Damon Jones: “I Saw It Coming”

During last season’s Cavaliers run in the post-season, we were big advocates of Damon Jones.  The late-season emergence of Devin Brown coupled with the addition of Wally Szczerbiak didn’t bode well for the Handsome One’s playing time, but that did not stop us from grass root efforts. 

But as this season draws closer, the Cavaliers have been on the transaction radar for quite some time.  With Daniel Gibson getting a new contract, the future for Jones was becoming less and less certain; especially with that evervaluable expiring contract of his.  So, it comes as no surprise that Jones himself was not taken aback by his limo driver breaking the news that he had been dealt to Milwaukee.

“Everybody has a sense of shock being moved,” Jones said in a telephone interview Wednesday night. “But I heard the deal was on the table for a while.”

When asked about his future roll with the Bucks, Jones responded with:

“I guess we’ll see,” he said. “I appreciate the organization for moving me if they weren’t going to have a significant role for me in the last year of my contract. At the same time, I’m upset they weren’t able to find a role for me.”

Personally, I wish he would have fit in better with the team as well.  In Miami, Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade were able to draw attention away from the swingmen, and their style of play simply didn’t match what Mike Brown does in Cleveland.  When you take Jones’ inability to guard most point guards along with being undersized to most shooting guards, his liability on D far surpassed his upside if he were to catch fire on the offensive end.

Jones was a very good friend with LeBron James.  He was a good in-game assistant for the coaching staff, even if he were to not see the floor.  Whether it were in drawing up plays or helping the younger players adjust to their match-ups, Jones was an asset to this team.  Unfortuantely, as he was a member of the 12-man roster, his salary is a hit on our cap, and his spot takes away from a position that we could utilize. 

And while Mo Williams is an absolute huge upgrade over Jones for the Cavaliers, a part of me will miss the outlandish suits and ocassional mohawk.  And don’t forget his game-winner two seasons ago against the Wizards.  Though it didn’t necessarily get us past the Pistons (we’ll let LeBron’s epic game take credit for that one), it did pave the way to the Finals.  We could all argue about whether he was worth the money or not.  But either way…Best of luck, Damon.