LeBron James congratulated Phoenix Suns’ James Jones as his former teammate won Executive of the Year.
The Phoenix Suns had one of the best years in franchise history this season.
After trading for Chris Paul and signing gritty veterans like Jae Crowder, the Suns ended a decade-long drought to finally qualify for the NBA playoffs.
The Suns finished the regular season with a 51-21 record to claim the second seed in the Western Conference. The Utah Jazz narrowly edged Phoenix for the first seed.
Phoenix took on the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA playoffs and advanced in six games.
The Suns went on to play the Denver Nuggets and defeated them in a 4-0 sweep. As of now, the Suns are in the Western Conference Finals against the L.A. Clippers.
Just before Game 1 between the Suns and Clippers began, James Jones, general manager of the Suns, was named the league’s Executive of the Year after leading the way in building Phoenix’s roster.
James Jones acknowledged a conflict between Aaron Rodgers and the Packers but the former WR believes it can be resolved.
Another friend and former teammate of Aaron Rodgers believes the quarterback’s current situation with the Green Bay Packers can still be resolved.
Like John Kuhn, Jones described the situation as “fixable” during an appearance on NFL Network on Thursday.
“I speak with Aaron all the time, I talk to him a lot,” Jones said. “I think it’s fixable.”
Jones said the conflict isn’t centered around Rodgers’ contract or wanting the general manager fired. The former Packers receiver believes the situation is centered on personnel decisions made over a multi-year span, specifically allowing several Packers veteran players to depart Green Bay.
“It’s all about making sure that you’re putting the team in the best situation to win some championships,” Jones said.
“Aaron has watched some key guys leave out of this locker room that’s not only beneficial on the field but is huge in the locker room as well.”
Jones mentioned players such as Julius Peppers, T.J. Lang and Jordy Nelson as examples of veterans leaving the Packers in recent years.
Rodgers, now a three-time MVP, might want more input – or at least to be included in conversations about players coming and going – if he returns to Green Bay.
“He wants to make sure everybody is on the same page,” Jones said.
If the Suns want to maximize their ability to expand its payroll, it may want to wait to officially execute the Chris Paul trade.
After weeks of speculation, the Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to trade Chris Paul to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for a package headlined by Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre, Jr. and the Suns’ first-round draft pick in 2022.
News of the deal brings to close a period of uncertainty with respect to the future of Paul, who was reportedly being pursued by the New York Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks, as well.
From time-to-time in the NBA, though — as is the case with Dennis Schroder’s being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers — deals are often agreed to in principle before being officially executed. Schroder, for example, isn’t expected to be officially dealt to Los Angeles before Wednesday’s draft.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, it’s possible that the Suns could attempt to convince the Thunder to delay executing their trade, as well, though for a much different reason.
According to reports, Paul will be packaged with Abdel Nader and will be sent to Phoenix for the aforementioned pieces, as well as two younger prospects — Ty Jerome and Jalen Lecque.
Mark points out that by waiting to finalize the trade, the Suns would operate as a team over the salary cap, which would allow them to re-sign both of their pending free agents and have access to salary exceptions afforded to teams that are over the cap. Teams that drop under the cap, alternatively, have access to salary cap exceptions that are lower in dollar amounts, which would usually lead to signing less talented players.
In other words, the Thunder would be doing the Suns a favor by waiting to execute the trade, and if that is something that Phoenix deemed to be a material part of the transaction, it would have likely come up during the negotiation stage.
One direction that Phoenix can go is to hold off on the trade until the moratorium is lifted on 11/22.
That would allow them to use cap space first (up to $18M) and circle back acting like a team over the cap. https://t.co/52Z11HXSiw
Of course, with the truncated offseason, every day matters. Training camps will convene on Dec. 1, meaning that, if the trade was executed on Nov. 22, the players involved in the transaction would only have about a week to report to their new teams, pass their physicals, secure housing and begin working out with their new teammates. It seems like a lot to accomplish in a little bit of time, though it should be pointed out that NBA players commonly arrive to their home markets a few days prior to camp beginning. So waiting to consummate the trade might not necessarily negatively impact the players involved.
Knowing Sam Presti, unless he has a good reason, his history suggests that he would agree to the condition if the Suns requested it. If the club isn’t too keen on significantly expanding its payroll, though, the additional maneuverability may be of no consequence. When the trade is executed could actually tell us a lot about how aggressive the Suns intend of being as it relates to adding to their payroll.
Regardless, at this point, everyone — especially Chris Paul — can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that his immediate future has been settled.
In all likelihood, he will spend the next two seasons of his career flanking Devin Booker and throwing lobs to DeAndre Ayton.
Former Green Bay Packers WR James Jones believes the Bears will be destroyed by the Falcons on Sunday.
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It’s either the biased stance of a former Green Bay Packer or an actual prediction, but NFL Network analyst James Jones believes the Atlanta Falcons are going to destroy the Chicago Bears 40-17 on Sunday.
Former NFL WR James Jones said on NFL Network that he's predicting that the Chicago Bears are going to lose 40-17 on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.😳
The Falcons offense has shown to move the ball and put up points as they’re ranked fourth in yards per game (443.0) and fifth in points per game (32.0). The Falcons have done that against quality teams like the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys.
The issue for the Falcons is that their defense is atrocious. The Falcons have given up the second-most yards allowed per game in the NFL (476.5) and the most points allowed per game (39.0).
For the Bears, they are going to have to keep the Falcons offense in check, which no team has done for the first two weeks. The Bears might get a break too with receiver Julio Jones listed as a game-time decision.
The offense has shown flashes of having a quality unit but hasn’t put it together for a full game, and the same could go for the defense. The Bears defense is going to have to play a perfect game or the offense is going to have to keep up with the high-powered Falcons offense.
Nonetheless, if Jones predicted the Bears defense to have a good day and the offense to have a bad dag or vice versa, that’s understandable. But, to have both units struggle against the Falcons seems a bit much.
Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen cracked the top-5.
Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen has been the model of dominance for years now, putting up numbers that stack up among the league’s best wideouts.
However, he still doesn’t get the credit that he deserves.
Credit was given by former Packers WR and current NFL Network analyst James Jones recently, as he tabbed Allen as the No. 4 wide receiver heading into the 2020 season.
“Keenan Allen off the line of scrimmage and his route-running is absolutely special,” Jones said. Every time you see Allen catch a ball, you really don’t see a defensive back too close to him because he is special at getting separation and special at making tough catches.
James notes the fact that Allen isn’t given the recognition that he deserves because he plays for a team that “doesn’t win a lot of games.”
Since 2013, Allen has had more than 1,100 receiving yards each of the past three seasons and has been named to the Pro Bowl in all three of those seasons.
Perhaps the league’s most prolific route-runner, Allen has the opportunity to have another great campaign even with the change at quarterback and offense switching to a run-heavy approach.
The former Cal product is slated to be a free agent after this season.
Are the Bears a quarterback away from being Super Bowl contenders? There’s one NFL insider that believes so.
Quarterback conversation has dominated the Bears’ offseason. Whether that’s Mitchell Trubisky’s future or potential veteran quarterbacks they’re going to bring in to challenge Trubisky.
If there’s a quarterback set to hit free agency or on the trade block, they’ve been connected in some way to the Bears. Which tells you everything you need to know about the confidence level in Trubisky.
One of the potential names that has been floated around in connection with the Bears is Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, whose future is in limbo while the football world awaits the fate of Tom Brady. The Raiders reportedly have interest in Brady, and if they landed him that would open up Carr to be traded.
NFL Network insider James Jones believes that the Bear would become immediate Super Bowl contenders with Carr at quarterback.
“Listen, you have a big time defense. I’ve played Derek Carr, alright,” Jones said. “I wasn’t the fastest wide receiver and had the most catches in my career because he’s a special quarterback at throwing receivers open. You get with an offensive mind in Matt Nagy, you have a good running game, you have some receivers out there, and then you have a big time defense.
“So listen, you don’t have to win it just on your right arm. But Derek Carr is one of those quarterbacks that if you need him to win a game he can win a big game for you. He’s shown that over and over in his career. But Derek Carr with the Chicago Bears would make the Chicago Bears Super Bowl contenders. They are a quarterback away.”
There’s been a huge investment in Trubisky since he was drafted No. 2 overall in 2017. Having a quarterback on a rookie contract allowed general manager Ryan Pace to invest money into other areas, as well as build a championship-caliber defense.
But there’s a concern that Chicago will wind up wasting this defense on a quarterback and an offense that can’t seem to get going. Which will make the decisions Pace and Matt Nagy make this offseason all the more important.
While Pace remains firm that Trubisky will be the Bears’ starting quarterback in 2020, there’s still a long offseason ahead that will prove that statement right or wrong.
Breaking down the NBA’s pension program and other benefits for retired players (such as health insurance and college-tuition reimbursement).
Thanks in large part to the actions of modern-era players like Chris Paul, LeBron James, Caron Butler and James Jones (among others), the NBA’s pension program has significantly improved in recent years. This greatly benefits the old-school players, who haven’t always seen eye-to-eye with the game’s modern stars.
NBA players have had a pension plan since 1965. Any player with at least three years of service in the NBA receives a monthly pension payment and access to other benefits (such as life-long healthcare coverage, a college-tuition reimbursement program and more). In order to accrue a year of service, a player must be under contract for at least one game during the NBA season (whether they’re active or inactive doesn’t matter).
According to the National Basketball Retired Players Association, after the changes in 2017, pensions increased by nearly 50 percent for players who start receiving payments at 50 years old – with corresponding increases for players who start receiving payment at later ages. Previously,the age-50 benefit paid out $559 per month per year of service. Now, it pays out more than $800 per month per year of service.
Also, the pre-1965 pension benefit amount (which is paid to players who were in the league before the pension plan was established) increased from $300 to $400 per month per year of service.
On average, former players are now earning an additional $300 per month, according to Scott Rochelle, the President and CEO of the NBRPA.
Players can start receiving payments as early as 45 years old, but the payments are reduced since they’ll be receiving the payments over a longer period of time. Players are encouraged to hold off on receiving payments until they’re age-62 (if possible) in order to receive the highest-possible payments.
A 62-year-old who played 10 or more years in the NBA will earn over $215,000 annually from his pension. For comparison, “a 10-year NFL veteran who retired prior to 1993 receives [a pension] of approximately $30,000-40,000 a year, pretax, at age 55,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. (The minimum that a retired NBA player will receive at age-62 is $56,988 annually, and that’s just for someone with three years of service).
Making these improvements to the pension program required an additional $33 million annually in funding – a cost that the NBA and the current players agreed to split equally.
“The overall response that we received was great appreciation, relief and a sense of confidence that the retired players were being taken care of and still part of this family,” Rochelle said.
“It’s great to see that today’s players recognize how important it is to give back to these retired players in a major way,” said Caron Butler, who’s on the NBRPA’s Board of Directors. “I think it’s special. The retired players are happy because you sacrifice your body and give everything to this game, so to be appreciated on the back end speaks volumes. We’re so grateful to play for a league like the NBA that understands the importance of taking care of us and our families. Once you’re part of this fraternity, it’s a lifetime thing.”
Retired athletes Caron Butler, Robert Parish, Sheryl Swoopes and Doug Williams. (Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports)
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
The college-tuition reimbursement program is another recent addition that’s helping many retired players. If a former player wants to go back to school and enroll in college courses, they can get their tuition reimbursed up to $33,000 annually.
“In addition to improving the pension program, they included an educational component with it as well,” Butler explained. “Now, retired players who didn’t finish their degrees can go back to the school and the guys who did get their degrees can further their education even more. They provided enough funding to make $120,000 available to every person who has ever played in the Association.”
As of September 30, 2019, there were 51 players who submitted pre-approval forms for tuition reimbursement and 28 had been approved. Since then, it’s estimated that more than 25 additional players have applied for the program.
“Adonal Foyle earned a Master’s in Business Administration through one of our programs with Purdue Sports Global,” Rochelle said. “Vladimir Stepania earned a Master’s degree through Anaheim University through one of our programs. Adrienne Goodson, a former WNBA player, also earned a Master’s degree through one of our programs. It’s great because we know that we’re making an impact. And it really does help when we talk about those success stories because it pushes other retired players to take advantage of our services as well.”
“For many years, we’ve seen that once a player is no longer playing at a university, they’re done with you,” Butler added. “The scholarship is no longer good and you can’t pivot back to someday finish your education. Now, with this program, you’re able to go back and further your education and you’re going to get the financial assistance that you need. Not everyone walks away from the game of basketball with millions of dollars, so to have this financial support speaks volumes.”
The NBA and NBRPA also have educational programs for active players and newly retired players that teach them how to be fiscally responsible. This – coupled with increased salaries and the fact that the NBA matches active players’ 401(k) contributions up to 140 percent – should lead to more players walking away from the game with significantly more money in savings.
“If you look at the sheer size of the contracts and compensation, plus the NBA matching 401(k) contributions up to 140 percent, they’re setting the players up to never ever be broke,” Rochelle said. “It helps when there’s a cultural push to make sure that players are doing the right things with the money that they’re earning. You see that now with players who are saving all of their game checks and just living off their endorsement money. Smart things like that are becoming more commonplace since there’s been a cultural shift toward fiscal responsibility. Nobody wants to show up in the headlines as a cautionary tale of a young athlete who burned all of their money. We’re seeing less of that, and I know we’re going to continue seeing that less and less because of the educational programs that we have now.”
Retired NBA players Willis Reed, Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Earl “The Pearl” Monroe (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Hospital for Special Surgery)
HEALTHCARE FOR LIFE
When 13-year NBA veteran Earl “The Pearl” Monroe started experiencing health issues in 1991 – just one year after he was inducted into the Hall of Fame – he was told by the NBA and NBPA that they couldn’t help him. In the coming years, he would need more than 47 surgeries, but he was no longer eligible to receive health insurance through the NBA once he retired.
Fortunately, Monroe did qualify for health insurance through the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists since he had appeared in a number of TV commercials during his playing days.
But after struggling with his health issues and watching other retired NBA players pass away at a young age (including Darryl Dawkins at 58 and Moses Malone at 60), Monroe became one of many former players speaking out about why retirees desperately needed healthcare.
Monroe told HoopsHype that he and other retired players started pushing for this in the 1990s, but it wasn’t until 2017 that this change was made.
Now, after three years of service in the NBA, players receive healthcare coverage for life. Players with 10-plus years of service in the NBA receive coverage for their spouse and children too.
“With the addition of healthcare for retired players, we were elevated to a very admirable position within the entire sports industry because this just simply doesn’t exist anywhere else or any other sport,” Rochelle said. “We were able to do it, which really helped our older players see that they’re not forgotten.”
Butler hopes that the NFL (and others) will follow in the NBA’s footsteps.
“I hope what we’re doing flows over to any union or other platform that needs this,” Butler said. “It’s important to take care of the folks who put so much into this and who moved the needle in the past. These platforms in the entertainment space have made so much money over the years, and I think it’s paramount that we take care of those people from the past and appreciate their impact and legacy. This goes for the NFL, hip hop and any other platform in the entertainment space. These people need to be taken care of and appreciated.”
Part of the reason why these changes finally happened is because some of the biggest names in the NBA got involved. Many retired players credit James, Paul, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Dwyane Wade for making sure this got done (with behind-the-scenes assistance from players like Butler and James Jones too). It took more than 25 years of lobbying, but funding health insurance for retired players was finally approved in 2017 with unanimous support from the NBPA’s player representatives.
“I think that it’s very important to have the right people in position and have some of the biggest names involved to highlight the issues that haven’t been addressed for years,” Butler said. “They’re paving the way for the next wave of players. A lot of kids are watching and they’re seeing the initiatives that these stars are part of and the moves that they make, and they want to be like them in a way. This fraternity is small and you’re empowered and influenced by the people who come before you. Those are some of the biggest names in the game; I think the next wave of players will model themselves after those guys because they’re providing the new blueprint.”
“Now that we have superstars leading the union, it changes the complexion of the conversations that are had between the league and the union, and it gives the players a real leg up when it comes to credibility and getting some of the things that they’re looking for,” Rochelle added. “As [NBRPA Chairman] Spencer Haywood has built relationships with Chris Paul, Kevin Durant and LeBron James, it’s really helped us.”
Quite frankly, there were selfish reasons for active players to improve these benefits and programs too. After all, every single one of them will be a retiree at some point in the near future. After all, Father Time is undefeated. They will benefit from these changes in time, which is why it’s somewhat shocking that it took over 25 years for these changes to be made.
“LeBron James is going to retire one day and he may possibly be the greatest all-around basketball player that we’ll see in this lifetime,” Butler said. “Everybody is going to retire at some point! Unless you want to sit at home and do nothing – and I don’t think anyone wants to be in that position – you have to start preparing for what’s next. The game of life is so long. If you make sure you’re prepared for life after basketball while you’re still playing, you’ll hit the ground running once you retire rather than tripping over your own feet.”
Brown has received praise from his teammates, coaches, fans and a host of former NFL greats.
Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown put on one impressive rookie campaign, despite not winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award that so many thought he deserved.
He’s received praise from his teammates, coaches, fans and a host of former NFL greats as he’s become one of the team’s biggest assets on offense in a short period of time.
Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones is just one of those who has high expectations for the Ole Miss product’s NFL future, saying he believes we “are looking at one of the next best in A.J. Brown.”
“When I watch A.J. Brown, what I get from it is, no matter where the football is, it’s his ball,” he continued. “If you don’t wrap him up, you aren’t going to tackle him – his yards after catch are special. But the most impressive thing about it all is – inside, outside, in the backfield – he went to work. And for you to be that big of a body and to be able to move around like that as a rookie, and be able to make all the plays that he made, that is special. And when I watch him as a rookie, knowing that he still has a lot to learn, knowing that when he comes in in year two the game is going to slow down for him that much more and they can move him around and use him in so many different ways, that is scary, man.”
Brown finished out the season with 52 catches for 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns, along with an average of 20.2 yards per catch that ranked him second among all NFL receivers.
