Spiking the Kool-Aid with Jamison

Jamison it is- and the price is just right.

The Washington Post broke the news first, and the blogosphere has since been on tilt with the announcement of the three-team trade bringing Antawn Jamison to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In the reported deal, Cleveland receives Jamison and Clippers guard Sebastian Telfair; L.A. gets Drew Gooden (for those counting at home, his sixth team in two seasons- with a possible seventh if he is bought out or waived); and Washington receives Clippers forward Al Thornton, Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Cavs' 2010 first-round pick, and the draft rights to Slovenian forward Emir Preldzic (Cleveland's second-round pick in 2009).

It's a bittersweet night for Cavs fans as those who were holding out hope for the Lebron-to-Amar'e pick-and-roll will have to settle for the consolation prize. And for Big Z followers everywhere, it's a sad day to see the longest-tenured Cavalier shipped away to his first address not in Northeast Ohio, if only for 30 days (wink, wink). The Nike Lebron/Z puppet handshake ad may need to be benched for a month. And the chemistry that forged the NBA's best record (43-11) and longest current winning streak (13) will be tested without Z and while integrating the talented Jamison (and to a lesser extent, the rehabbed Leon Powe) into the rotation.

That being said... wow.

This marks the fourth major trade in two years for Cavs general manager Danny Ferry, bringing in the likes of Delonte West, Mo Williams, Shaquille O'Neal, and now Jamison to put together a championship team around Lebron James. Arguably more impressive than the haul he's received is the ability to move the "assets" at his disposal, players like Larry Hughes, Damon Jones, Ben Wallace, and now Ilgauskas. Given the likelihood of Washington buying out Z and hopefully his imminent return (unless Dallas makes a push for his services), Cleveland looks like a winner in this trade all-around. While L.A. receives the extra cap room it craves for this summer's free agency boom, Washington gets an unproven lottery-pick talent in Thornton and the chance (with Z's buyout) for tax relief and revenue-sharing incentives in the post-Gilbert Arenas debacle. In turn, Cleveland gets the multi-dimensional "stretch 4" with the range to spread the court and the ability to create his own shot, especially in the 8-10 minutes of the game Lebron is on the bench. A starting five of Williams, Parker, James, Jamison, and Shaq is even more impressive when you realize how much more fortified the NBA's deepest bench becomes. Most importantly, Danny Ferry used the Amar'e Stoudemire trade talks to create leverage in his discussions with Washington in order to keep J.J. Hickson. While the energetic forward had begun developing under the wings of Shaq and Lebron, he now has the potential for growth and education behind the veteran Jamison. As Terry Pluto puts it, "It’s not just a deal, it’s a basketball Brinks truck of a steal."

With this move, Cleveland tightens its grip on the top spot in the East. While Amar'e represented the superstar Lebron may have envisioned in his dreams for a dynasty, Antawn Jamison may be the right piece the city of Cleveland needs to bring home a championship.