Cleveland Cavaliers: 15 best forwards of all-time
10. player. 156. . PF. (2010-12). Antawn Jamison
In the latter stages of his career, Antawn Jamison showed promise on a few title contenders. One of those contenders was the Cavaliers. The 6-foot-9 forward brought new meaning to the term stretch-4, emerging as one of the best inside-outside threats in the league.
He joined Cleveland via trade from the Washington Wizards during the 2009-10 season as a catalyst to a title run. With LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal already in the rotation, Jamison was brought in with the idea of spreading the floor from 3-point range.
In the first attempt, Cleveland lost in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals, 4-2. While Jamison put up 11.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in the series, but shot just 18.8 percent from behind the arc. There wasn’t a second chance, as James joined the Miami Heat that following offseason, leaving Jamison in tow.
Jamison led the team in scoring the following season (18.0 points per game), but Cleveland went just 19-63 in 2010-11. They improved their win-total by two in 2011-12, but with free agency approaching, it was no surprise Jamison left for the Los Angeles Lakers.
In roughly three seasons, he produced 17.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, while shooting 34.3 percent from 3-point range. He joined the team at the age of 33 and putting up big numbers wasn’t in his plans.
His stint could have gone better, but it could have gone a lot worse, too. It wasn’t the right fit after James’ departure came unexpectedly, but he still managed to get a playoff appearance out of it.