I also heard Detroit was interested in Smith as well but that would have to be a sign and trade deal which makes it a lot less likely to happen than us just signing him for more than Atlanta can afford. I don’t think they will be willing to offer Atlanta Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince like they did Denver for Carmelo Anthony. I just love the irony in that Melo proposal.

When I hear “efficient vs. non-efficient” I think more than FG% though…for me what comes to mind is also number of shots, and “how this player is capable of effecting the half court offense when he gets the ball”. So I think he’s efficient in the sense that he knows how to get points within the offense…he’s not disrupting the flow of the team game by jacking up ill advised shots.

Also efficient is that he doesn’t hold the ball a while…Jamison is a great decision maker, he knows when to be patient vs. when to score, and once he decides, he’s off and does his thing. As opposed to, say, Steve Francis, DJ Augustine, T-Mac, and even our beloved Iverson who are all classic over dribblers and dominate the ball too much.

But you’re right in that he’s always hovered in that 44 – 45% FG range, which of course leaves something to be desired. And yeah, if we just gave a very good but not great 32 year old (or whatever Jamison is) 4 years at 44 million…I’d puke!

The only over 30 vet that deserves monster money is Brand. If we can’t land him, Josh Smith at a very pricey 14-15 a year for us is fine as far as I’m concerned. I remember reading somewhere that Detroit also might look to pursue Josh heavily in a sign and trade, which would make a lot of sense for them.

By one-dimensional I am referring to offense and defense. He is a good (not great) offensive player that here and there could carry a team offensively but no one would want or ask him to do that every game. And well the PPS stats speak for themselves. And he leaves a bit to be desired on the defensive end 1. because he is undersized and can get bullied by taller and bigger PFs and 2. isn’t a shot blocker even a little bit.

I disagree that he is “one of the most efficient 18 ppg players in the NBA” he has never been a high percentage shooter he is a 45% shooter that’s what he is (only 5 out of 10 season has he shot 45% or better). And his best shooting year was when he was a 14ppg scorer off the Dallas Mavs bench who already had Dirk, Finally and Nash.

Further why would we need Jamison when we have a player who could develop into that style of player already in Thad Young. Same size, Thad is probably more athletic, has the potential to be a better shooter and better penetrator. I don’t think he will be as good as Jamison with his back to the basket because I still believe he is a natural 3-man whereas Jamison played the PF the majority of his college and NBA career.

Jamison just doesn’t make sense for the Sixers IMO.

Dannie: 100% agree with you in that for our team now, Jamison would be a nice short term upgrade, but not someone that would put us over the top, and not a long term solution. We are a team on the rise…plus we already are possibly investing a three year contract for Andre Miller, an over 30 guy, as a rotation player. Not the time to hand out contracts for another over 30 guy, albeit very talented.

That said…I totally agree with JRIII about Jamison’s talent. Dannie it really sounds like you’re making out Jamison to be a one dimensional, non efficient scorer…I can’t agree with that at all. I’d say next to AI and Manu Ginobili, you could argue that Jamison is in the top 5 “most unique” games in the NBA. I’m not saying “talented”…just unique.

Things you have to love about Jamison:
-One of maybe three guys in the NBA that actually manage to be able to play both SF and PF successfully…at 6′8 – 6′9, he can slide into both positions and perform great.

-Knows what he is, and what he isn’t…he knows he’s not a 1 option on offense…but this is a guy that gives teams what they need. If a team needs him to be a bruising rebounder type for toughness, he’ll give you 16 and 10. If they need scoring, he can go for 24 and 5.

-Crafty scoring…he’s the definition of it. I’ve seen Jamison make more crazy, off one foot, using the backboard shots then most in the NBA. He flat out finds ways to score, and is a great one vs one player, knowing how to pick apart an opposing defense weaknesses.

-Back to the basket post game has always been phenomenal.

-An incredible savvy player in the half court. He really knows the game, is a nice passer, and makes others around him better.

-Over the years, has improved his shot to the point that his midrange game, and 3 point shooting, is legit. Remember he came out of college a classic PF with no SF skills…over a decade he’s turned that to around a 35-37% clip from 3 point range, and has a reliable jumper. Not bad.

-People are right in saying his “outside the paint FG%” has dipped last year…but remember, Jamison has been in an odd role where for two years straight now, he was supposed to be the 3rd option on offense, then Arenas or Butler went down forcing him to become the 2nd, and sometimes 1st option. He’s waffled back and forth from these differing roles on the team, expected to sometimes put the team on his back and score 23+ ppg, only to slide back down to the 17-18 range.

It makes sense that when they need him to score more, his FG% dips a bit, and that when he is the 3rd option, he remains one of the more efficient 18 ppg players in the NBA.