duncan228
09-16-2009, 05:06 PM
Jamison Talking Championship (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/wizardsinsider/2009/09/jamison_talking_championship.html?wprss=wizardsins ider)
Michael Lee
Wizards Insider
When Antawn Jamison looks at the Washington Wizards, he doesn't see a team recovering from an embarrassing and deflating 19-win campaign; a team that has struggled through injuries and first-round exits the past few seasons; or a that should be elated with a playoff appearance in the upcoming season. Jamison sees a championship contender bolstered by the additions of Mike Miller, Randy Foye and Fabricio Oberto and the return of a healthy Gilbert Arenas, Brendan Haywood and Deshawn Stevenson.
"I've been around here for six years and championship talk wasn't a norm around our locker room. That's all we're talking about now," Jamsion said, with less than two weeks remaining before training camp. "If we stay healthy, I think we can compete with the upper echelon of the NBA."
And don't try to tell him that he is raising the bar too high.
"I don't care," Jamison said. "What you mean raising the bar too high? We won 19 games last year and I'll be honest with you, we didn't have a lot of our horses. But I don't have anything else to play for. I'm not going to sit here and sugar coat things because it's not the right thing to say. I believe it.
"I believe playing the game the right way and staying healthy, we can compete with Boston, we can compete with Cleveland and Orlando and if you can compete with those teams, you can put yourself in that category as far as teams that can contend for a championship," he said.
Jamison was speaking from Jefferson Junior High School in Southwest, where the 11-year veteran helped launch a nationwide program, HP Digital Assist. The program, sponsored by HP and the NBA, will give about 5,000 students from 100 middle schools in Washington, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami and the San Francisco area the chance to compete for more than $80,000 in HP mobile digital classroom technology, NBA tickets, player visits and other awards.
After delivering a brief speech and presenting some students with laptop computers and a printer, Jamison spoke at length about the Wizards' offseason and his optimism following a regular season that he called "worse than a disappointing season."
Jamison admitted that he was upset with the results in his first season under the four-year, $50-million contract he signed in the summer of 2008. Jamison was expecting to at least make it to the playoffs, not contribute to matching the worst season in franchise history. He played 81 games, missing out on the season finale because of an ankle injury that eventually led to him having surgery to remove bone spurs in May.
"I put in a lot of work this summer," Jamison said. "I'm not doing this just to be doing this. I really believe this can be a special team and if you go about it the right way, it can be a special year."
His attitude toward the team has changed dramatically after the Wizards hired Flip Saunders, made the trade for Miller and Foye, his offseason workouts with Haywood in Charlotte, and conversations with Arenas, who has been working out with renowned trainer Tim Grover in Chicago (http://www.nba.com/wizards/multimedia/arenas_090915.html).
Jamison said Arenas is back to being the confident, braggadocious player he has grown accustomed to playing with for all but four seasons in his career. "I think you're going to get as close Agent Zero as possible," Jamison said. "He has that swagger about himself now. The way he's been talking about certain games have been going for him, pickup games. [He said,] 'I'm splitting double teams again, between the leg.' I'm like [shakes his head]. That's something he hasn't been talking about lately. He's getting closer."
"The thing about this team is, everybody has a chip on his shoulder. You got guys coming back and saying, 'Am I going to come back and be the same player I was before the injury?' You got guys trying to get new contracts. You got guys trying to make a name for themselves. And you got me, trying to lead this team to a championship. That's the only thing that we should be playing for. I think everybody has that mentality."
And Jamison can't contain his enthusiasm. "I'm happy. I love what we have. I love what the organization did. If we stay healthy, the sky's the limit. We have great team chemistry. Guys pull for one other. We've got a new captain of this ship and I love the way he's talking," Jamison said of Saunders. "I love his intensity. This guy's resume speaks for itself. He's accustomed to winning 50 games on a regular. I know he doesn't want to come in a situation and not be close to that. He's accustomed to being on teams that contend for a championship."
Seriously, a championship?
"I'm not afraid to say it all. If we come up short, I mean, it's going to be sad," Jamison said. "I don't plan on accepting winning 40-something games, making it to the playoffs. weve already accomplished that. There's only one thing we have left to accomplish and that's contending for a championship. If that's not the mindset of this organization and my coaching staff and my players, then I don't need to be here.
"If it's not possible, then there's no need for me to be here at all," he said. "That's one the reasons that I signed here ... Last year, put the stamp on a lot of things. Because that was tough. But I can't accept not being able to accomplish the most important thing --what we're trying to do is win a championship. I believe we have what it takes. If it don't get done. it doesn't get done. I'm not going to waste my time, putting on a smile and just playing hard. I think we all deserve the opportunity and I'm happy."
Michael Lee
Wizards Insider
When Antawn Jamison looks at the Washington Wizards, he doesn't see a team recovering from an embarrassing and deflating 19-win campaign; a team that has struggled through injuries and first-round exits the past few seasons; or a that should be elated with a playoff appearance in the upcoming season. Jamison sees a championship contender bolstered by the additions of Mike Miller, Randy Foye and Fabricio Oberto and the return of a healthy Gilbert Arenas, Brendan Haywood and Deshawn Stevenson.
"I've been around here for six years and championship talk wasn't a norm around our locker room. That's all we're talking about now," Jamsion said, with less than two weeks remaining before training camp. "If we stay healthy, I think we can compete with the upper echelon of the NBA."
And don't try to tell him that he is raising the bar too high.
"I don't care," Jamison said. "What you mean raising the bar too high? We won 19 games last year and I'll be honest with you, we didn't have a lot of our horses. But I don't have anything else to play for. I'm not going to sit here and sugar coat things because it's not the right thing to say. I believe it.
"I believe playing the game the right way and staying healthy, we can compete with Boston, we can compete with Cleveland and Orlando and if you can compete with those teams, you can put yourself in that category as far as teams that can contend for a championship," he said.
Jamison was speaking from Jefferson Junior High School in Southwest, where the 11-year veteran helped launch a nationwide program, HP Digital Assist. The program, sponsored by HP and the NBA, will give about 5,000 students from 100 middle schools in Washington, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami and the San Francisco area the chance to compete for more than $80,000 in HP mobile digital classroom technology, NBA tickets, player visits and other awards.
After delivering a brief speech and presenting some students with laptop computers and a printer, Jamison spoke at length about the Wizards' offseason and his optimism following a regular season that he called "worse than a disappointing season."
Jamison admitted that he was upset with the results in his first season under the four-year, $50-million contract he signed in the summer of 2008. Jamison was expecting to at least make it to the playoffs, not contribute to matching the worst season in franchise history. He played 81 games, missing out on the season finale because of an ankle injury that eventually led to him having surgery to remove bone spurs in May.
"I put in a lot of work this summer," Jamison said. "I'm not doing this just to be doing this. I really believe this can be a special team and if you go about it the right way, it can be a special year."
His attitude toward the team has changed dramatically after the Wizards hired Flip Saunders, made the trade for Miller and Foye, his offseason workouts with Haywood in Charlotte, and conversations with Arenas, who has been working out with renowned trainer Tim Grover in Chicago (http://www.nba.com/wizards/multimedia/arenas_090915.html).
Jamison said Arenas is back to being the confident, braggadocious player he has grown accustomed to playing with for all but four seasons in his career. "I think you're going to get as close Agent Zero as possible," Jamison said. "He has that swagger about himself now. The way he's been talking about certain games have been going for him, pickup games. [He said,] 'I'm splitting double teams again, between the leg.' I'm like [shakes his head]. That's something he hasn't been talking about lately. He's getting closer."
"The thing about this team is, everybody has a chip on his shoulder. You got guys coming back and saying, 'Am I going to come back and be the same player I was before the injury?' You got guys trying to get new contracts. You got guys trying to make a name for themselves. And you got me, trying to lead this team to a championship. That's the only thing that we should be playing for. I think everybody has that mentality."
And Jamison can't contain his enthusiasm. "I'm happy. I love what we have. I love what the organization did. If we stay healthy, the sky's the limit. We have great team chemistry. Guys pull for one other. We've got a new captain of this ship and I love the way he's talking," Jamison said of Saunders. "I love his intensity. This guy's resume speaks for itself. He's accustomed to winning 50 games on a regular. I know he doesn't want to come in a situation and not be close to that. He's accustomed to being on teams that contend for a championship."
Seriously, a championship?
"I'm not afraid to say it all. If we come up short, I mean, it's going to be sad," Jamison said. "I don't plan on accepting winning 40-something games, making it to the playoffs. weve already accomplished that. There's only one thing we have left to accomplish and that's contending for a championship. If that's not the mindset of this organization and my coaching staff and my players, then I don't need to be here.
"If it's not possible, then there's no need for me to be here at all," he said. "That's one the reasons that I signed here ... Last year, put the stamp on a lot of things. Because that was tough. But I can't accept not being able to accomplish the most important thing --what we're trying to do is win a championship. I believe we have what it takes. If it don't get done. it doesn't get done. I'm not going to waste my time, putting on a smile and just playing hard. I think we all deserve the opportunity and I'm happy."