Let me stress how Jamison does not integrate well with the current Rockets team. This theory is proven by his performance on the Rockets 2001 team on the XBOX.
Hottoddie, I have seen Cato hit the midrange jumper before, and it looked pretty good. Since he can get some good looks just by hanging around the basket though, he has no reason to shoot it much. If we have a sharshooter at SF (maybe Rice can get his stroke back) and a PF that can hit the mid-range jump shot (Griffin and Mo T should handle this pretty well) then I am totally satisfied with our offensive weapons.
The problem as I see it, is that until Cato earns a reputation for hitting anything other than a dunk, the defenses are not going to come out on him. Thus, they'll stay just outside of the paint, no matter how far Cato moves away. That allows at least one defender to always be in position, at the edge of the paint, to cut off the slasher & clog the middle.
Jamison is more of an undersized pf than a sf, imo. plus I don't think he is worth that max contract. I think the Rocks would probly be better just keeping the draft picks.
Jamison scores most of his points on follows though his outside shot is getting better. He doesn't really create and for a low post player he doesn't post with the game on the line very well. He needs to learn to go to the hoop with a lot more aggression... he has a frustrating shot that is sort of a flip more than a hook or finger roll. In college that shot was effective, and even in the pros he gets his shot off quicker than most NBAers, but comparting his low-post game to someone like Kenny Thomas and you will see the Rockets going to KT down the stretch while the Warriors would go to Sura, Mills, even Hughes before Jamison. Jamison is a good rebounder but its unclear if those rebounding numbers are inflated (as other warrior rebounders are) since they miss so many shots. I reckon one way to look would be to see the ratio of offensive boards to defensive boards. Jamison doesn't handle the ball particularly well or pass the ball particularly well. Not that major a factor unless the other team is pressing. It does eliminate having Jamison the SF slide over to SG in order to create a big lineup (something someone like Lewis, Finley, or Pierce allow). Jamison is a poor defender at either forward position. He doesn't hold his position well at all as a PF (note KT schooled him repeatedly in games) and he doesn't stay well with quicker SFs (even Sac's Peja makes him appear leadfooted). His defense is improving though. The one thing that might be intriguing would be how Jamison might be paired with Griffin... with Griffin on the outside offensively and on the inside defensively. Jamison needs to be paired a PF that can shoot and handle the ball (GSW fans hope Troy Murphy develops into that sort of player) or a SF that is able to match up with PFs (the way Jerome Kersey could in the past... and Jamison did well alongside Marshall his rookie year). I do agree with an earlier poster... if you are going to spend max dollars better to get Lewis who would be a better fit and better player...
he is undersized, overpaid and I think if its a 4 we are going to try and get, Wilcox and/or Gooden will both be as good as he is
AJ at the 3. Works for me. On offense he plays more like a 4, but so what? Mo T plays more like a 3 on O. (And EG can play anywhere on the front line, including center, if he can add 20/25 pounds over the next couple years.) AJ will scoop the boards (about 8 per game, about 3 offensive boards....sweet...reducing Steve's burden on the boards, NOT the primary job of the guy who's supposed to hustle back on the break). AJ's not really known as a 3-point shooter, but so what? He hits almost .333 of them, not horrendous. Of course you can argue he isn't worth the max, but you know he's unhappy as hell in Golden State (except for the contract); maybe "he'd find a good home" (I make us sound like the SPCA) in Houston. Certainly GS knows they have a collection of great talent with zero chemistry. And they want to reduce their cap hit. We want an experienced player...we need rebounding (still). Granted, it would be a big deal to acquire him, and we would have to be damned sure of this deal before pulling the trigger...and there's still the chance of Rashard, Odom, Nailon. WHY ALL THIS MIGHT BE MOOT: Is Antawn a BYC player? If not, Glen Rice (contract expires after two more years rather than five or so years, like AJ's) + #5-8 draft pick.
After seeing quite a bit of Jamison this past season, I say no way. As other posters have already pointed out, pretty much all of his numbers are inflated because his team sucks so bad. Also, his overall performance actually declined this past season and I think that had alot to do with the Warriors guards dominating the ball more than Jamison is used to. I think we all know how that would play out with the Rockets.
