<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">People in Philadelphia only know him because of the Bobby Jones who helped lead the 76ers to the 1982-83 NBA championship as a teammate of Maurice Cheeks, now the team's coach. The elder Jones was a defensive specialist, just like his rookie namesake was for the Huskies. It's a skill the organization hopes Jones continues in the NBA. In fact, Cheeks wants his 3-3 team to improve its defense on a three-game road swing beginning tonight against the Sonics (4-4) at KeyArena, possibly activating Jones to have another defender in the rotation. Jones, who requested 15 tickets, was inactive for the team's first five games and has yet to make his pro debut. "I'm not afraid to play him because he's a defender, he can get his hands on a lot of balls and turn the game around just on the type of energy he puts out on the floor," Cheeks said. Can the former Husky remind people of the Bobby Jones who came before him in Philly? "Maybe in time there will be a similarity," Cheeks said. "When I got to play with Bobby Jones years ago, he was a very seasoned guy, understood what it took to win games and was always put on the top offensive player. It's going to take awhile, but [younger] Bobby Jones is going to be a good one because he understands what he needs to do to play." Iverson helped mold Jones' mind-set. The link between the two began in Barcelona, where the 76ers held training camp. Philadelphia has four rookies to divvy the traditional NBA "hazing" duties, such as carrying the veterans' luggage, and Cheeks told Jones he had the responsibility of waking Iverson 30 minutes before practice. Jones assumed he only needed to do that once, and didn't wake the 76ers star the next day. "I got in trouble," Jones said. "He [Iverson] told me to follow him wherever he goes, five feet behind him like a bodyguard. And whatever he wants me to do, I just have to do." But Jones had some space Tuesday, attending Washington's game against Northern Iowa. "It's different, I'm not going to lie," said Jones of getting to know Iverson. "Every other day somebody calls me to ask, 'How is it like to play with him? Is he a good person?' because he's a superstar all around the world.</div> Source
I'm surprised Jones and Iverson are becoming close. They seem to come from completely opposite ends of the spectrum both on the court and off. Hopefully, they can help each other become better players.
