After posting a league-best 43-11 record throughout the first 54 games of the season, the Cleveland Cavaliers made the biggest move of the trade deadline, acquiring two-time All-Star forward Antawn Jamison from the Washington Wizards.
Though failing to entice Phoenix to part with Amar’e Stoudamire, the Cavs still were able to fleece Washington by acquiring Jamison, along with point guard Sebastian Telfair of the Clippers, in a three-team deal while only giving up center Zydrunus Ilgauskas and a first round pick. Ilguaskas will most likely be bought out and a return to Cleveland should be expected in a few weeks, while the pick would’ve been difficult to grab much talent with regardless with it being, in all likelihood, one of the bottom two picks in the draft.
The biggest concern for Cleveland won’t be the players they gave up, but the chemistry of the team adding a player who will eat up so many minutes. An eight-man rotation Tuesday night keeping forward J.J. Hickson and guard Daniel Gibson on the bench all 48 minutes is enough to show Jamison’s impact, and a possible return by Ilgauskas and even forward Leon Powe from injury should affect playing time even further. Jamison, however, told the Independent Collegian after Monday night’s 105-95 victory over the Hornets that he is starting to blend in with the team.
“Learning certain things, the terminologies as far as what we do offensively and defensively has been the biggest task,” Jamison said. “As long as I’m out there on the court, I’m starting to feel comfortable. They want me to be myself. They don’t want me to do anything outside the norm. They want me to be aggressive offensively, and defensively it’s a little different than what I’ve been accustomed to doing. Other than that, it’s starting to feel normal. It’s starting to feel like home.”
So far Jamison’s comments about defense are on point, as Cleveland has given up 102 points per game with Jamison in the lineup, compared to 95 ppg on the season, the third-lowest total in the NBA. The Cavs have also won just one of four games since the trade, including their first three game losing streak since March 2008.
“We made a lot of mistakes,” center Shaquille O’Neal said. “We’re kind of like a new team out there, so we have to try and get our rhythm back.”
Though the transition has not been seamless, this trade was a huge addition for Cleveland. Jamison’s size and length make him a unique talent in the NBA. Head Coach Mike Brown said it best when he told me on Tuesday that Jamison “can do things offensively that we haven’t had here at the power forward position.” His versatility will help the Cavs match up against forwards Lamar Odom and Rashard Lewis of the Lakers and Magic, respectively, which was one of the biggest advantages that both championship contenders previously held over Cleveland.
The Cavaliers biggest weakness now exists in the paint, where they simply cannot match up against players such as Orlando’s Dwight Howard. While Shaq can play fairly well against the young Magic center, backup Anderson Varejao simply cannot stop him. With Ilgauskas gone, the Cavs now have just 12 fouls to contain Howard instead of 18. Though a return by “Z” seems extremely likely, if he doesn’t come back to a Cleveland uniform the Cavs should worry more about Orlando in the playoffs than a matchup with the defending champion Lakers.
Jamison’s addition has also been added to a long list attempts by Danny Ferry to surround star LeBron James with talent since taking over as General Manager in 2005. James has always stated that his biggest wish is to be on a winning team, and if he leaves at the end of the season Cleveland will know they did everything in their power to keep him around.
The one interesting aspect of this trade that has been rarely talked about is Jamison’s contract. Taking on nearly $12 million per season over the next two years means the Cavs can’t go under the cap if James does leave in free agency.
That being said, if James leaves Cleveland the Cavs are pretty much screwed regardless so the Jamison acquisition was a necessary risk. He is a perfect fit for this team and gives Cleveland a much better chance of winning the NBA Championship than they had just a week ago. Considering his price tag was so low, especially if (or when) Ilgauskas returns, the trade was a no-brainer.
“Being alongside LeBron and the rest of these guys is unbelievable,” Jamison said. “The most important thing is to have an opportunity to accomplish a championship. It’s what it’s all about. I’m definitely blessed and grateful to be in this situation, and hopefully I can take advantage of it.”
With Jamison on the roster, the Cavs should be favored to get him a chance to play for that championship in June.
— Zach Davis is the Sports Editor and a senior majoring in communication. He contributes to Scout.com and UWire.com.
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