What intrigues me about Jamario Moon, the 6-8 forward the Cavs signed to an offer sheet?
He's earned his way.
Moon played just one year in junior college when he decided to make himself eligible for the NBA Draft in 2001. He was not selected. Moon wound up playing in the USBL (Gary), the CBA (Albany, where he was Defensive Player of the Year) and for a team in Mexico. He also spent time in the WBA and the Developmental League.
He made his way onto Toronto's roster via a two-day free-agent tryout. A month into his rookie season, he was starting. And he played because of his defense, his strength.
What doesn’t intrigue me?
His offensive game.
Moon does provides writers and headline folks with the inevitable lines. Cavs have Moon to go with star. No more Moon over Miami. That kind of stuff.
The Heat have seven days to decide if they will match the offer.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Am I the only guy who finds it fascinating that almost every free agent signed during Ferry's tenure has never found his way into a "this other team is interested in him" rumor mode? I mean, even Varejao this year, you never heard or read anywhere that some other team was wooing him and wanted him. It's unbelievable.
I mean, think about it. Even a guy like Delonte West. What was the rumor? It didn't even have to do with a domestic team. That rumored team was in RUSSIA. RUSSIA!
Seriously, give this some thought. Nearly every restricted free agent and unrestricted free agent of Ferry's, even going as far back to Ilgauskas, didn't receive a rumored nibble anywhere. Pavlovic had to go back to Transylvania because he heard nothing. Because Varejao wasn't wanted by anybody, he moved into an abandoned bullfighting ring in 2007 before Ferry took his top-secret flight to bang on Varejao's mom's patio door.
I mean, I could go on and on. There wasn't another soul who made a peep about Daniel Gibson, was there? Google it, there was nobody. Nobody made a peep about Anthony Parker. Where did you read anything about anybody giving Jamario Moon a close looksie? Nobody was really mentioned to be competing for the services of Donyell Marshall. Did anybody read how a top-tier team was hot for the final championship piece of Alan Henderson or Lorenzen Wright?
Seriously, if anybody other than Larry Hughes has been mentioned in a free agent rumor mill before Ferry snagged him, either as unrestricted or his own restricted guy, remind me, because I can't think of another one.
Alan T. – you internet skills are lacking – first, I guess you ignore some big guy named Shaq who was named by at least 5 teams as a possible signing – AV, at least 3 teams (Washington (AV name as in the Post on 6 different occasions), Indiana, Denver; Joe Smith, again, several team were linked to his name; as for Moon, name one other $2 mil a year player whose named is linked to multiple teams. For $2 mil you look for players who can blend in well with the Cavs skill sets, why is playing good defense a negative? You don't want to win is that why? Ferry's old jock strap has more basketball sense and could beat you one on one today.
SHAQ??? He wasn't a free agent, so what are you talking about.
Joe Smith? Yeah, I guess he's one. I thought about him, but it's not really like he was in hot pursuit. Give me another.
And don't twist what I never said. I'm not talking about the vet's minimum crap of the world. And show me a national link about Varejao. Please, he wasn't mentioned.
And yes, Ferry's jock can beat me one on one. I'm now old and decrepit. But in my younger days, I would have taken his jock to the woodshed.
Over the course of the past four years I've read a helluva lot and heard a helluva lot about the Cavaliers being "linked" to certain guys that they never got, but the same can't be said for the guys the Cavaliers *did* get. They're own restricted free agents haven't even been mentioned. It's just incredible.
Please, explain this phenomena to me of nobody mentioning Ferry's guys and Ferry signing guys nobody else mentioned. That's all I ask. Because at least sunspots and the aurora borealis can be explained, and I think this is far more interesting.
Oh, and as far as the original post is concerned, how about Ferry Moons Cleveland. That's my favorite Moon reference of all possible Moon references, the butt cheek thing. A butt cheek reference is always funny. The NY Post would print it. I know the Beacon Journal and Plain Dealer never will. A darn shame.