darkhelmit54

I heard that he basically confirmed that it's the plan and has been going into effect that Roy is the PG of the future (and current), and that Jarret isn't all that happy about it or his role on the team, and Sergio's earned a lot of respect lately. Can anyone confirm?

Anyone could see that Roy's been playing PG (when the ball's in your hands over 1/2 the time, kind of like Scottie was the PG for a stretch when here, or other players. If bring the ball up the court distinguishes you as the PG who really cares who it is right?

As for Jarret I say good riddance, I'd love to see him traded for something of value sometime soon, but I don't really see it happening and that's too bad. He's a mediocre (if that) backup SG, or a decent half-court slow it down guard but he's the worst player in the NBA under 6'8 on the break, and he doesn't know how to fit into a team concept. I'm gonna pull my hair out if Sergio doesn't end up getting more time soon, he's the perfect energy guy off the bench to play PG and surprise/scare the other team with tempo while Roy rests and slides over to SG or SF for a little while every game to relax a little. I feel like Roy should establish the game plan at the beginning at PG, and definetely control the end, while Sergio injects some life into the team in a first half spurt and a second half spurt.

If we could dump Jack with Darius' contract I would absolutely love it! I will go nuts if Rudy doesn't get time because of Jack next year. Any way NY bites on Jack - Darius - Raef for Rose - Marbury - Jones? If Darius can play a little by the end of January I'd love a deadline deal like that. Jones could play backup SG much better than Jarret, D up better run the break better, shoot about the same, Sergio would get more time, AND neither Starbury or Rose would ever see time, but we'd save ourselves some money and clear some cap space, and roster spots. We don't have one expiring deal right now! We could buy out Rose and Starbury.

wastro

I think Jack wants to be a part of this team and its success. And that's cool. A week or two back, when he and McMillan chatted, he wanted to drive more, instead of spotting up. Makes sense. That's what he does.

He definitely didn't seem like he was pouting with this post-game quote: "'First winning month, first time over .500, first eight-game winning streak,' said Jarrett Jack, who like Allen, used his hands to mark off the milestones. 'This feels so good. It's refreshing for us because we are getting rewarded for killing ourselves in the offseason and killing ourselves in practice.'"

But here's the thing with Jarrett ... he would be a GREAT combo guard on this team. He's not great in the transition game yet, but he's shown willingness to improve and work hard. That's to be commended, I think.

And if he's willing to accept a back-up role, great! We can't have a roster 12-deep of starters, you know? If he accepts it, cool. If not, then that's on him.

I definitely don't understand the outright hatred some fans have for him. He's not the worst point guard we've ever seen play, he's passionate, he's a gym rat, and when he's running the point, he really is a floor general. Is he great? No. Is he the worst thing ever, though? No.

I AM on board with making Roy the point guard of the future, though. I just love the way he plays. And Sergio has certainly shown some improvement during this winning streak. It's very encouraging!

Oh yeah ... we're not dumping Darius' contract. It won't happen. It's ludicrous to think we'll trade that, least of all THIS season. So what if he comes back and plays 15 minutes per game? Even if he reverts the old Darius (very unlikely), he was still overpaid to begin with. MAYBE we ship it as an expiring deal, but I don't think so.

darkhelmit54

His deal isn't that enormous, or that long, it's just very inconvenient to us. New York would save money with that deal, add it all up and take into account the luxury cap, and get Jack as a young player with promise, and Darius (if he could play a little), we would clear room for our big year, give Sergio a bigger role (which he DESERVES!) and get a good perimeter defense player who we happened to screw over recently.

Sambonius

Blake and Sergio have played extremely well. Sergio has shown mass improvement on the defensive end as well, Jack is the weakest link of our rotation at this time. His ball handeling skills aren't even very good, he doesn't make good decisions with the ball, that's for sure. We can't be taking any more players than we are sending out. We must figure a way to package Jack and others for a lesser number of players. Rudy Fernandez should be taking all of Jack's time as should Sergio next season.

wastro

Well, we're on the hook for him after two more years. He didn't play NBA ball at all this year and probably won't return until the All-Star break this year. He has two bum knees. In terms of value, that's enormous.

And New York is so far over the salary cap, and Dolan is so out of touch with reality, I don't think that would be a huge consideration. That's just my speculation, though.

It would make some sense for us, but I just don't think there is any way you trade that Darius contract. Guys who are good make $9 million per year, not guys who, well, you know.

LameR

My thoughts exactly. I like him as a person, but sometimes he makes me cringe on the court. If he could suck it up and accept reduced minutes down the line, I'd be happy to have him on the team.

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wastro

And there are a lot of players who make me cringe on the court. Jarrett, sometimes, does that. But then you hear how he wins the parking spot, because he was at the gym this summer. He has sit-downs with McMillan pretty often. He obviously wants to improve, and to see that work ethic is fantastic.

And who's to say he's not accepting reduced minutes? As recently as last week, Jack's issue wasn't with minutes, but rather how he was used in the game. And I think that's a valid complaint to have.

Oldmangrouch

A stat worth pondering: during our win streak, Blake has a total of 35 assists. Jack has 31 in fewer minutes.

If people think Jack is not a good playmaker, what does that say about Blake?

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moldorf

there are a lot of jack-haters in blazerland, and darkhelmit is one of them. No big deal, really, as Nate and KP don't seem to agree.

Part of it, I think, stems from people that want Sergio to get more playing time and think Jack is messing that up. It's a little ridiculous, but it's the internet.

The thing is, Jack may be traded in any event...maybe this summer. If Rudy Fernandez is as good as KP and the scouts believe, he will end up taking all of Jack's minutes, if not next season, by the season after.

Also, Jack is in his 3rd season of a rookie scale contract. The only way to have Jack NOT interfere with the infamous cap space plan, would be by extending his contract this summer(can't see it happening), or by trading him. If he's still on the roster entering the 2009 off-season, his cap-hold would be 6 million dollars. Portland would have to renounce him and lose him without getting any return. It makes it likely, IMO, that he may be dealt, perhaps on draft day.

STOMP

I think they are different types of players. Blake passes the ball immediately, while Jack is much more likely to slash to the paint with it. While he often goes for his own shot and/or draws contact, by slashing he collapses the D and is often able to feed it to a wide open teammate. I think they are both decent and have settled nicely into complimentary roles. SB facilitates overall ball movement, while JJack plays off of that.

anyhoo, JQ stirring the pot with rumorama yet again... if ever there was a boy who cried wolf!

STOMP

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rx2web

I say lets have nothing to do with that troubled franchise. We traded Zach to them and made out with a steal. Lets count ourselves lucky and leave it at that. Let their team and players implode and take each other down. I'm satisfied with our team just the way it is for now. talk to me at the end of next season when we've seen how we play with ODEN. THEN lets talk trades.

hasoos

And how many turnovers in that same period of time?

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Foulzilla

This is a fair point, although I think irrelevant in our comparing those two points. It's not, who is a better distributor that we should worry about. It's who fits better with Brandon Roy. The obvious answer to me is Blake (and I wasn't so sure about that before the season started). He's much better off the ball then Jack, and we want the ball in Roy's hands as much as possible. He's also better at running the break. I do think Jack is a very good penetrator and finisher in traffic, and I like the role for him. However, that means the ball must be in his hands.

Basically, I think we should trade Jack while his value is high. Not because I dislike him as a player, but because I think we could get the most value out of him now, and his value will only decrease as he doesn't fit so well with Roy. I think Atlanta makes the most sense as a destination, as they have a glut of swingmen to trade and need a point (and Jack just happens to be a local boy).

However, I do have one concern about trading him. From what I've read he's apparently one of the leaders in the locker room. If this is the case, perhaps we should keep him regardless. He is a capable sparkplug off the bench. If he's contributing behind the scenes significantly, that's all he needs to be.

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southnc