Cavs Introduce #15 Jamario Moon… Get Laughs from Lil' John

Ferry introduces Jamaro (link)

Moon seems like a humble guy.  I like him fine.  But the real reason for this post is to give a nod to Lil’ John (yeah THAT Lil’John, from Big Chuck and Lil’ John).

Basically at the end of the interview John jumps up on stage (although you can’t see him on camera because he’s too small) and proceeds to tell Jamario to buy his bling from him (Lil’ John Rinaldi owns Rinaldi Jewelers).

The Culprit

It was awesome because all Clevelanders get the joke and Jamario looks confused but still remained polite.  Classic.

Miami Doesn't Match, Cavs Get Jamario Moon

Pretty pumped about this one.  Moon is an athletic 29 yr old swing man that is the “long” that Cavs were talking about getting.  In the Miami trade with Toronto last year, Moon was the best piece and he played well with Wade and Co.  Looking forward to see how he fits into the Cavs plans.

Jamario Moon

Here’s the skinny from Cavs.com:

“CLEVELAND, OH – July 24th, 2009 – The Cleveland Cavaliers have entered into a Player Contract with restricted free agent forward Jamario Moon. The Cavaliers signed Moon to a contract Offer Sheet on Friday, July 17th; with his former team, the Miami Heat, having seven days to match the Offer Sheet and retain him. The Cavaliers received notice from the Heat that they declined to match, deeming Moon a Cavalier. Per team and league policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

“Jamario is going to bring versatility and a high level of athleticism to our team,” said Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry. “He should be a very good fit to our current roster. We are very happy to have him with us.”Moon played in 80 games (60 starts) this past season for the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat. He averaged 7.2 points on .468 shooting, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 25.8 minutes per game. The 6-foot-8 forward scored in double figures on 25 occasions. He led the NBA in steals-to-turnovers ratio (2.0) during the 2008-09 season. In two seasons in the NBA, Moon has career averages of 7.8 points on .478 shooting, 5.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 26.8 minutes per game.”

The Mighy Windhost’s Twitter had this to say: “…Jamario Moon now a Cav. Guarantee is two years, $6 million“

Kid Congo Re-Signs with Spanish Club?

From the desk of Windhorst:

A Spanish Web site reported Wednesday that Cavaliers’ first-round draft pick Christian Eyenga has signed a new contract with DKV Joventut in Spain.

Sportando.net, which tracks basketball in Europe, said the 6-5 shooting guard signed a three-year contract less than a week after completing summer league with the Cavs.

Christian Eyenga

The Plain Dealer was unable to independenly confirm the report Wednesday night. In an interview last week, Eyenga declined to discuss his contract situation. The Cavs will maintain his rights but it is still unclear whether the contract has opt-out clauses or a significant buyout to come to the NBA.

After drafting him with the 30th overall pick in the first round on June 25, the Cavs seemed content to let Eyenga develop over in Europe for at least a year. After seeing him perform in the Vegas Summer League, where he averaged 8.8 points and shot 47 percent, a source said the Cavs wanted to sign him to his slotted two-year, $2 million contract so he could work on his game spliting time between Cleveland and Erie, Pa., in the NBA Development League.

Eyenga, 20, was a free agent in Europe after spending most of last year with Prat Joventut, the Spanish franchise’s junior team. NBA teams are allowed to contribute up tp $500,000 for a buyout but sometimes players sign deals with massive buyouts in exchange for more salary. As a result, numerous former picks are stuck in Europe because they can’t afford to pay their buyouts with the slotted salaries NBA teams can pay.

This is a major issue for another DKV Joventut player, Minnesota Timberwolves’ first-round pick Ricky Rubio. His contract with Joventut contains a buyout around $6 million and it is proving to be a significant stumbling block for him to get to the NBA. Wednesday, Rubio announced he was leaving Joventut but may not be coming to the NBA.

Because Eyenga knew he was a first-round pick when before entering the deal — unlike Rubio, who signed with the franchise as a young teen — he may have been able to insert a more-favorable buyout clause if the report is accurate.

Cleveland.com link here

I thought this was the dumbest draft pick ever, then I was getting all excited about him because he was raising eyebrows in the summer league… now I don’t know how to feel.

TMZ to Show Video of LeBron Getting Dunked On?

*sigh*  Not much of a story but decided to post it anyways.

Apparently TMZ got a hold of a mobile phone vid of the dunk and are going to show it.

Here’s what the slimeballs say on their site:

You know what we’re talking about — the legendary moment where some virtually unknown college kid blasted a two-handed dunk right in King James‘ FACE — at his very own LeBron James summer basketball camp!!

LeBron’s people and Nike reportedly confiscated all video proof of the moment LeBron got taken to the HOLE — but we finally found the one SURVIVING copy of the moment LeBron became LeBitch … and it’s awesome!!!!

We’re going to premiere the footage on TMZ TV tonight — but we’ll post the uncut in-your-face slam on the website at 6:45 PM EST.

So check back … you definitely wanna WITNESS this!!!

TMZ Super Secret Screen Grab

I hope they do show it so this story can die.

Shaq to Host WWE's Monday Night Raw

On Monday July 27th, Shaq will be the guest host on World Wrestling Entertainment’s “Monday Night Raw” in Washington, D.C.

The show airs at 9 p.m. on the USA Network.

The Shaquillier

Shaq to Get His Own Reality Show

The “Witness Protection Program” will apparently be starring in his own sports-themed reality TV Show, and its not filled with some “B” list athletes.  It co-stars some of the biggest names in each of their respective sports.

The Witness Protection Program

Here’s what ESPN had to say:

“Shaq Vs.,” which is set to premiere Aug. 18 at 9 p.m. ET, begins filming Wednesday in Pittsburgh, where Shaq will take on Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in football.

Future episodes of the hour-long show will feature Shaq against Olympic swimming sensation Michael Phelps, boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya, St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, tennis star Serena Williams and beach volleyball Olympians Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh.

Shaq told USA Today that he came up with the idea as a way to train for the NBA season. Shaq figured Americans “would really want to see an athlete play another sport,” according to the newspaper. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Shaq’s new team, have cleared the 37-year-old O’Neal to take part in the show.

He is scheduled to report for the Cavs’ opening of training camp on Sept. 15.

According to USA Today, the episodes will feature preliminary challenges, news conferences, quality time with needy kids and negotiations of a handicap between Shaq and his competitors. Each episode will climax with a main event.

There’s no cash prize for the winner. “Bragging rights are always better than any monetary prize,” O’Neal told USA Today.

Shaq will train with a coach for one week leading up to each challenge.

“These athletes may be on top of their game, but I am up for the challenge,” O’Neal said. “I plan to train hard and win, so look out.”

Maybe this is why he said he wanted to fight Brock Lesner (that can be the only sane reason to do so)

Jamario Moon Signs Offer Sheet with Cavs

Ferry getting aggressive with the Free Agent signings.  Lot going on here. First and foremost, Moon is impressive lately, but more so it puts pressure on El Heat to sign him, which in turn limits their ability to shoot for Odom.  Another interesting tidbit: this is Ferry’s first offer sheet to a restricted free agent in his GM tenure.

Jamario Moon (via nba.com)

Read the presser:

CLEVELAND, OH – July 20, 2009 – The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed restricted free agent forward Jamario Moon to a contract offer sheet, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced today. Per team and league policy, terms of the contract offer were not released.

Moon played in 80 games (60 starts) this past season for the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat. He averaged 7.2 points on .468 shooting, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 25.8 minutes per game. The 6-foot-8 forward scored in double figures on 25 occasions. He led the NBA in steals-to-turnovers ratio (2.0) during the 2008-09 season. In two seasons in the NBA, Moon has career averages of 7.8 points on .478 shooting, 5.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 26.8 minutes per game. (nba.com link)

Yup, LBJ will be on Entourage next season

Check it out here (via Scene Magazine)

Cavs Sign Anthony Parker to Free Agent Contract

Your Cavs have signed free agent guard/forward Anthony Parker to a contract, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced today July 13, 2009.

Anthony is a good long swing man, fills the gap left by Sasha and can put the biscuit in the basket.  He may try and wear Hot Rod’s #18… stay tuned to how that plays out.

Anthony Parker

From the Cavs:

Parker, 34, played in 80 games (71 starts) this past season for the Toronto Raptors and averaged 10.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and career highs of 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals in 33.0 minutes per game. He tied for 10th in the NBA with a 0.88 steal per turnover ratio and recorded a career-high 100 steals. He was one of just 11 players in the NBA to total at least 750 points, 250 rebounds, 250 assists and 100 steals during the 2008-09 season. Against Orlando on January 4th, he posted a season-high 26 points, while shooting 13-16 (.813) from the field. On Nov. 11th, he went a perfect 5-5 from three-point range on his way to 19 points in a win over Miami.

“Anthony will be a solid addition to our roster. He is a very good, intelligent all-around basketball player,” Ferry said. “Our coaching staff will especially appreciate the good shooting and solid defense that Anthony brings to our team.”

The 6-foot-6, 210-pound guard/forward has played six years in the NBA, averaging 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per game in 290 NBA regular season games. He played five seasons with Maccabi Tel Aviv (2000-02, 2003-06) and one season with Virtus Roma (2002-03), winning five Israeli Premier League championships, five Israeli Cups and three Euroleague titles. Parker was named Euroleague MVP and first-team All-Euroleague in 2005. He averaged 12.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 148 career Israeli Premier League games and averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals in 90 Euroleague contests.

Cavs Re-Ink Andy for 6 more Years

Cavs went ahead and locked up the Human Palm Tree for 6 more years (at reportedly $42.5  with incentives that could push it to $50. The final year is also not guaranteed)

Andy is a high caliber defender who you only love if he plays on your team.  He runs the pick and roll with LBJ better than anyone else and he’s also entering his prime. If Dan Gilbert is willing to shell out the money for people, then all right.

My brother and I had a conversation about the parallels between this signing and Hot Rod‘s back in the early 90’s.  Both were solid “sometimes” starters playing the 4 and 5.  Both contributed a lot while not being the and neither really could be lost while you are right in the middle of trying to win a title.  Chemistry counts.

Check the press release here.

…and he’s a pretty funny guy, too (remember Andy’s Chalk toss?)