The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired two-time All-Star Antawn Jamison in a three-team trade Wednesday night.
Cleveland, who has won 11 consecutive games and owns the best record in the league at 43-11, only squandered Zydrunas Ilgauskas and their first round pick to obtain Jamison.
Jamison, 33, the fourth overall selection in the 1998 NBA Draft out of the University of North Carolina, is a skilled and rugged power forward who was averaging an impressive 20.5 points for the Washington Wizards prior to last night’s transaction.
At this juncture, barring an injury to superstar Lebron James, the Cavaliers seem destined to easily waltz through the Eastern Conference and into the NBA Finals in June.
James, 25, a three-time All-NBA First Team selection and the 2009 MVP, is indisputably the best player in the world today.
Ever since he made his professional debut with Cleveland in 2003, James hasn’t been surrounded with enough talent to capture a title.
However, with legendary center Shaquille O’Neal, 2009 All-Star point guard Mo Williams and Jamison, James now has the type of teammates that can win help him win the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
Presently, the only squads that are even remotely capable of competing with Cleveland are the Boston Celtics (33-18), the Orlando Magic (37-18), the San Antonio Spurs (31-21) and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers (42-13).
The Celtics, Magic and Spurs are all very solid teams.
Nevertheless, in actuality, not one of those three teams can genuinely topple the Cavs.
It is virtually inevitable that NBA Commissioner David Stern will realize his ultimate fantasy this summer and he will be blessed with a showdown pitting James and the Cavs versus the Lakers and Kobe Bryant for the crown.
The Lakers are extremely formidable and they currently have an even better cast of players on their roster than they did last year.
Still, in approximately four months, expect a sports team based in the city of Cleveland to become champions for the first time since the Lyndon D. Johnson administration.
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