Damon Jones

Jones, like Donyell Marshall, will need to rediscover his consistent three-point shot to maintain his prominent place among the Cavs' roleplayers. He'll have to distinguish himself from the pack at the deepest position on the team to do so.

Like Rafer Alston before him, Jones emerged as a legit NBA point guard playing for Miami. He’d like to return to the Heat, but as of this writing Miami is still flirting with Michael Finley. If Alston signs with Miami, he’ll be stuck behind Jason Williams and Dwyane Wade on a stacked team… but his second choice is reportedly Cleveland, where he could very well win a starting job. If so, bump him up to around 18th/20th on your list.

Jones reaped the benefit of TJ Ford’s misfortune last season, as the virtually unknown seven-year veteran from Houston was thrust into the spotlight during a nice season ending/playoff run by the underappreciated Bucks. Jones excelled in his role as starting point guard, enough to make him a coveted free agent. When the Heat lost spark plug sixth-man Rafer Alston, Jones become the perfect replacement. Look for Jones to play a very similar role for the 2004 Heat as Alston did in 2003. Jones will love playing with the explosiveness of Wade and the power of Shaq, and he should thrive in this system. Jones is a decent three-point threat (36% last season), and we expect his 2004 numbers to resemble his 2003 playoff numbers of 10 pts/ 7.5 assists per game. In the end, Jones will change his status of “unknown journeyman” to “solid role playing point guard” and will be a very nice acquisition for Miami.

The Bucks signed Jones in the offseason to help out at point guard. He will be fighting for playing time with Erick Strickland and T. J. Ford so his minutes will be small.