Antawn Jamison's Role Next Year

[dnk]

Jamison off the bench, I dont see it. 22 ponints a game 9 boards and 38 Dbl/Dbl games (9th in the NBA.)

Who would fill his shoes? That's a lot of production to miss every night.

Asking your captin to come off the bench seems a little odd to me.

Could Griffin match Jamison's production of 22 & 9 every night? No, I'm sure he won't. But can have a bigger impact? I think he can and will. "Captain Antawn" is the master of getting his numbers while his team loses. I suspect that Griffin could potentially be a better rebounder off the bat and may actually not be a total sieve on the defensive end of the court.

I would love to see Griffin & Jamison matched up in practice. The way Antawn plays defense Griffin would absolutely destroy him. I don't see Jamison matching up very well against Griffin athletically or physically. It would be a total mismatch.

Yes or no, dont puss out dat33.

Probably not my place, I think it needs to be said. Chill out a little.

[tkunit]

starting at sf because we traded butler.



his role will be the same as this year starting PF, I just really hope Flip using him better and has him flashing through the post for flip shots lol and Oreb. Its 2010-2011 that we might see him come off as the 6th man, depending on how Griffin comes along.

[tkunit]

Have you seen Griffin play D in college AJ would lite him up in practice.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

At a point very late in the season, Griffin's per-40 pace adjusted averages were 26 points and 16 rebounds. He played enough minutes to average 14 rebounds a game in college.

Given over 25 minutes, I predict Griffin would EASILY average 9 rebounds (like Antawn does playing 38 to 40 minutes nightly). I say Griffin's a better rebounder than a good-rebounding Jamison.

FWIW, DeJuan Blair's per-40 minute averages in the NCAA were 24 points and 19 rebounds. He averaged over 9 offensive rebounds per 40 minutes. I think Blair is a better rebounder than Kevin Love, the best offensive rebounder in NBA. I think he's better than Danny Fortson, one of the great NBA rebounders. I think, like Glenn Davis, that Blair will come into the league and defy those who only go by the eye test and who predict he'll struggle in the NBA. By what I can tell, tangible stats and intangibles like his teams winning at every level to include HS, AAU, youth international play, NCAAs--Blair is going to be a great, great player. Perhaps better than Boozer or Millsap.

That, or he'll make me look bad by getting Sweetney-esque fat!

What do these two have to do with Jamison: I'd take either as potential upgrades over a good NBA player, Jamison.

Blair can't defend the pick and roll well, but he gets a lot of steals, is a wall to get around in half court, and could actually benefit going to the NBA where he will get one additional foul and more leeway on contact than he did in the NCAA. After watching Big Baby Davis, I see a role for Blair at PF or C in the NBA. His defense is very underrated as is his ability to convert putbacks.

I think the whole Griffin debate vs Antawn reminds me of when Charles Barkley came to the Sixers team that had Moses and (an older than AJ in terms of age and ability) Doctor J. Those guys couldn't run, jump, and dunk like Barkley. Dr J, like Jamison, wasn't a bull of a physical player. Barkley always was the type to try to rip the rim off. Griffin can do things Jamison never could and IMO will be a better basketball player than Antawn. I remember feeling astonished that Barkley, a fat guy from Auburn, was better than an all time NBA great pretty much right away.

I think Griffin might be better on day 1 than Jamison, and that's no knock on Jamison.

Another comparison: Rookie Tim Duncan came into the NBA and worked with David Robinson and they won it all. If the Wizards luck out and draft Griffin I would like them to start him with Jamison over Butler at SF, because Blake's a good passer and Jamison would be open all day long. Antawn's a better rebounder at SF and he can post up better at SF than Caron. (This past season Jamison owned his matchups at SF far better than Caron did.) In my scenario Caron would become the Wizards Ginobili -on the court at the end of the games and would still average near 20 ppg and 35-38 minutes a game.

What a great luxury to have!

[FreeBalling]

At a point very late in the season, Griffin's per-40 pace adjusted averages were 26 points and 16 rebounds. He played enough minutes to average 14 rebounds a game in college.

Given over 25 minutes, I predict Griffin would EASILY average 9 rebounds (like Antawn does playing 38 to 40 minutes nightly). I say Griffin's a better rebounder than a good-rebounding Jamison.

You, guys are setting a bar very high, Tim Duncan produced these types of numbers in his 1st year. He's arguably one of the top 5 players of all time. I don't know this answer, but you think he going to be a Tim Duncan type of player. WOW.

Dont get me wrong, I want the kid. I just hate when people diss AJ all the time, the man is a true professional and I'm happy we have him.

[DaRealHibachi]

Have you seen Griffin play D in college AJ would lite him up in practice.

I thought Griffin was passive on D b/c he was his team only real scorer and they wanted to keep him out of foul trouble...

[sfam]

I think the whole Griffin debate vs Antawn reminds me of when Charles Barkley came to the Sixers team that had Moses and (an older than AJ in terms of age and ability) Doctor J. Those guys couldn't run, jump, and dunk like Barkley. Dr J, like Jamison, wasn't a bull of a physical player. Barkley always was the type to try to rip the rim off. Griffin can do things Jamison never could and IMO will be a better basketball player than Antawn. I remember feeling astonished that Barkley, a fat guy from Auburn, was better than an all time NBA great pretty much right away.[

Maybe this is a minor quibble, or perhaps I don't read your post correctly. But it almost sounds as if you are comparing Jamison with Moses Malone in terms of age an ability. Moses was an absolute dominant post-up Center. He had a huge repertoire of shots, but a 3 point shot wasn't one of them. He also was terrific on D, with more RBS per game and a decent blocked shot average. Nor was Moses anything like Barkley - who was not coming in to play center.

That said I agree that Griffin has a very different game than Antwan - one that solves a huge weakness for us. I would be really surprised if Griffin was Labron James good coming into the league, but if he is, he'll start. I too think it would be a shift of James and Butler to the 2 and 3. 'Cause really we just don't have anything resembling a starting SG.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I think the whole Griffin debate vs Antawn reminds me of when Charles Barkley came to the Sixers team that had Moses and (an older than AJ in terms of age and ability) Doctor J. Those guys couldn't run, jump, and dunk like Barkley. Dr J, like Jamison, wasn't a bull of a physical player. Barkley always was the type to try to rip the rim off. Griffin can do things Jamison never could and IMO will be a better basketball player than Antawn. I remember feeling astonished that Barkley, a fat guy from Auburn, was better than an all time NBA great pretty much right away.[

Maybe this is a minor quibble, or perhaps I don't read your post correctly. But it almost sounds as if you are comparing Jamison with Moses Malone in terms of age an ability. Moses was an absolute dominant post-up Center. He had a huge repertoire of shots, but a 3 point shot wasn't one of them. He also was terrific on D, with more RBS per game and a decent blocked shot average. Nor was Moses anything like Barkley - who was not coming in to play center.

That said I agree that Griffin has a very different game than Antwan - one that solves a huge weakness for us. I would be really surprised if Griffin was Labron James good coming into the league, but if he is, he'll start. I too think it would be a shift of James and Butler to the 2 and 3. 'Cause really we just don't have anything resembling a starting SG.

The comparison was Jamison to Dr J, but I understand why I confused you, sfam. Barkley/Dr J and Griffin/Jamison is the intended analogy.

I probably should have left Moses Malone out of the post entirely.

All I was saying is a rookie came in and outperformed guys who were STILL NBA all stars. Griffin would do the same if he started in place of Jamison, or if Butler were at SG or traded (I'd want McGuire at SG over Caron because of his passing, defense, and impact without FGAs) and Jamison was the SF the duo of Griffin with Jamison would be better IMO).

I think Griffin's that good. Like Barkley, he can replace a legendary player.

[Dat2U]

You, guys are setting a bar very high, Tim Duncan produced these types of numbers in his 1st year. He's arguably one of the top 5 players of all time. I don't know this answer, but you think he going to be a Tim Duncan type of player. WOW.

Dont get me wrong, I want the kid. I just hate when people diss AJ all the time, the man is a true professional and I'm happy we have him.

And you've set the bar to high as well. Jamison's numbers are nice, but they're a product of playing 40 minutes a night while being the #1 option on a 19-63 team. I'm sorry but those numbers don't mean much off anything. Like CCJ, I do think Griffin will come in and immediately be a better rebounder. 9 rebs in 40 minutes for a PF is okay, but not special. Griffin was a special rebounder in college, I could see him getting 9 in 30 minutes or less a night.

But Griffin's real advantage over Jamison is his size. He's a natural PF. He won't be overmatched by anyone. He's a physical freak of nature in terms of strength & explosiveness. While he was not asked to defend in college b/c of potential foul trouble I have no doubt he's got the ability to defend at the NBA level. I think Griffin won't put up Jamison's numbers next year but he'll have a greater impact in helping the team win games.

If I had to choose either player for next season only, I'd choose Griffin b/c he has a real position and the athleticism to make a difference on both sides of the court.

[fishercob]

http://www.truthaboutit.net/2009/04/que ... mison.html

This fits into this discussion quite well...

[no D in Hibachi]

http://www.truthaboutit.net/2009/04/questioning-antawn-jamison.html

This fits into this discussion quite well...

Fish, great find! I found this segment of the article particularly interesting. It totally S**** in the face that Jamison is such a professional player. What a d-bag type thing to do.

Still unhappy, Jamison elected to bitch and complain behind closed doors, while Haywood showed his ill will of emotions on the bench. The two were back in the starting lineup the next night in Atlanta, where the Wizards beat the Hawks for the second time in three games.

According to Jordan, Jamison gave him an "I told you so!" after hitting a 7-foot jumper with 18 seconds left in regulation, tying the game at 99 and sending it to OT. The Wiz outscored Atlanta 15-7 in OT, making the final 114-106.

What Jamison failed recognize was that his team had just given up 106 points on 45.5% shooting to a Hawks team they held to 72 points on 39.4%FGs just three nights before. The Wizards also got out-rebounded by seven, 45-38, when they previously killed Atlanta on the boards with a +21.

[fishercob]

It's a nice read, but not particularly illuminating. I don't think you're going to find anyone on these boards who didn't wish we had the personnel to allow Jamison to be 6th man. I know I'm not the only one who hoped Blatche would be better faster -- that he'd tap into that talent and p-p-p-potential. We'll see, maybe an offseason with Gil riding him will do the trick.

Jamison is what he is. No one ever claimed he was a perfect player or person -- though Dat has fun with his "great leader of men" straw man. He's a high-level offensive role player on an elite team. If we land Blake or if Blatche grows up, maybe he gets to play that role in the next couple of years.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

http://www.truthaboutit.net/2009/04/questioning-antawn-jamison.html

This fits into this discussion quite well...

Great find, fishercob! I part8cularly love the bottom line:

Improved defense is a must. What the Wizards, and Saunders, need to know is if Jamison is able to swallow his pride, suppress any hubris, and come off the bench. If the team wants to win, and no one is immune to sacrifice, then the Gentlemen Jamison should be willing to hold the door for someone else.

I think Jamison OR Butler need to swallow their pride because this season proved one thing emphatically--the duo is not dynamic. They are good enough together to get a team beat. Haywood's been saving them for years.

This season's player pair counterpart data on 82 games suggests the Wizards would have been better off with Songaila and Butler OR Jamison and Songaila than with Butler and Jamison together.

I believe Griffin or Blair with either guy makes the duo better, if not next season, within a couple.