CLEVELAND - Looking back with the benefit of perspective, Damon Jones said he was operating in a state of shock for much of his first season as a Cavalier.
In a year, Jones went from being a blue-collar role player in Milwaukee to the starting point guard on the flashy Miami Heat and a career season. In a whoosh, the undrafted former CBA player from Houston had a dazzling $16 million contract in Cleveland, a lucrative shoe deal with a Chinese company and all the status that came with it.
At his news conference on the day of his signing, Jones famously claimed he was ``one of the top five shooters in the world.'' He showed up to games in leopard-skin sport coats and said he didn't believe in pregame warmups because he was ``wasting makes.''
Not long after, Jones lost the battle for the starting point-guard job to Eric Snow, then started the season in a prolonged shooting slump that left him feuding with the home crowd, which booed him.
``There was a shock of playing a different role than I had played the year before,'' Jones said. ``I was coming off the success I had and the success we had as a team in Miami. My role was changed drastically, and it was part of my problem.''
Which is why now, after a stellar first month of his second season with the Cavs, Jones feels as if a little pressure has been relieved.
After promising to return in better shape physically and with a more basketball-centric mind-set, Jones has been one of the NBA's top reserves in November. He's averaging 9.9 points a game, and his shooting has returned to the level it was in Miami. He is making 42 percent of his 3-point attempts and 45 percent overall. He also has been the Cavs' best free-throw shooter, at 86 percent.
``I do have a sense of relief,'' Jones acknowledged. ``But I still have a long way to go.''
By the end of last season, Jones had righted the ship somewhat. He started playing better after the All-Star break, and over the last 15 games of the season, he shot almost 50 percent on 3-pointers. He ended up leading all NBA reserves in 3-pointers made and, of course, hit a jumper that put the Cavs in the second round of the playoffs.
Still, all of his percentages were down, and he was hearing his name in trade rumors.
Building on the momentum of the end of the season, Jones spent two months working out in Las Vegas. When he reported for training camp, he was again promising big things. But this time, it wasn't with flair; it was with mettle. So far, he's been true to his word.
``Going into the summer, whether I was going to be here or traded somewhere, I was going to be the player I'm capable of being,'' Jones said. ``I had two great months of training, and I'm a more confident player because of it.''
My Favorite 10 in order Lebron • Wade • Ginobili • Deron Williams • A. Miller • Delonte West • Anderson Varejao • Dirk • Stephen Curry • Igoudala
Quote:
There is a tension, peculiar to basketball, between the interests of the team and the interests of the individual. The game continually tempts the people who play it to do things that are not in the interest of the group.
The formula for breaking out of a slump is never the same for everyone. Damon Jones' formula: Spike Lee on the sidelines in a courtside seat and the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.
Jones started the season with 27 points in six games, but erupted for 29 in 28 minutes of the Cavaliers' 102-96 victory over the Knicks in New York on Nov. 3.
The two teams meet again on Wednesday night at The Q.
<script language="JavaScript1.1" src="http://ads.cleveland.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_jx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s4/s4cav/@StoryAd"><script language="JavaScript"> <!-- if (parseFloat(navigator.appVersion) == 0) { document.write('<IFRAME WIDTH=468 HEIGHT=60 MARGINWIDTH=0 MARGINHEIGHT=0 HSPACE=0 VSPACE=0 FRAMEBORDER=0 SCROLLING=no BORDERCOLOR="#000000" SRC="http://ads.cleveland.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_sx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s4/s4cav/@StoryAd"></IFRAME>'); } --></script> <noscript> <a href="http://ads.cleveland.com/RealMedia/ads/click_nx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s4/s4cav/@StoryAd?x"><img src="http://ads.cleveland.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_nx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s4/s4cav/@StoryAd?x"></a> </noscript> Jones took advantage of the Knicks opting to drop off on LeBron James in the first game, hitting 7 of 10 shots from 3-point range to tie a club record. He had 24 points at the half. The 29 points he scored were two shy of his career high.
It's rarely a smart move to let Jones hoist up open 3s, particularly when he's on stage and the lights are turned up.
"I love playing in the Garden," Jones said. "It's the aura there, the celebrities. It's the Mecca of basketball."
Cavaliers television analyst Austin Carr can relate. "The fans are so knowledgeable there," said Carr.
"The atmosphere there is unlike that anywhere else."
Carr recalled playing at MSG during his days at Notre Dame in the late 1960s. " 'Jesus Christ Superstar' was playing on Broadway at the time," Carr said. "Late in the game, the fans began chanting, 'Austin Carr Superstar.' "
Jones was shooting 31 percent (10-of-32) from the field and averaging 4.5 points a game when the Cavaliers rolled into MSG. "When you are in a slump," Jones said, "you are looking to bust out of it, anywhere.
My Favorite 10 in order Lebron • Wade • Ginobili • Deron Williams • A. Miller • Delonte West • Anderson Varejao • Dirk • Stephen Curry • Igoudala
Quote:
There is a tension, peculiar to basketball, between the interests of the team and the interests of the individual. The game continually tempts the people who play it to do things that are not in the interest of the group.
Damon Jones Picture/Video/Bio Thread
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