Antawn Jamison did not get off to the most auspicious of starts in Cleveland Cavaliers colours. In fact, you could say that he got off to the worst start possible. No other player in NBA history has had as poor a shooting outing in their debut game with a new team. Jamison missed all 12 of his field goal attempts against the Charlotte Bobcats on February 19th, in a 110-93 loss. Corie Blount would have been wringing his hands with glee as his previous record for futility with a new team, of 10 attempts without a make, was broken.
Since that game, where he scored two points on free throws, Jamison has returned close to the all-star form of old. He is averaging 14.5ppg and 7.8rpg so far in his six games with the Cavs, down on his 20.5ppg and 8.8rpg to start the season with the Washington Wizards. Of course, that first game killed those averages for the time being.
I like Jamison. I like his game and his no-nonsense attitude to being a good player and a good teammate. He doesn’t cause trouble and he certainly deserves to have made the move from a program that was in shambles like the Wizards, to a contender for the chip in Cleveland. The big question now is, will Jamison be that strong second fiddle every night, to King James?
His last two games, where he put up 22/11 and 17/12 nights in Cavs wins would suggest so. He’s a great running mate for James, in that he lightens the scoring load for the Cavs’ star, providing a target for LBJ’s finely tuned passing abilities. In addition, he grabs his fair share of boards — something that will be needed in high demand until the return of both Shaquille O’Neal (surgery) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas (exile and prodigal son return) in the Cleveland paint.
How does this leave the Cavs looking for the playoffs? Even assuming that perhaps Shaq can not come back to the team in time for the playoffs after mending his big paw, you have to look at this team as an upgrade on last season’s version. Mo Williams, (now fully integrated into the team) Boobie Gibson and Delonte West still roam the backcourt, but they’ve been joined by the very able Anthony Parker at shooting guard, an improvement on the corpse of Wally Szczerbiak, particularly defensively. LeBron remains the vital cog that makes the whole thing run from the point-forward position.
Meanwhile, up front we see the likely return of Big Z in wine and gold (albeit a slightly older version) alongside the continued hustle of Anderson Varejao. In addition there is an increased role for JJ Hickson, coupled with the arrival of Leon Powe, meaning that the Ben Wallace we saw in Cleveland is not missed and Joe Smith’s departure is covered for. Jamario Moon and Jawad Williams get the remainder of the scrap minutes at forward.
So what does this all mean? In short, we have essentially the same team that lost 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals last season to the Orlando Magic, however with one vital added ingredient: Antawn Cortez Jamison. Sure, he only has about 20 games to integrate himself into the team, but his addition should mean wonders in helping to get this team over the hump. Having a trio of James, Jamison and Williams to pack a scoring punch, along with the potential contributions (Danny Ferry’s fingers crossed) of Shaq and Big Z, makes for a potent attack.
Will we see the Cavs get over the hump this year and not only get back to the Finals but even beat the Los Angeles Lakers there? It will be interesting to watch. Check out footage of Jamison adjusting nicely to his new Cavs uniform (courtesy of NoYork):
