Damon Jones

Damon Darron Jones (born August 25, 1976) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who was an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

For other people named Damon Jones, see Damon Jones (disambiguation).
Damon Jones
Personal information
Born (1976-08-25) August 25, 1976
Galveston, Texas
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High schoolBall (Galveston, Texas)
CollegeHouston (1994–1997)
NBA draft1997 / Undrafted
Playing career1997–2012
PositionPoint guard / Shooting guard
Number9 ,11, 13, 14, 19
Career history
As player:
1997–1998Black Hills Posse
1998Jacksonville Barracudas
1998–1999Idaho Stampede
1999New Jersey Nets
1999Boston Celtics
1999Golden State Warriors
1999–2000Dallas Mavericks
2000Gulf Coast Sun Dogs
2000–2001Vancouver Grizzlies
2001–2002Detroit Pistons
2002–2003Sacramento Kings
2003–2004Milwaukee Bucks
2004–2005Miami Heat
2005–2008Cleveland Cavaliers
2008–2009Milwaukee Bucks
2009NSB Napoli
2010Piratas de Quebradillas
2011Bucaneros de La Guaira
2012Reno Bighorns
As coach:
2014–2018Cleveland Cavaliers (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As assistant coach:

Career NBA statistics
Points4,326 (6.6 ppg)
Rebounds1,074 (1.6 rpg)
Assists1,806 (2.7 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

A combo guard, he played college basketball for three years with the University of Houston Cougars before declaring early for the 1997 NBA Draft, but he went undrafted. After his playing career ended, Jones joined the Cavaliers coaching staff.

High school career

Jones played for the Ball High School Golden Tornadoes basketball team. He went on to the University of Houston after his graduation in 1994.

Professional career

A journeyman throughout his career, Jones never played for the same team for more than one season except for 2005–2008, when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his career, he played for ten different teams.

Jones was most notable for his ability to make three-point field goals. In fact, three-point attempts made up the majority of his field goal attempts because his role was often to wait on the outside while teammates such as Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade or LeBron James forced double teams. Jones was supremely confident of his shot, once proclaiming that he is "the best shooter in the world."[1]

2004–2005

Prior to the 2004–2005 season, Jones signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Miami Heat. Jones then proceeded to have the best statistical season of his career, setting career highs in games started (66), minutes played (2,576), field goals made (331) and attempted (726), field goal percentage (45.6%), three-point field goals made (225) and attempted (521), three-point field goal percentage (43.2%), free throws made (68) and attempted (86), rebounds (231), steals (44), blocked shots (5) and points scored (955).[2] His 225 three-point field goals made was third best in the NBA (and at the time, tied with Mitch Richmond for the ninth most ever in an NBA season) and his three-point field goal percentage was fifth best that season.[3]

Jones had a career-high 31 points on February 16, 2005 against the Los Angeles Clippers and scored in double figures on 48 occasions. He also had his only game with two blocked shots on March 10, 2005 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jones grabbed a career-high eight rebounds on November 6, 2004 against the Washington Wizards, a mark he tied on February 22, 2005 against the Chicago Bulls.[4]

In 15 playoff games, Jones averaged 12.1 points and 4.0 assists, and shot 42.9% from three-point range.[2] He had a career playoff high of 30 points with seven three-point field goals made in Miami's first game of the first round against the New Jersey Nets. Jones scored in double digits during 10 of Miami's 15 playoff games.[4]

Cleveland Cavaliers: 2005–2008

Jones departed the Miami Heat to sign a four-year contract worth a reported $16.1 million with the Cleveland Cavaliers on September 8, 2005.[5] In 82 games played (seven starts) during the 2005–06 regular season, Jones averaged 6.7 points and 2.1 assists per game. He shot 37.7% from three-point range.[2] On November 13, 2006, he had a season-high 22 points on a season-high 5 three-point field goals. Jones hit five three-point field goals on four other occasions.[6] On March 8, 2006, Jones hit a game-winning three-point field goal as time expired in a 98–97 victory against the Toronto Raptors.[3]

In the 2006 NBA Playoffs, Jones played in 13 games, averaged 1.8 points and hit 27.8% of his three-pointers.[2] He had a playoff high 8 points in a game four Eastern Conference Semifinal win against the Detroit Pistons.[6]

On May 5, 2006 Jones came off the bench late in Game 6 of the Cavs' Eastern Conference first-round series against the Washington Wizards. In his first minute of the game action, in overtime, he hit the game-winning shot to clinch the series four games to two, and sent the Cavs into the second round of the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 1993.[7]

In 60 games played during the 2006–2007 regular season, Jones averaged 6.6 points and 1.6 assists per game. He shot 38.5% from three-point range.[2] On November 13, 2006, he had a season-high 29 points on a season-high 7 three-point field goals.[8]

Jones was selected to participate in the Three-Point Shootout during the 2007 All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jones finished in fifth place.

In the 2007 NBA Playoffs, Jones played in 11 games, averaged 2.4 points and hit 31.8% of his three-pointers.[2] He had a playoff high 9 points on three three-point field goals in a game one NBA Final loss to the San Antonio Spurs.[8]

Jones played in 68 regular season games (three starts) for the Cavaliers. He averaged 6.4 points and 1.9 assists and shot 41.7% from three-point range. Jones had a season-high 27 points on a season-high seven three-point field goals[9] in a February 22, 2008 short-handed Cavs victory over the Washington Wizards.[10]

In five playoff games, Jones scored six total points and dished one assist.

On December 28, 2007, it was revealed that the Cavaliers fined Jones and Ira Newble an undisclosed amount of money for refusing to come off the bench during the final minute of their Christmas Day win over the Miami Heat.[11]

2008–2009

On August 13, 2008, Jones was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team, six-player deal involving the Bucks, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Oklahoma City Thunder that also sent Milwaukee's Mo Williams to Cleveland, Cleveland's Joe Smith and Milwaukee's Desmond Mason to Oklahoma City, and Oklahoma City's Luke Ridnour and Adrian Griffin to Milwaukee.[12]

2010

On March 29, 2010, Jones signed with the Piratas de Quebradillas of the Puerto Rico Basketball League.[13] However, on April 13 he was released, after averaging only 10.7 points in four games played.

2011

In February 2011 he signed with Aliağa Petkim in Turkey,[14] but didn't pass the physical fitness test and was released.[15]

2012

After a stint with the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League (NBA D-League), Jones retired from playing in 2012.

Coaching career

In 2014, Jones became a part of the coaching staff for the Cleveland Cavaliers with the title of "shooting consultant," working with both the Cavaliers and their NBADL affiliate the Canton Charge.[16][17][18] During the 2015-16 season, Jones served as an assistant coach with the Charge.[19][20]

In April 2016, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue added Jones to his coaching staff for the 2016 NBA playoffs.[21] In September 2016, Jones was promoted to the full-time role of assistant coach for the Cavaliers.[22] In March 2018, Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith threw a bowl of soup at Jones and was suspended for one game by the team.[23]

Records, milestones and rankings
  • Ranked third in the NBA in three-point field goals made (225) in 2004–2005.
  • Ranked 5th in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage (43.2%) in 2004–2005.
  • Led the NBA in "True Shooting Percentage" (62.5%) in 2004–2005.[24]

Personal life
  • Jones majored in sociology at the University of Houston.
  • On January 10, 2006, Jones became the first NBA player to sign with a Chinese shoe company when he signed a two-year contract with Li-Ning.[25]
  • Damon Jones has a child with WNBA superstar Tina Thompson.[26]

NBA career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1998–99 New Jersey 11011.9.318.345.8461.21.2.6.04.5
1998–99 Boston 13016.4.387.455.7502.42.2.5.05.8
1999–00 Golden State 13115.1.463.478.7781.23.0.5.05.2
1999–00 Dallas 4209.9.357.330.641.91.4.3.03.9
2000–01 Vancouver 711019.9.409.364.7121.73.2.5.06.5
2001–02 Detroit 67016.2.401.371.7291.52.1.3.05.1
2002–03 Sacramento 49114.5.381.364.7411.41.6.4.14.6
2003–04 Milwaukee 822624.6.401.359.7642.15.8.4.07.0
2004–05 Miami 826631.4.456.432.7912.84.3.5.111.6
2005–06 Cleveland 82725.5.387.377.6401.62.1.5.06.7
2006–07 Cleveland 60019.6.386.385.6821.11.6.3.06.6
2007–08 Cleveland 67319.9.416.417.7141.11.9.3.06.5
2008–09 Milwaukee 1806.0.324.393.000.3.4.2.01.8
Career 65711420.5.407.390.7271.62.7.4.06.6

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2002 Detroit 10018.1.381.296.7502.12.5.5.04.3
2004 Milwaukee 5528.8.529.476.6674.07.41.0.010.0
2005 Miami 151533.2.481.429.6002.74.0.5.012.1
2006 Cleveland 13013.9.308.278.7501.2.9.2.01.8
2007 Cleveland 11012.6.308.3181.000.81.0.0.02.4
2008 Cleveland 505.2.200.286.000.0.2.0.01.2
Career 592019.8.427.382.6601.82.5.3.05.6

Notes
  1. "Damon Jones Interview". InsideHoops.com. December 28, 2005. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
  2. Damon Jones Profile
  3. Damon Jones Bio Archived 2008-01-29 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Damon Jones 2004-2005 Game Log
  5. Cavaliers, Jones reach four-year, $16.1M deal
  6. Damon Jones 2005-2006 Game Log
  7. Jones comes off bench to hit OT game-winner for Cavs
  8. Damon Jones 2006-2007 Game Log
  9. Damon Jones Game Log (2007-08)
  10. LeBron's late free-throws lift Cavs' short-handed crew to win
  11. Report: Cavs' Jones, Newble refused to play game's final minute., ESPN.com, December 28, 2007
  12. Cavaliers Acquire Williams in Three-Team Trade, August 13th, 2008
  13. "Damon Jones joins Piratas". Pirataspr.com. March 29, 2010. Archived from the original on April 1, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
  14. Aliaga Petkim lands sharpshooter Damon Jones
  15. Aliağa guardını buldu (in Turkish)
  16. Skolnick, Ethan (21 January 2015). "As Always for LeBron, It's His Teammates, Not the Coach, Who Matter Most". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  17. Spears, Marc J. (11 January 2016). "How LeBron James helped Damon Jones get his start in coaching". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on 2016-01-12. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  18. Borcas, Matt (2015-06-12). "LeBron's Secret Weapon: Damon Jones". Grantland. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  19. Wyatt, Sean (2 November 2015). "Charge 2015-16 Coaching Staff & Training Camp Roster - Canton Charge". Canton Charge. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  20. Goldman, Tom (10 June 2016). "Playing for a Chance: The Promise and Pain of the NBA's Minor League". NPR. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  21. Haynes, Chris (13 April 2016). "Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue to add Damon Jones to coaching staff during postseason". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  22. Fedor, Chris (27 September 2016). "Cleveland Cavaliers officially announce Tyronn Lue's coaching staff, promoting Larry Drew to associate head coach". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  23. http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/22624251/cleveland-cavaliers-jr-smith-earned-suspension-throwing-bowl-soup-assistant-coach-damon-jones
  24. 2004-05 NBA Expanded Leaders
  25. Li-Ning signs NBA star Damon Jones
  26. Comets' Thompson to Miss Part of Season Archived 2006-05-26 at the Wayback Machine, February 4, 2005
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