Jamario Moon Is a Steal In His Own Right

Jamario Moon is finally a Cleveland Cavalier, due to the Miami Heat not matching the offer sheet Cleveland signed him to last week.

The Heat have other intentions, pursuing free agent forward Lamar Odom and seeking a trade for Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer. Nonetheless, Moon is now a member of the Wine and Gold.

With that said, did the Cavaliers get a steal in Moon?

Moon is reguarded as a defensive player, although he is very capable of "slamming it down" when he gets the opportunity. Last season, he led the NBA is steal-to-turnover ration with a 2.0.

Though entering his third NBA season, Jamario is veteran at the age of 29. He has played for teams such as the Profile Patriots, Harlem Globetrotters, CBA's Albany Patroons, Fuerza Regia, in the Mexican LNBP, and the USBL Gary Steelheads.

In the NBA, he has played for the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat. During his rookie season, he broke a Raptor's club record by recording a block in 12 consecutive games. On February 1, 2008, he was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month.

In his tenure, he has played with some superstars such as Toronto forward Chris Bosh and Heat guard Dwayne Wade. He was also a starter for much of his in the NBA, starting 135 out of 158 in his career.

He knows how to play alongside a superstar which doesn't hurt him any.Not to mention being a starter makes him capable of playing a good amount of minutes (if needed).

He is also a former teammate of Anthony Parker, the guard the Cavaliers just recently signed, so that is yet another beneficial factor.

Coming to Cleveland, Moon essentially replaces Wally Szczerbiak, and he one-ups him as well. Wally was suppose to be a three-point threat for the Cavaliers, but often missed big shots, and couldn't play defense if his life depended on it.

Moon comes to Cleveland boosting their already talented defense, and gives them something they needed during the Eastern Conference Finals. A long athletic defender!

The Cavaliers looked pitiful trying to defend Hedo Turkoglu (6'10"), Michael Pietrus (6'6"), and Rashard Lewis (6'10"). They had nobody big and athletic enough to defend them beside the MVP LeBron James, and at times he struggled.

With Moon on the roster, Cleveland's flexibility and versatility is increased dramatically. He won't be flashy, but his "instinct-like," ability to steal and rebound the ball, and block to shots will give the Cavalier's many more offensive opportunities.

One more overlooked detail is that he is an underrated shooter. His career FT% of .478, 3pt% of .344, and FT% of .794 is quite impressive for a defensive minded player.

He will fit in nicely in Cleveland, and is just another piece to the puzzle in their championship hunt. He is steal to Cleveland, and steal in his own right.