The Sport Count

ESPN.com are reporting that James Jones, Portland’s “three point specialist,” has opted out of his contract, deciding to go at it in the free agent market.

This is, in itself, some of the least exciting news since anything about Larry Hughes, but is interesting for this reason: Jones turned down a guaranteed $3.1M next season. As a comparison, Grant Hill recently exercised his player option at Phoenix for $1.9M, and James Posey, a genuine assassin from behind the arc who has helped Boston and Miami win rings, is considering a move with his $3.2M contract. So, with that in mind, uh, Jimmy, have you considered your line from last season?

• 8.0 ppg, and
• 2.8 rpg, in
• 22:00 mins/pg

Hey Jimmy, has it occurred to you that $3.1M is probably a pretty good remuneration for those numbers? No offence Jim, but that’s more money than Danny Granger, Rudy Gay or Andrew Bynum are getting. We know you can be pretty deadly in 2K8, but that probably shouldn’t affect your contract value.

Logic says this move harms Jones’ long-term propects, and would probably render him a lowly-paid journeyman throughout the back-half of his career, sproadically getting court time and playing for at least 7 more teams.

However, this is the NBA, where the Knicks’ salary roster (LOL) happens, so it might turn out to be a successful decision. Either way, it highlights that the strange phenomenon of NBA players overvaluing themselves is alive and well.

Posted by: Alex