JJ read from his hometown paper

[I_am_a_Blue_Devil]

Woke up this morning and read this article in the paper. Thought you guys may like to check it out so i linked it on here.

http://www.roanoke.com/sports/etc/wb/167077

Its crazy for it to be such a negitive situation and for him to be so positive about the whole thing. He realizes that he wont be traded so just keeps trying to improve. Speaks to his character.

[jv001]

Makes me glad I am a Duke fan. What do you think 9 out of 10 players in his shoes would be doing. Creating trouble and seeking headlines that's what. JJ shows his character by going about his business and trying to improve. My hats off to him. Sounds like most Duke guys.

[hq2]

Don't count him out at Orlando yet. Both Keyon Dooling and Keith Bogans are free agents, so if one or both leaves, he could get some P.T. there.

[Clipsfan]

It sounds like he's doing the right thing, but I don't agree that a lot of other guys would be making a lot more fuss. He hasn't yet shown that he can do well in the NBA, so he has very little to stand on when making demands. I don't think that other teams want a guy who hasn't shown more than he has shown and appears to be a trouble guy. His dedication to improving and getting out there on the court sounds like the best approach.

[BenDuke03]

I'm curious about Orlando's reluctance to trade him. I wonder if its because they seem him as contributing down the road, or if its because other teams will not give up what they consider fair value for a lottery pick that hasn't yet proven himself in the league.

[Edouble]

I'm curious about Orlando's reluctance to trade him. I wonder if its because they seem him as contributing down the road, or if its because other teams will not give up what they consider fair value for a lottery pick that hasn't yet proven himself in the league.

Entering the third year of his rookie contract, it's clear to me that it's the latter. I hope that he can find interest as a free agent after this season.

[mkirsh]

Entering the third year of his rookie contract, it's clear to me that it's the latter. I hope that he can find interest as a free agent after this season.

I do think Orlando's reluctance to trade him is likely a good sign for him. Given his lack of playing time, Orlando is the only team that really knows if JJ will be a decent NBA player or not. If they don't think he'll ever make it, I would imagine that they would take almost anything for him in what they would view as a something-for-nothing trade (I'm also assuming some other teams have at least some interest in JJ given that he was a high profile first round pick with a specific skill set). The fact that they are holding on to him leads me to believe that they actually think he'll be a contributor at some point, and I hope he gets a chance to prove it.

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

Maybe JJ realizes that he's not talented enough to be a significant contributor in the NBA. He's making good money now and doesn't want to play overseas. At some point he'll have enough money put away to provide lifetime security, and he'll move on to life after basketball.

[cspan37421]

Although I am disappointed JJ hasn't become an NBA star yet, I am reminded of another great-shooting guard of ours who has gone on to stardom outside the NBA - Trajan Langdon. Considering that NBA stars haven't recently shown themselves as the best players in the world, I am somewhat heartened with Langdon's overseas success, realizing that it might say a lot more about his skill than the fact that he was out of the NBA rather quickly.

I'm sure the desired thing would be to be an NBA star and get NBA money, but apparently that's not been enough lately to get a true world championship.

He sure is showing character and patience, when that would elude a lot of players. Of course, it is in his best interest to do so as well, but that doesn't make it easy to do. I hope that once he's a free agent, he can find a situation he likes.

[BenDuke03]

I think JJ just needs to be in the right place. He would probably flourish playing for Nellie at Golden St.

[burnspbesq]

Although I am disappointed JJ hasn't become an NBA star yet, I am reminded of another great-shooting guard of ours who has gone on to stardom outside the NBA - Trajan Langdon. Considering that NBA stars haven't recently shown themselves as the best players in the world, I am somewhat heartened with Langdon's overseas success, realizing that it might say a lot more about his skill than the fact that he was out of the NBA rather quickly.

I'm sure the desired thing would be to be an NBA star and get NBA money, but apparently that's not been enough lately to get a true world championship.

He sure is showing character and patience, when that would elude a lot of players. Of course, it is in his best interest to do so as well, but that doesn't make it easy to do. I hope that once he's a free agent, he can find a situation he likes.

Maybe JJ is destined to be Trajan's replacement at CSKA.

[Classof06]

Don't count him out at Orlando yet. Both Keyon Dooling and Keith Bogans are free agents, so if one or both leaves, he could get some P.T. there.

The fact that they drafted Courtney Lee from WKU last night, a 6-5 "2" guard, tells me the Orlando front office is trying to make up for a mistake they feel they made in drafting JJ. Why would they draft Lee if they thought JJ was going to contribute and/or log serious minutes?

[CameronCrazy'11]

The fact that they drafted Courtney Lee from WKU last night, a 6-5 "2" guard, tells me the Orlando front office is trying to make up for a mistake they feel they made in drafting JJ. Why would they draft Lee if they thought JJ was going to contribute and/or log serious minutes?

On the other hand, why would they keep JJ on for $2 mil a year and refuse to trade him. It doesn't really make any sense. They don't want him, but they don't want anyone else to have him either.

[dw0827]

Maybe its not that they are refusing to trade him . . .

Maybe its because no one else in the NBA is willing to give anything up to get him.

And hey, I love JJ but . . .

[CameronCrazy'11]

Maybe its not that they are refusing to trade him . . .

Maybe its because no one else in the NBA is willing to give anything up to get him.

And hey, I love JJ but . . .

I don't know that it's necessarily true that there's no interest in him. But even if there's not, you'd figure it would be better to have him off your roster and not collecting a salary if you're not going to use him.

[darthur]

I don't know that it's necessarily true that there's no interest in him. But even if there's not, you'd figure it would be better to have him off your roster and not collecting a salary if you're not going to use him.

Salary is rather difficult to get rid of in the NBA - you can't just kick a player off your roster. There's not really much teams can do except to wait for contracts to expire, or to trade a player with a long contract for a player with a short contract, and then wait for *that* to expire.

[CameronCrazy'11]

Salary is rather difficult to get rid of in the NBA - you can't just kick a player off your roster. There's not really much teams can do except to wait for contracts to expire, or to trade a player with a long contract for a player with a short contract, and then wait for *that* to expire.

Which is why if you have a player you really think is worthless, it would make sense to trade him for virtually anyone with a lower salary.

[dw0827]

Mind you, I don't think JJ is worthless . . . I think he just needs the right environment . . . and team.

BUT . . . fore argument's sake, if you have a player who you really think is worthless, what makes you think that any other team would have a higher opinion of the player and would, therefore, be willing to part with an asset . . . any asset . . . in a trade?

[darthur]

Which is why if you have a player you really think is worthless, it would make sense to trade him for virtually anyone with a lower salary.

I believe the rule is you can't take back more than 125% the value of a player's salary in a trade. There may be loopholes and such, but the upshot is you can't really trade a high-salary player for a low-salary player.