Suns To Sign Dwayne Jones For The Season

OK? I’m now nervous about Robin Lopez and need some comforting.

Congrats, Dwayne!

What does this do to your playoff picks? Where do the Toros rank now, in your opinion?

It’s very unfortunate for the Phoenix Suns that Robin Lopez is out indefinitely with a bulging disc in his back; yet, Jones should be able to slide right in and take his place without too much trouble.

With Lopez injured, the Suns frontline depth took a major hit at center. Channing Frye, who’s listed as a center, is honestly a stretch 4 — even though his ability to shoot it efficiently from downtown makes him a good option to come off the bench and play alongside a high-motor banger like Louis Amundson — while Jarron Collins is the epitome of suck.

Other than set nice picks and take an occasional charge, Collins seriously can’t do jack squat out on the court. Compared to Collins, Jones is a vastly superior offensive rebounder, defensive rebounder, man-to-man interior defender, and back-to-the-basket scorer on the low block. Dammit, it boggles my freakin’ mind that him and his twin brother, Jason, managed to get NBA contracts this season.

Anyway, next to a proficient pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop scorer at the 4 in Amar’e Stoudemire, Jones’ low-usage style of play at the pivot on offense — as his touches in Phoenix will mostly come off of put backs from cleaning the offensive glass rather than set plays — and unquestionable fortitude on defense will surely make the Suns a more formidable, imposing threat come playoff time.

I don’t think that basketball operation heads Steve Kerr and David Griffin should stop at signing Jones, though. As it stands, the Suns are still in real need of an inside player who’s a great weakside help defender and shot blocker. Thus, with its remaining open roster spot, the Suns ought to give the following man a much-deserved call-up: Rod Benson.

Hell, Benson is certainly superior to craptacular scrubs like Collins and Taylor Griffin — who was drafted solely ‘cause he’s Blake Griffin’s brother — and, without a doubt, the Reno stud would make for a nice fifth rotational big to play spot minutes behind Jones, Stoudemire, Frye, and Amundson.

And, even if Lopez returns in time for the playoffs, Benson would still make for a great 12th man who could play emergency minutes if a fellow big suffers from foul trouble or an in-game injury. Besides, if guys with Benson’s exact same skill set like Dan Gadzuric and Theo Ratliff spend years collecting a NBA paycheck, then there’s got to be room for “Boom Tho” somewhere.

Y’know, I’d even go a step further and suggest the Suns should clear another roster spot by releasing Collins and bringing in Greg Stiemsma — whose shot blocking prowess makes him statistically seem on paper like a clean-cut, D-League version of Chris Andersen — however, I doubt Robert Sarver would eat money like that.

Yet, if Sarver manned up and loosen those tight purse strings, then Collins shouldn’t be the only guy cast to the wayside, for Griffin would be sent packing with him. Griffin’s spot on the Suns as its third-string power forward could be replaced with a stretch 4 like Rob Kurz, who’d mesh perfectly within the Suns up-tempo, run-and-gun offense that’s got little regard for defense.