Dwayne Wade

[z0sa]

I have a crush on 1Parker1.

you too? lol

on a more serious note, damon jones is a of a shooter. I think hes going to fit in well as a cav as soon as he sees all the trouble Miami is going to be having chemistry wise.

[CaptainLate]

By the way Damon Jones sprained his ankle badly in that game. That might have to something with why he struggled.

From Ric Bucher article: "I've been scratching my head from Day One," (Damon Jones) said. "I can't give you a real reason why (an extreme makeover) had to be done. We lost to the defending champions with a whole lot of things that didn't get airplay. Udonis [Haslem] had a broken finger; Eddie [Jones] was having knee problems; Dwyane was hurt; and I got two cortisone shots in my ankle so I could play in Game 7. Pat Riley had a vision of, I don't know, the Showtime Lakers and a bunch of big names. I just wish we could've done what the Detroits and San Antonios and even the Lakers in their championship years did -- keep everybody together and build that championship continuity."

[CaptainLate]

Without Damon Jones, the Heat now have this for choices per Ira Winderman
of Sun-Sentinel.com


Free agents who might fit Heat's need for outside shooting:
Published September 25, 2005

Player, Comment

Casey Jacobsen -- Got early look from Heat, but only 6 feet 6

Jason Kapono -- Restricted free agent requires 2-year offer

Kerry Kittles-- Injury-plagued veteran brings many questions

Walter McCarty -- Portland already has expressed strong interest

Anthony Peeler -- 35, and at 6-4 doesn't fill need at small forward

Glenn Robinson -- Pat Riley recently downplayed possibility

Rodney White -- Interest has waned on player who needs ball

[CaptainLate]

And then you have this from the same Sun-Sentinel writer:

And Payton's place?
Published September 25, 2005

There is no debate. Or is there?

"I traded for Jason Williams because we needed a starting point guard," Heat President Pat Riley said Friday.

That trade, of course, was back on Aug. 2, when Gary Payton still was perceived as a big-ticket item in free agency, one seemingly beyond the Heat's grasp.

Now Payton is here. And now the issue could be how Williams reacts to the latest in a career-long string of challenges.

During his final year with the Kings, Williams often lost out on meaningful late-game minutes to Bobby Jackson. Then, over the past three years in Memphis, those same crucial minutes often were spent on the bench in favor of Earl Watson.

Now a future Hall of Famer is waiting in the wings.

"I don't think your best players or most talented or most versatile players will necessarily start," Riley said the day after signing Payton.

While that might have worked with Riley's championship Lakers, when Kurt Rambis, clearly an inferior talent, started ahead of Bob McAdoo, this is a different era. Starters now are greeted by fireworks, lasers, video tributes, semi-naked dancers. Reserves are mumbled into action during stoppages.

While Williams, at 29, clearly has the younger legs, Payton, at 37, hardly enters Stan Van Gundy's training camp at a comparative disadvantage.

Last season, with both playing as starters, Payton averaged more points (11.3 to 10.1), rebounds (3.1-1.7), assists (6.1-5.6) and steals (1.14-1.06), shot far better from the field (.468-.413) and slightly better on 3-pointers (.326-.324). Granted Payton did it in an average of 33 minutes a game to 27.5 for Williams, but that also spoke to the confidence from their respective coaches in Boston and Memphis.

With Williams under contract for three more years at more than $24 million, and with Payton on a one-year deal at the $1.1 million minimum, there are far too many considerations for the front office to encourage open compe ion.

Riley said the right thing last week: "It's whatever Stan wants and whoever he sees is in the best interest."

But it's about more than that. It's about Riley, from the top of the organization, making it work with a rotation of those who have almost exclusively played as starters most of their careers, be it Payton, Antoine Walker, James Posey or even Alonzo Mourning.

Riley, in fact, sounded none too pleased to learn Walker recently told ESPN.com, "I've never come off the bench in my career, so I'm not even looking at that as a possible option."

"There's not going to be any issue about who starts, who plays at the end of the game," Riley said. "The less they talk about it, the better it will be."

Should Walker emerge as starting power forward, Udonis Haslem likely would thrive off the bench, a role from which he emerged two years ago as a rookie.

Should Walker start at small forward, Posey already has proved a capable reserve.

But the Williams situation is different. Too many games have been played in recent years with the former Gators guard looking over his shoulder. By not bringing back in bent starter Damon Jones, the Heat seemingly defused that issue. Now, with Payton in place, a player who has not played as a reserve in more than a decade, how can a healthy debate not ensue?

"To me," Riley said, "Jason Williams is probably the guy we're going to start."

So, in essence, Williams' Heat tenure begins punctuated the same way his Grizzlies tenure ended -- with a question mark.

[CaptainLate]

No wonder Sean Seveney of SportingNews recently wrote in his article "A cruel, cruel summer? Not for every team"

If you live in San Antonio, just turn the page. Go on. Skip this; it doesn't apply to you. The Spurs are the defending NBA champs, and their biggest loss this offseason was local hero Devin Brown. They replaced him by signing -- ahem -- Michael Finley, a two-time All-Star. Kind of takes the sting out of losing Brown, don't you think?

No other team had the summer the Spurs did, though. While they were dancing through the tulips with new signees Finley, Nick Van Exel and Fabricio Oberto, 29 other teams were high-stepping through a minefield. Every positive came with a negative.



The 29 other teams are going:

[Marklar MM]

Trust me. Damon Jones may be a semi-decent pg who can shoot a 3 when he is wide open, but come playoff time, he is about as reliable as a donkeys ass.

[Obstructed_View]

Trust me. Damon Jones may be a semi-decent pg who can shoot a 3 when he is wide open, but come playoff time, he is about as reliable as a donkeys ass.

You mean, come playoff time with an injured Shaq and and injured Wade? If that's what you mean then I agree with you, however with the injuries they had he was hardly wide open. As a Pistons fan you should be grateful for those injuries, and I'm surprised you don't give the Detroit D any more credit than you do.

Just playing devil's advocate here.