. And what makes you think Memphis would give him up one-for-one for Mo Pete?"

Common Sense.

[Mike]

How old is TJ Ford? 23. How many seasons has he played in the NBA? Barely 2. You tell me you bit your tongue for half a season. Do you realize how ludicrous that is? Did you watch the first half of the season, or when Bosh went down, the kind of player he is and can be in the future. TJ uses the dribble as a weapon. He dribbles a lot more than Calderon. That causes turnovers from time to time. You say that Jose Calderon can be a Steve Nash/Jason Kidd type point guard. Take a look at Steve Nash's turnovers this year. I believe it's at 3.7 a game. 3.7 a game!!! Jose Calderon is a very good player, but his potential is not as high as TJ Ford's. Calderon's jump shot is better this year but he won't kill you with it. He gets to the lane because teams don't respect him. You think he's going to spend 10 years in this league at the level he's playing at right now and people won't respect him? TJ Ford is this team's point guard and he has the ability to be incredible. Do not sacrifice the facade of short-term success for long-term championship aspirations. Everyone settle down and give this young man a chance before you sacrifice him and throw him to the wolves.

[Leonard P]

I agree with Mike. It's a serious error to start TJ when Juan can slash and drive. The way to win in any level is to drive early and pile up the foul shots. The Raps last two games were won and lost by the foul shots.

When I lived in NY I saw most of the teams going back to the ABA days when they played the Knicks and/or Nets. Get the hot shooters from the other side into foul trouble and you will win.

I learned that in my second year of Bball 60+ years ago.
Our coach, after the school series was over, playing towns of 5-8,000, decided to see how we would do with the big guys. He picked from the juniors and bantams 12 guys 17 and under and after 23 games over 6 weeks we found ourselves the surprised home team for a two game, total point final.

We all went to the station to greet our opponents, 12 guys from Montreal YMHA, who had been playing together as a team for 8 years. We got stiff necks when they got off the train Their shortest guy was bigger than our tallest. On the floor it was like Kareem & co vs a bunch of Muggsie Bogues clones, and we ran them ragged and going into the final 3 min or so, their feet were sore and they were tired of running and only up 5. We ended up scoring 6 better than they did. Ours were all free throws of course. The next day they could only limp on the floor. Our coach was a nut for fundamentals and if you did not shoot 8 of 10 from the line, you did not dress. How many in the NBA can do that?

[Mike]

Little confused by your first remark. "I agree with Mike. It's a serious error to start TJ when Juan can slash and drive."

[Z Man]

For Raptors fans, you guys sure do bitch about the team a lot. Can't everyone be happy that Toronto (or Canada for that matter) finally has a decent basketball squad? Bosh is improving every year, TJ has a lot to learn but how can you dog on the guy after he helped carry the team in Bosh's absence? Plus with guys like Garbo, AP,Jose and Bagnani chipping in, i'd say we have one of the better teams in the league. Maybe we have a long way to go but at least our future looks bright...

[Big C.]

My only worry about TJ Ford is that he does't seem comfortable playing team ball. It seems that he has to get his personal offence going before he gets into a groove. Jose Calderon, however, seems to get into it with by setting up team mates. But i don't think its a good idea to doing anything drastic and mess with team chemistry right now. I am sure all the players are rooting for TJ to play better..to play to his full potential. Maybe if there was an extended losing streak we make a switch. Look for a TJ trade this summer. If TJ is to loose his spot it will most likely be during our next traing camp. The players can accept that.

[Mike]

I wouldn't look for a TJ trade this summer. I don't think this organization is going to give up on Ford after one season. Ford, Bargnani, and Bosh are the future. Have a little faith people. And keep your expectations low for this season. Remember this team won 27 games last year and has relatively no playoff experience. Just enjoy the ride.

[Sabreman]

TJ Ford has a lot to learn? Yeah, like how to play defence, how to assess defensive matchups, when to drive, when not to drive, how many seconds are on a shot clock and - most importantly - that there are four other guys out there with him. I'm not sure if he is selfish or just stupid. One can be fixed, the other ....

[voislav]

The way I see it March 16 is going to be Juan Dixon bobblehead night now, him and Fred Jones do look alike a bit. So a bit of makeup or something and we are ready to go.
Other than that, I don't see Dixon getting much playing time, more of an insurance in case of injury. With MoPete, Calderon and Bargnani playing the way they are now, I don't think he'll get much opportunity to crack the rotation.