yes... TMS. All centers are overpaid. When a guy is 30 and has averaged 5/3 over 6 years it just means he's ready to explode.

Its silly to waste time looking for potential diamonds in the rough or hungry young players for cheap, when you can afford to sign hungry older players to deals far exceeding the value of anything the have accomplished in their career. VERY VERY VERY HUNGRY

i'm inferring from suhr's conference call that james was probably a desperation move by isiah based on the fact that they thought frye is more power forward than center. i guess he looked over the potential players we could acquire to start at the center spot and the most attainable was james. i'm thinking that zeke didn't like hunter or thought gadz was unattainable and you know how zeke loves reclamation projects. so he threw his wad at james b/c he probably felt he had to overpay to bring him here. i guess when you look at it that way, signing james makes sense FOR THEM.

in my eyes, i think we would probably be better off in the long run if we signed a shorter stop-gap player like dale davis. i've always maintained it's not about 05/06 or 06/07 with james, it's about 07-10 that will tell us about the move.

to bad our STARTING CENTER has never broke 20 minutes a game for his NBA career. Now thats THICK lol!

Posted by TMS:

http://sports.excite.com/news/08262005/v2994.html

The Minnesota Timberwolves signed undrafted free agent Dwayne Jones on Friday.

Jones, a 6-foot-11, 250-pound forward and shot-blocking specialist, can also play center. He left Saint Joseph's after three years, leading the Atlantic 10 is blocks each season and earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2004-05. Jones was fifth in the nation in rebounds with 11.6 per game.

After going undrafted, Jones was poised to return for his senior year until the school found out he was considering signing with the Wolves and ended its attempt to restore his eligibility.

Jones said in July during a minicamp to prepare for Minnesota's summer league team that he was going to sign a two-year, guaranteed contract.

pretty smart...they got themselves a young frontcourt player w/size who can block shots & rebound for a low risk, 2 year contract...quite a bargain if you buy into the notion held by some on this forum that the going rate for big bodied shotblockers is 5 years & $30 million dollars...ah, but those 5 & 3 players are so hard to come by these days.

hes all right, hes been discussed here many times
hes not 6-11 250 more like 6-9 1/2 240 at best
no offensive game
a poor mans camby type

Posted by djsunyc:

i'm inferring from suhr's conference call that james was probably a desperation move by isiah based on the fact that they thought frye is more power forward than center. i guess he looked over the potential players we could acquire to start at the center spot and the most attainable was james. i'm thinking that zeke didn't like hunter or thought gadz was unattainable and you know how zeke loves reclamation projects. so he threw his wad at james b/c he probably felt he had to overpay to bring him here. i guess when you look at it that way, signing james makes sense FOR THEM.

in my eyes, i think we would probably be better off in the long run if we signed a shorter stop-gap player like dale davis. i've always maintained it's not about 05/06 or 06/07 with james, it's about 07-10 that will tell us about the move.

i'm willing to bet that Isiah could have signed James for half the amount he ended up paying had he waited longer & allowed the market to set itself...after seeing guys like Shareef Abdur Rahim sign for just over the MLE, there's no way in hell Jerome James & his agent could have asked teams for the full MLE & had any takers imho...around 3 years at $15 million is all i would have offered for a guy like Jerome James personally...you could have easily signed a short term veteran stopgap for even less than that if JJ was getting better offers elsewhere...it's not like the guy was a star C in the league...he had a stretch of 5 good games in the playoffs so that completely offsets what he's done as a professional basketball player for the past 5 years...only a completely moronic homer would love that line of thinking...but then again, consider some of the posters who have supported this signing from the very beginning.

ah well, we can always look forward to Isiah offering Loren Woods the full MLE next year if JJ doesn't work out...that pesky old MLE doesn't buy what it used to these days, does it???...but then again, we've been buying guys like an overweight Clarence Weatherspoon & an old washed up Vin Baker w/it lately...we should be used to it by now i guess.

i'd include Derek Fisher & Brian Cardinal among the worst of recent times for other teams, but that doesn't exactly diminish the moronic choices this franchise has made over the past few years, now does it?

i see channing frye, jerome james and Q Richardson as important players as well as information. there has been pro and con spoken about all 3, of the three I like Frye[although i would not have picked him and I am not on his jock like the knicks], i do not like Q and Im indifferent on James. I would not have minded a 2 yr 10mm$ contract with an option for 3[of course the knicks want us to not think about money, but spending money is a strategic function of a team's operation that has to be closely followed by fans]

they make it quite clear about the expectaions they have on Frye--both Suhr and befor him Isiah admitting that he was just about on the TOP of their draft list, and that they expect Jerome James to play 30+ minutes and that he is ready to breakout.

Weve already played a great deal of merry go round with players brought in by isiah, and while I thought it might be in our BEST interests to take Bynum as a future anchor a 5, and have a build up aiming at 2-3 years from now, we have pushed forward with a big contract to a 30 yO drafted only upper classmen and acquired Q. Like I have said we have spent 300+mm since isiah has been here--there is no room for maybe's and excuses--guys like jerome james Q Rich and FRYE HAVE to advance the team and play as the knicks expect them to play immediately--those are the expectations--thats why we spent 10+mm on larry brown--to win NOW


IF there is break down in these players, and i will use nothing as excuse, then we have to sit back and re-evaluate how we are doing things VERY seriously. we have a lot of pompous management, they are SURe in what they have done, they are so sure on channing frye they shut the draft down 2 months before it occured. they are so sure about jerome james they were at his doorstep like they were pleading with grant hill at 25 years old---well, then expecations have been set--no more bringing nazrs and saying this guy is it etc.... I like what they are doing in GENERAL--I certainly do, but that doesnt mean they are making the right decisions in personell --i like JC, Trevor, Nate, Frye and Sweetney I have to wait and see on Lee because hes an undersized 4 who cant shoot, but does have solid basketball IQ excellent athletiscm and toughness which are great attributes, but he's a wait and see.

If specifically James and Richardson falter--and frye plays within the realm of which i think he can--14 pts 7 reb--then we can base conclusions that we may need another voice CONCERNING acquisitions of veteran players and keep isiah for the draft.