FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.The market on Jamario Moon has been all over the place since he arrived in the NBA from various minor leagues and the D-League. At the tender age of 27, he was a Rookie of the Year candidate in 2007. Then he was a struggling sophomore at 28. He was traded to Miami and seemed to be a favorite target for Dwyane Wade for halfcourt alley-oops. But injury and a lack of cohesiveness with the Miami offense led to frustrations along with the Heat's first-round exit at the hands of the Hawks.
And now, four years after playing for the Arkansas RimRockers, a D-League team no longer in existence, Jamario Moon finds himself the reserve for a King.
The Cavs signed Moon to an offer sheet this summer, and his arrival on the team marks a striking departure for Cavalier forwards. Because he's actually a real small forward. The Cavs frontcourt above Center-level has consisted over the last few years of oversized shooting guard Wally Szczerbiak, center-convert Ben Wallace, and... whatever Anderson Varejao is, to go along with LeBron James, who is simultaneously very much a power forward, very much a point-forward, and very much just the best basketball player on the planet.
But Moon brings something the Cavs can use in several rotations. When LeBron shifts to the power forward position, Moon can play a traditional wing position. His 36% 3-point shooting puts another perimeter scorer on the floor, and his ability to play above the rim means LeBron has someone else to work with in the fast break.
Moon's not going to light the world on fire, but while all of the offseason attention has been paid to The Big Ridicuous Nickname For Only An Above Average Player At This Point, the acquisition of Moon is the kind of move LeBron would have salivated over just a few years ago. It represents a further deepening of their roster, and a move towards more lineup flexibility, a popular trend in the NBA and something that burned them against the Magic. While Shaquille O'Neal can help with defending Dwight Howard, Moon allows LeBron to defend Rashard Lewis or Ryan Anderson, while Moon takes the other. And it's the addition of Moon and Anthony Parker as much as Shaq that may help the Cavs finally, finally, reach the promised land. The question is if Moon's athleticism and abilities will be able to mesh with the rest of the Cavs. He'll need to develop chemistry with Mo Williams, Delonte West, and Anthony Parker as well as LeBron, and be able to demonstrate the defensive acumen necessary to warrant Mike Brown's trust in getting him on the floor. And since rebounding and fundamentals are so central to the Cavs' approach, and they have a fair amount of perimeter shooters, Moon also needs to attack the boards. It's a high standard Moon's being asked to rise to, but if he's able to, he'll find himself in a position to contribute to a championship team. And that would certainly make for a nice high point on the rollercoaster of Moon's career.
