Pacers sign Dahntay Jones

[Modifly]

Dahntay Jones smiled and shook his head when asked about the flagrant fouls he picked up for Denver during the playoffs this past season, including one for tripping Kobe Bryant during the Western Conference finals.

The defensive stopper won't hesitate to commit a few more with the Indiana Pacers if necessary.

"It comes as a part of the territory in this game of basketball and with taking the betterment of my team personally and trying to win basketball games and doing my job," Dahntay said Tuesday.

That job will be with the Pacers for the next four years at $11 million, according to his agent, Aaron Mintz.

Jones' solid work against Bryant and New Orleans guard Chris Paul were among the reasons Pacers president Larry Bird made signing him his first free agent priority. Jones will join a team that has been among the league leaders in points scored and points allowed in two seasons under coach Jim O'Brien.

"We've been talking about defense for a while here," Bird said. "When you watch all these guys play at a high level, you see what they're really made out of. He showed us a lot. It was somebody who we targeted right after the playoffs, and we went after him, and fortunately, we got him."

Jones started 71 games last season. He averaged 5.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in the regular season, but increased those numbers to seven points and 2.4 rebounds in the postseason.

Jones, heading into his seventh season out of Duke, expects those figures to increase with the Pacers.

"I'll probably be asked to score a little more," he said. "My job is to make sure I play defense on a daily basis, and the points will come."

Jones believes he'll fit into the Pacers' up-tempo style. He said Indiana earned his respect when the Pacers beat the visiting Nuggets 100-94 on March 1.

"They played extremely hard and they never gave up," he said. "They weren't intimidated by us at all. That's an attitude that I do have a lot of admiration for. I look forward to playing with these guys."

Source: http://www.nba.com/2009/news/07/14/pace ... index.html

I would say a good move by the Pacers to add a defensive player that has athleticism and can finish around the basket, though it wasn't until now that I realises he's a free agent.

[AMenace]

Who cares!!!!!!! The pacers are shit anyway, they need someone who can bring spark to their team.

[Stress Fracture]

Danny Granger is there. He's now the star of the Indiana Pacers.

And Modi, I thought you were a Morey hater?

[Modifly]

I never hate Morey. Matter of fact I love him. Best GM out there, you just cant hate him.

My love for him will decrease if he trades Battier or if he doesn't sign Wafer.

[AMenace]

Danny Granger is still shit compared to some other players in the NBA.

He was lucky to get into the all star team.

[Modifly]

Averaging 25.8 ppg is still shit in the NBA? He's shit when compared to who? Kobe Bryant? He was the 5th best scorer in the NBA last season.

If those numbers are shit to you then your standard is way too high.

[AMenace]

Shit!!!! He scored 25.8 ppg?????

Well, I guess he was the pacers only option, put him on a better team, there's no way he will match that.

I don't know the nba as well as you do modifly, i'll give you that.

[Modifly]

All you have to do, is to admit that Granger is a good NBA player and that he's all-star material.

[Stress Fracture]

And a deserving MIP awardee.

I also wish that he re-signs Wafer.

[Sauru]

and stop looking like a complete idiot

[Stress Fracture]

What? How do I look like an idiot?

[J@3]

Do you really have to ask? And I'm fairly certain he was talking about gangstawhatever.

[Andrew]

Not a bad signing per se, but a lacklustre one. I tend to agree with the sentiment in this article, it's not the kind of move that's going to lift them too far above mediocrity though I wouldn't go so far as to call the contract "awful" as Dwyer did.

[Sauru]

Do you really have to ask? And I'm fairly certain he was talking about gangstawhatever.

yup, it was directed to ganstawannabewhateverhisnameis

[Martti.]

Well, the move helps a bit, but this isn't a teams success-changing move.

[dopeboy]

Jones is good defender, but they are too focused on backcourt players, aren't they? Jack probably will get a contract somewhere else, but that still seems unnecessary.

[Modifly]

Jones is little bit overrated as a defender. His defense is more like harassing his guy and cheating where possible so that they cant jack up a shot or miss them. Battier's defense is for real, non-contact and extremely smart. Jones is good too but not as good as the media say he is.

[dopeboy]

Well, you can't say Bowen's defense is ''clean'' either. I'm not saying he's as good as Bowen was, of course, but he can be an elite defender.

[Modifly]

Bowen is the best definition for dirty defense.

[Stress Fracture]

Dirty defense, huh? Well, that's for real!

[Angelo]

I think this is much better

Rodman is the best definition for dirty defense.

[Stress Fracture]

What? Why is it that he plays dirty defense?

[Andrew]

If nothing else, he was a far better flopper than the most prolific floppers in the league today.

[Modifly]

Yeah, Chris Fall and Dwyane "untouchable" Wade for instance. And dont even mention AK47, his flop against the Rockets in the 08 playoffs was one of the worst of all time. The referee who called that foul should be beheaded. It's that bad.

[Andrew]

I was thinking more of the defensive floppers there. But if it's offensive floppers from yesteryear we're talking about, Reggie Miller was pretty adept at drawing contact and flailing.