Cramer: Jamison to the Cavs

Danny Ferry, you are a genius. Take this fact in for a second: courtesy of @CavsWitness:

"Ferry has turned Hughes, Gooden, Marshall, Newble, Brown, Simmons, Wallace, Smith, Jones, Pavlovic & Z (?) into Mo, West, Shaq and Jamison."

That is an unbelievable job by Mr. Ferry and the Cavs finally acquired the "stretch 4" that fans have been begging for since they lost to Orlando last year in the ECF. Look at this potential starting line-up for the Cavs:

PG: Mo Williams
SG: Anthony Parker
SF: LeBron James
PF: Antawn Jamison
C: Shaq

The front court players are each a little past their prime, but this team is an absolute force to be reckoned with (imagine how could they would have been 5 years ago). Throw in the fact that they already had a 2 game lead for the best record in the NBA (pre-trade for Jamison), and had handled the better teams in the NBA, and you're looking at the bonafide favorites to win the Eastern Conference, and maybe even the NBA Finals.

The one gripe Cavs fans will have with this one is that it doesn't really help their future. Jamison is 33, and though he's still playing at a high level, it's not likely that his addition alone will convince LeBron not to bolt for the Knicks or Clippers (or Heat, or Thunder, or Timberwolves!?).

But hey, Cleveland, when was the last time you won anything? Enjoy this team while you can. Barring any injuries, you should expect to see this team playing well into the playoffs.

A lot of sources had Amare coming to Cleveland for Z and J.J. Hickson. Though Amare is a better talent than Jamison, he doesn't fit better in the Cavs system. Antawn will space the floor even more with Shaq out there, and will be a nice scorer to keep on the floor when LeBron gets his breathers. Amare would have clogged the paint more, demanded more touches, and played less defense. Additionally, Amare is a tad bit immature for this team, while Jamison is a seasoned vet who just wants to win.

Conclusion: as long as Z is bought out by Washington and returns to Cleveland, the Cavs acquired Jamison for a 1st round draft pick (that could be a #1 or #30 pick depending on whether or not 'Bron leaves). This trade is an absolute steal for the Cavs for this year though.
Grade: A-

Check back soon for other NBA trade deadline happenings, along with my 3 biggest disappointments from the first half of the season!