Cavaliers' veteran forward says he's appreciative of last spring's playoff run, even if it ended badly.
View full sizeThere was plenty of posing during the Cavaliers' media day for Antawn Jamison (left) and Mo Williams. The work of training camp -- and Byron Scott's high-energy practices -- begins on Tuesday.INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Antawn Jamison is widely respected as one of the most intelligent and thoughtful players in the NBA. So why do these things keep happening to him?
In back-to-back seasons, the Cavaliers forward has been involved in two of the most tumultuous franchise upheavals in recent league history -- the Gilbert Arenas gun affair last year in Washington and The Decision of LeBron James to leave Cleveland for Miami this past summer.
Jamison was traded to the Cavs after the Wizards season was ruined in the wake of Arenas' suspension for bringing a firearm into the team's locker room and just in time for the Cavs season to fall apart with a premature exit from the playoffs.
"Before I got here, I just wanted a chance to have an opportunity to win," Jamison said during the team's media day on Monday at Cleveland Clinic Courts. "What went down in D.C. was tough, but once I came here, I sat back and said, 'You had a chance.' I've been playing this game for 12 years and I never really had a chance to win a championship. I finally got that chance. I guess it's a sigh of relief where I can sit back and say, 'At least I got a chance to compete for a championship.'
"I can't make any more excuses. ... I had a chance. I had the best player in the game. I had a Hall of Famer. It's just unfortunate I was only able to experience it for a couple of months. But I had that chance. I have no regrets. I don't think twice about it. Before I got here, I did. But I'm here. I'm here for a reason, and I'm going to make the best of it. This is where I'm supposed to be."
Open season: New coach Byron Scott said that all five starting spots are up for grabs.While it would seem likely that Jamison, Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao should at least be penciled in at power forward, point guard and center, respectively -- maybe Jamison to small forward with J.J. Hickson at power forward -- Scott was not ready to announce that on Monday.
"I have starters in my mind, but I've got to evaluate everybody equally," Scott said. "Competition is healthy. I have no reservations on who should be playing and who shouldn't be. I'm an open book. We'll go out there and see what happens. This is a new era."
Good shape: Scott has coached in New Jersey and New Orleans, winning 26 and 18 games in his first season, respectively. He said the Cavs are the best team he has taken over -- and it goes beyond talent.
"There's another factor to that as well," he said. "I'm also taking over a team that has some talent but is also used to winning. You have to learn how to win in this league. They weren't used to winning in New Jersey. They weren't used to winning in New Orleans. This team is used to winning. I don't think they're going to take this season lightly. We have a lot of good pieces to work with, and I'm excited about that."
Injury updates: Williams, nursing a groin injury, will not be ready to go when the team opens practice Tuesday. But Varejao, who sprained an ankle heading into the world championships and missed some time, is expected to take part.
"It's getting better," said Varejao, who had an MRI on Monday. "It is not 100 percent. We're going to see tomorrow during practice how I'm going to do, go through some tests and see how I feel."
"We'll monitor him, but he should be fine," Cavs General Manager Chris Grant said.
Boot camp: Unlike many teams that schedule two-a-day practices to open training camp, Scott's regimen is so grueling that the Cavs have just one practice a day scheduled. There is so much running involved that trash cans will be set up along the court -- just in case.
"Hopefully, nobody has to use them," Scott said with a smile.