Damion James

Damion James - James now has four years of NBA experience and an NBA championship ring to his name, despite playing all of 623 NBA minutes. So he's been opportunistic with his NBA gigs. All time not spent in the big D-League has been spent in its little brother, where a 12 game hot streak of 21.1 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game averages earned James an April call-up to the Spurs. The 6'7 James rebounds and passes well, but is a bit positionless defensively, better and more willing to defend the paint despite having an NBA small forward's physique. His offense is opportunistic with no go-to moves, and while he does enough to stay on the edge of the big league, he doesn't have the one bankable trait to keep him there.

Damion James - James is in danger of becoming a perennial D-Leaguer. He went to camp with the Nuggets and had a couple of decent showings, but was never likely to make the roster with all their guaranteed contracts, and returned to the Bakersfield Jam. James's NBA potential is hindered by his offensive game - while not talentless, he is not really a post-up or dribble drive player, nor much of a shooter, thus rendering him somewhat role-less on that end. And while he is a good defensive player at either forward position, he needs to be fundamentally better to overcome the offensive weaknesses.

Damion James

James returns to the franchise that drafted him, let him go merely half way through his rookie contract, then brought him back very briefly once more last season. It's odd, in a way - by this time, they must surely know what they have in him, and also what they don't. Clearly, something intrigues. James's NBA career thus far has underwhelmed, and his D-League numbers last season still show big holes; he averaged 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks in 30 minutes per game, but his 15.8 points came on percentages of 41%/26%/76%, and an unhealthily large 2.7 turnovers for a man who doesn't dribble much. James is perhaps best used in the NBA in the role that Brooklyn very briefly used him for last season, that of a situational, one-play defensive wing specialist. But is such a role worth its own roster spot?

Other than the rebounding, defense and lack of passing, Bargnani played well. So did his future replacement, Ed Davis, who was active, under control, and productive. For the Nets, Deron Williams controlled the game, while Damion James worked hard on either end and was rewarded. Lopez put forward about 25 times more effort on offense than he did on defense, and Kris Humphries continued his year-long impression of a poor man's Blake Griffin with the kind of effort, strength, shot selection and athleticism that will see him inevitably corral a full MLE deal in the offseason.

Damion James

Damion James can post, run, rebound, play help defense, play man to man defense, grow beards, and shoot better than he used to. His ball handling ability is limited to the three steps it takes to the basket, but that's enough, and while he's only 6'7, that's enough too. James is athletic enough to be productive in the NBA at the small forward position, and a lack of ballhandling doesn't change that.

It's just a shame that he'll do so on the team already with Terrence Williams. The two are not identical by any means, but in an ideal world, they'll fit much the same role. And it might be a struggle to play them together.

Pick 24: Although Barry wants a post-up player, Atlanta take Damion James, an athletic combo forward who will resemble Josh Smith in six years. By which I mean, when Josh Smith is 31 years old, he will resemble the Damion James of now. James is not a small forward, even at 6'7, but he produces. And he's athletic enough to keep doing so in the NBA. He free roams on defense, which is both a blessing and a curse, but he runs the court, rebounds prolifically, can drive the ball, and his jumpshot doesn't have terrible form. Doesn't go in much, but it might do one day.

He also has a beard like a Mii character. And what I mean by that is that, for no obvious reason, there's a gap between his hair and his beard adjacent to his ear. Whether he shaves it in or whether it just does not grow there, I do not know. But I do know that it does not work.

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Pick 27: Alongside a caption that optimistically calls Josh Boone a "key reserve," and fresh off of Keith Van Horn's second shoutout of the night, the Nets draft Jordan Crawford out of Xavier. This gives David Stern yet another way to pronounce Xavier, apparently under the belief that there's a silent E at the front. Big night for the word Xavier.

However, Andy Katz is immediately brought in to announce that Jordan is not staying. He is being traded to Atlanta, along with the 31st pick, for the rights to Damion James. This unites Jordan and Jamal Crawford, on a team still reeling from from the Josh Smith/Joe Smith dichotomy of last season, but it's good value for Atlanta, who get a young and cheap replication of Jamal with a highly useful #31 pick to book. It's a bit strange for the Nets, however, who need as much outside shooting, halfcourt creating and backcourt scoring as they can get. And while they are also in dire need of halfway decent forward play, James isn't entirely dissimilar to Terrence Williams, not in playing style nor overall talent. I rate James, but this isn't the best place for him.