Daily Babble: Jerome James Wants Floor Time Or Else

I don’t like that he did it in the media

But I have no problem with him asking for a trade. If a player isn’t playing he should ask for a new home. Their careers are only so long and wasting them away on the bench is rough and too tough to take in my book.

I also like that he said there’s no rush on it. Doesn’t want to be a distraction this year. Do it in the summer if there’s nothing there now. He doesn’t want to waste another year of his career but he doesn’t want to hurt his team either. Leaves Isiah some time to figure things out and see if he’s moveable.

He’s also NY’s best defensive big man. Best screen setter also. Hopefully as he continues to recover from this injury (he has a micro fracture injury right? One that’s he’s holding off on surgery so he can help his team this season and do the surgery next year? Have I got that right?) he’ll begin to get minutes. He can help this team in a lot of ways.

And losing Jerome James was catastrophic for Seattle. Because they lost Reggie Evans at the same time. Which goes to my point that that team wasn’t far from being a contender. Those two guys weren’t world beaters and were easy to replace. The addition of Kevin Durant and Kurt Thomas and then a few minor moves …. and they would have been ready to go.

They had the top level talents. They just didn’t have the defense, rebounding or toughness. That’s easy to add. Terrible decision to let Ray Ray go.

The only difference between Jerome and Mr Blunt is that Mr Blunt appears to be in shape.

I’m pretty sure there were reports of him possibly needing a micro-fracture surgery during training camp. But that he didn’t want to do it because it would have ended his season. Anyways that was the time frame.

I wouldn’t give Malik Rose the nod over James. He’s a vastly overrated defender. He was solid back in the day but not now, now he’s just inconsistent and only looks good because of the guys he’s replacing.

David Lee is another in a line of weak defenders. I’d love to see him stop worrying about being a better scorer and just take over the Dennis Rodman/Horace Grant/Charles Oakley role. He’d be a starter for the rest of his career and a borderline all-star. Instead he’s worrying about being a scorer and now he’s a borderline starter that isn’t making enough use of his talent.

I’m not blaming Zeke for not playing him. James is a great teammate when he’s on the court and he does whatever his team asks/needs of him ….. but off the court he does the exact opposite in terms of keeping his body in shape. I can’t think of another player in the L that’s in worse shape than James and it has been a constant since coming to NY and was also a problem in Seattle (thus the 16mpg).

I think James is better off letting Isiah know now that he wants to be moved if he’s not playing. It allows Isiah more time, especially court time to see what James can offer. Timing was right. Means was not but every player in the league is doing this, no point getting riled up at James over it. He’s not playing, it’s not like people are surpised he’s not happy about that. No player in the league is happy at being benched. His wording helps because it stops his teammates thinking he’s quiting on them, he just wants to play and he’ll stay to help his team until they’re ready to let him go. That’s the sentiment. It’s a quiet demand and allowing the people who’ve been good to him have time to figure out a way to do it.

Every player wants to play and should look for a situation where they can play. When he’s not, he should look to move. Another player is JJ Redick, he was right to ask for a trade too. He’s a young player that needs minutes and this sitting on the bench business is hurting his whole career, it’s simply gone on too long. James on the other hand is an old player (32) who only has a couple of years left to offer, he’s running out of chances to play.

The only reason they kept Jerome James past training camp was to keep him for Eddy Curry’s training purposes. They wanted his big body and defense against Eddy every day so Eddy could learn. He isn’t in their plans. James would be great for the Knicks offense, it’s embarrassing how few picks their big men (Curry and Zach in particular) set to free up their teammates. How do you expect Q to get open if no big gives him a pick when he cuts through the court?

James has a lot to offer. Hopefully he can get his rear end in shape.

Here’s a clipping for the NY Post from October:

Jerome James Jerome James ’ right-knee injury is more serious than the Knicks New York Knicks have let on – and could force him to have season-ending surgery, The Post has learned.

James told The Post last night the “hardware” in his knee from a 1999 reconstructive surgery to repair a torn ACL is being rejected by his body, causing massive swelling and fluid to build up.

However, the Knicks backup center vowed he will postpone the surgery until summer, feeling he can get back healthy enough to play a limited role.

But James wouldn’t say what he’d do if the pain and swelling does not subside. [/quote]

Another from the next day

He’s Jerome James so he doesn’t really get any press clippings. Those were at the bottom of Allan Houston articles. I can’t find anything more specific than that without spending more time than I’m willing to spend ;D ….. I think it was micro-fracture that was needed.

He also had the foot surgery last summer. Which was also very serious. He had litany of problems with his feet last season also.

Anyway he can still get his behind into better shape. But the man is fighting through a lot of pain to help his team make a playoff push, he just wants the opportunity to play somewhere either in NY or somewhere else next season.

don,t know much about james, or -, but he has not panned out for the knicks. who would want him now? thank god, he’s their problem not ours. we’ve had enough of our own injured big men.

Who, It seems like you like James. I just look at the parallels between James and Mr Blunt. They both appeared to quit on their teams after getting the contract.

I don’t know why any team would want to pick up Jerome’s contract. At least Mr Blunt is in good shape and sort of gives his team court time. James doesn’t even do that. Sad because he could be a well above average center.

I’m not wild about Jerome James. I just recognize there is a role in NY that needs to be filled and he has the skill set to fill it. And also recognize he’s been in pain and played through numerous injuries during his stay in NY.

I also have no problem with players who aren’t playing asking to be traded. They have short careers and it’s very important to spend it on the court. This is his third season there and he’s been patient but injuries and roster turnover have brought his miniscule role to nothing at all. When he signed, he was being brought in to be a starter. But then the Curry trade happened. At least he still had a small role after that, now he has nothing. He’s been patient and he’s said take your time and find me a home, I want to help the team and will wait until the time is right for a move … but I want to play, if that’s here great, if it’s not you need to move me and let me get on with my career. I’ve got no problem with that, he did all that the correct way, he just did it in the media which every single player is doing these days.

It’s not like he’s their star player and forcing his way out. He’s asking to play or to let him play elsewhere. That’s all fine.

I wouldn’t compare him to Blount either. James does whatever his coaches ask of him once he’s on the court. Shot blocking, setting screens, on the boards, brining the toughness, whatever’s needed. He’s also very well liked as a teammate in Seattle and in NY. Poor Jerome’s problem is off the court. He doesn’t make an effort to stay in shape. Which is terrible and downright disappointing. Poor old Jerome should be compared to Mike Sweetney or Oliver Miller.

It has nothing to do with his contract either. He was like this in Seattle. He eats too much and works out too little. But he never quits on his team, you don’t fight through all the injuries and do all the dirty work if you’re quitting on your team. He just can’t stop eatin’, which is both sad and bad. But it’s not like he did anything different pre-contract post-contract except get injured more often, same actions on and off the court. They knew what they were getting, he had four years of this.

Yeah, hardly anyone is going to want his contract. Maybe an exchange of awful contracts can occur. Someone like Gadzuric or Cardinal. He’s got two seasons after this at about 6mil. Just find another horrible two season contract and maybe there’s a deal to be made. Or maybe he gets packaged with a youngster and delivers a solid role player. Who knows, maybe someone like Houston would be happy to have him as Ming’s backup to get rid of Mike James’ contract?

I’d really like Jerome James if he could get healthy and get in shape. He does good things on the basketball court and is a solid basketball player. He brings what you want out of the centre position. I guarentee Ray Allen would be getting more screens if we had a healthy James here to set them.

By the way am I the only one who’s outraged by how few screens the Knicks big men set? Especially screens off the ball. It’s ridiculous. I’m blaming their big men because they’re like that, and Isiah for not making them set screens. That’s something a coach can change and he hasn’t.

 
It has nothing to do with his contract either. He was like this in Seattle. He eats too much and works out too little

That speaks to a lack of committment.

There is nothing Thomas, with all of his own distractions, is going to do to change the band of idiots and knuckleheads he’s assembled.

That speaks to a lack of committment.

Indeed it does.

His committment when he’s around the team is very good.
His committment when he’s away from the team is very bad.
Still he fights through a lot of pain to get on the floor. So he does show a lot committment.

He’s a conundrum like that. He obviously cares but he can’t do something that most regard as basic or a given.

James is not a problem like Mark Blount is. A type of guy that you gotta kick out of your locker room. He’s not that.

………..

He’s the type of guy that if he’s in shape he’s really going to help you. He’s the type of player the C’s need Perkins to be. He’s a career disappointment because he has a lot more ability, athleticism and a better mentality than Perk when he’s on the court (so far that is, Perk’s still young and improving). But he just doesn’t arrive in shape. Career disappointment.

I’m giving him the title of best 3rd string Centre in the league. He’s a standout for a 3rd string ;D

He’s the type of player NY needs also. Even it’s just small minutes which it has to be considering his current condition.

Type of player the C’s need Perkins to be …. when he was in shape and playing for Seattle. That type of impact.

Present condition Jerome Jame … Perk wipes the floor with him (stamina alone gives Perk that fight)

Just on Malik Rose. Look at from a different point of view. If he were on the Celtics, how would he rank as a defender?

KG is ahead
Perk is ahead
Pollard is ahead
Davis is ahead
Powe is very similar. Rose’s smarts give him the advantage on some matchups (top players) but against most Powe has a little bit more to offer.
Scal is a far superior perimeter defender on those perimeter bigs but Malik is the superior interior defender.

At this stage of his career Malik Rose is firmly a mediocre defensive player. He just got old. He depended on his athleticism, since he was undersized, to even up a lot of things (especially his legs, his elevation was so important to contesting shots – a lot like Maxiell in Detroit). Now that it’s gone he struggles from time to time. Still he has the intelligence and the know-how to still play some D but his days of being a good defender are behind him. Those talents were already slipping away back in San Antonio (why they shipped him out) but since moving to NY the situation has gotten worse. Now he’s firmly mediocre, maybe even a bit below par but that’s a fine line.

Whether he’s better than James … well that’s debatable and it’s sort of impossible to give an answer until James starts seeing court time. Until proven otherwise I’m willing to roll with the idea that his defense is still in tact. After all, many reports offer the reason for Zeke keeping him past training camp for his defense on Eddy Curry in training. If his D wasn’t still good, then the youngster Randolph Morris could have taken that job (after all he has the size too). He was the last Knick to play above-average interior defense anyway.