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It costs them more: Chris Jones is waiting for Maccabi Tel Aviv

The decision to release the center in the summer was accompanied by many disagreements and doubts: the cost of the Keenan Evans deal was higher, the club estimated that Jones would be better this season - but in the end the fortunes fell.

Tonight at 9pm, the Wheelerban star will meet the ex

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• Chris Jones

• Maccabi Tel Aviv

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Thursday, October 14, 2021, 12:00 p.m.

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"I think we brought in a better player," Yannis Sapropoulos replied when I asked him about the decision not to continue with Chris Jones for another season.

The answer of the Maccabi Tel Aviv coach may have arranged the stars in the sky, because meanwhile Jones is one of the most prominent stars in the Euroleague with 18 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per evening, while his seemingly better replacement, Keenan Evans, stands at 3.3 points, 2 rebounds And 1.3 assists.

The decision to break up with Jones was not an easy one, and was accompanied during the summer by much deliberation on the part of the Yellows' heads.

Now that they have received her and are forced to live with her, they will be hosted tonight (Thursday, 21:00) by the new ex and his team Wheelerban, who together make up a perfect balance of 0: 3.

More on Walla!

A loss to Wheelerban may lead to changes in Maccabi Tel Aviv

To the full article

18 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

Chris Jones vs. Anadolu Zero (Photo: Official Website, Wheelerban)

At the end of the second game in the playoff final series, against Hapoel Gilboa / Galil, two news items were published in the media at the same time: the first, in Israel, said that Evans had summed up his terms at the club for the upcoming season; And in the second, from Spain, it was reported that Barcelona turned to Chris Jones and other teams in the Euroleague are following him.

At the end of Operation The Wall Guard, Jones' family left Israel, and the actor found it very difficult on his own. Despite this, he showed 27 points in the playoff semifinal against Hapoel Eilat, dragged his team to the final and finished his first season in the yellow uniform with a championship and completely reasonable numbers in the Euroleague of 7 points and almost 3 assists per game - probably in relation to Maccabi season, his minutes and the fact that Scotty Wilbkin is the main player next to him, and actually in front of him.

Jones caused a stir behind the scenes.

One version claims that the professional director Nikola Vujicic was the one who pushed for Evans' signing, a second version claims that there was a desire of the system to leave Jones by his side, and that Yannis Sapropoulos was determined to release him.

What was clear was that there was no consensus on what to do with Jones, and news began to circulate in the media that he was expected to continue.

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Along with the improvement and compensation fees, its cost reached $ 350,000.

Keenan Evans (Photo: Official website, courtesy of Maccabi Tel Aviv)

"I will leave it to Maccabi and my agent. I want to enjoy the celebrations. The rumors are rumors, and have been so all season. There have been rumors during the season that they want to send me home, that they want me to stay. I stayed true to myself. I do not think about next season, "I just want to get home safely to my family in Dallas. We'll make the decisions after that." Jones said these things to Walla! Sports during the championship celebrations.

Indeed, at the end of the season, Jones' representatives contacted Maccabi to find out what was happening with him. According to his agents - Barcelona, ​​Kazan, Fenerbahce, Zenit St. Petersburg and Panathinaikos were in the picture at the end of June, but Maccabi Tel Aviv delayed the decision. "When you are not given an answer, it is more encouraging than being told he will not continue." However, on July 7, Maccabi Tel Aviv gave up on Jones, and less than two weeks later he signed with one of the only teams left in the market, Wheelerban.

Jones' contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv was supposed to be about $ 275,000 this season, about $ 50,000 more than last season, when before that Maccabi paid Borsaspor compensation of about $ 50,000.

Also in relation to his numbers from last season, this is an investment that seems extremely successful.

In practice, the champion chose to add Evans, who together with his salary, the improvement fee paid to Hapoel Haifa and the compensation to Jones, cost her over $ 350,000.

Relative to the premiere season, and the fact that Wilbkin was ahead of him, he was not bad.

Jones at Maccabi Tel Aviv (Photo: Udi Citation)

Jones, and now Evans, are joining a long list of bets that Maccabi Tel Aviv has taken in recent years on players who will make their leap. The list includes Kendrick Ray, Michael Roll, Angelo Cloiaro, DJ Seeley, Nate Linhart and Jonah Bolden, with the model that stood out to the Yellows in 2012 - and his name is Ricky Hickman. Common to most players was lack of success, and release. The more successful ones, those who recorded a reasonable debut season, went on to record a better second season. But even if Jones was not considered a success story, he certainly would not have been a great failure.

"It was clear that Chris would be better off in his sophomore year," says one of the club's staff. Some Maccabi Tel Aviv players, who continued for another season, even admitted during the last vacation that they were surprised by the very release of Jones.

Jones became a landlord in Wheelerban.

Coach TJ Parker praised him after scoring a three-pointer last week in the French league.

“He fitted in exceptionally well,” he said.

"He has high season experience from last season and he brings it."

According to club officials, owner Tony Parker himself has already spoken to Jones several times and expressed his satisfaction with him.

If you ask Jones himself, you will not hear the word revenge from him.

This is at the end of the day a shy man, who made it all the way from Mongolia and Switzerland to the Euroleague.

"We believe in each other," he said last week of what was happening in his new team.

"We have the confidence. We are trying to build something, and we need to keep moving forward."

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