Here’s something to consider when submitting a query to James Jones’ Player Mailbox: the man known in Cavs’ circles “Champ” doesn’t do anything half-heartedly – and certainly not when it comes to answering questions from fans and media alike. He will give you the full answer, every time.
In his first Player Mailbox, the 12-year veteran and former Academic All-American sat down after practice in Orlando to answer said queries. Some of his answers might surprise you, some won’t. But you can believe that they are well thought-out.
So without further ado, here are some of your questions – handled with care by the Champ …
Name: Charlene Menegos
City: Salem
State: Ohio
Question: You seem to have such a calm presence about you, even on the court. Where does that come from?
James Jones: From the ups and downs of a 12-year NBA career.
I came into the NBA as the 49th pick with a non-guaranteed contract. I was on a veteran team in Indiana, so I really had to climb the wall on that team. And I really didn’t play my first year. Then we had the brawl in Detroit and I was thrust into 30 minutes a game. And just those wide peaks and valleys early in my career kinda gave me an inkling of what it would be like to play an extended NBA career.
If the first year-and-a-half of my career was that rocky, I envisioned as I became a veteran – as I hit my prime, as I passed my prime – that my situation may change. So I decided then that, regardless of whatever happened, I was gonna keep the same approach: to work consistently, to never get too high, never get too low – understanding that there’s just things you can’t change, that you have no control over.
The only thing I can control is how hard I dedicated myself to my craft.
I wasn’t always calm. I grew into it. You come out of college as a competitive player. And I think my time in Miami on those Championship teams sculpted and molded my calmness. When you’re chasing championships, you realize that all that matters is the result. Nobody cares about the reason you fell short. You just want to make sure when the opportunity’s there, that you’re ready.
It’s the difference between winning and losing a championship.
Name: Kirby Stones
City: Calgary
State: Washington
Question: Hey Champ … It is always reported, when you were in Miami and now in The Land, that your teammates always name you as the funniest player on the team. As the reigning comic genius, which players on the roster are the funniest in your opinion? Both intentionally and unintentionally?
James Jones: Tristan Thompson is funny unintentionally, because he’s just young. You know, young guys are just oblivious to a lot of things. So, he’s funny to us – the veterans on the team.
But it’s really odd here. Rarely do you have a team full of this many personalities.
Kyrie is hilarious. Iman is funny. Swish, LeBron, Mo, Kevin – all funny in their own way.
Then, you have guys like Delly – Delly’s even-keeled. Delly’s bland. Doesn’t say much, doesn’t do much.
Andy is hilarious. Now, that’s the jokester. Of all the people you would think, you might not know Anderson Varejao is as funny as he is. But he’s a joker.
And without a doubt, Timo is just goofy. Look at his commercials! He’s just a goofy guy and he doesn’t even know it. To him, a lot of times he doesn’t see the humor in what he’s doing. He thinks we’re the odd ones. But Timo is the goofball.
Name: Dylan Dickmann
City: Menomonie
State: Wisconsin
Question: I have been watching you ball for years and only have one question: how do you shoot the three so well?
James Jones: I watch myself a lot. I watch video of myself shooting.
I broke my shot down into components. I started shooting with one hand, just to make sure I wasn’t overcompensating, using two hands on the ball. Because shooters have a tendency, when their shot isn’t falling, to squeeze the ball, kind of like a quarterback who wants to place it.
But it’s also repetition. Repetition and understanding my body type. I have long arms, so making sure my elbow is tucked in. For different people, with different body mechanics, their shot should look different. But I just tinkered with mine and found out that a straight elbow and high release point with a lot of arc just felt natural to me.
You have to tinker with your shot constantly. With jumpshooters – eventually you don’t jump as high as you used to at your peak. So you have to change things. As you get older you don’t have the lift, you don’t have the bounce, you don’t have the explosion. So, you really have to be perfect mechanically.
So for me, it’s constantly re-evaluating what feels the best and on-balance for me. I won’t say it changes every day. But I’m conscious of understanding that if it’s hitting the front of the rim, is it that my release point is off or is it just that I’m not getting the lift that I used to?
Sometimes you can shoot the ball well and it’ll go in and not feel right. That happens too – where you’ll make shots, but it just doesn’t feel right.
It’s about feel more than the result. I can make shots shooting the ball poorly. But eventually that’ll lead to bad habits and inconsistency.
Name: Brian Fragua
City: Cleveland
State: Ohio
Question: What was the best advice you were ever given?
James Jones: Control yourself. Control your emotions, your approach. Mentally, control yourself.
Playing time, whether the ball goes in or out some nights, you can’t control. But you can control how hard you work before and how hard you work after.
You can’t manage everything or anyone else. It’s tough enough just competing on this level, let alone trying to manage every component of the game.
I learned a lot from Reggie Miller when I first came into the league. Reggie did it by example. I shot with Reggie, I worked with Reggie every day. And whether things were going good or bad, he was consistent. He didn’t waver in his confidence; didn’t waver in his preparation or his routine.
At that stage in his career, he was older, and he was actually putting in more time. And whenever you see a guy who’s as accomplished as he is, putting in more time, as a 22-year-old kid, it made me realize that I had to do more. And it helped me re-focus and commit to being a pro, rather than just being a basketball player.
Reggie taught me how to be a pro.
Name: Ben Lindeman
City: Lehi
State: Utah
Question: What is the most embarrassing thing you have ever done in a game?
James Jones: When I was in Miami, we were playing the New Orleans Hornets and Chris Paul hit me with a crossover and I fell down. He rocked me to sleep and crossed me over and I fell. And as he went by I pushed him into one of our guys and he got an offensive foul.
But the fact that he got that offensive foul didn’t change the fact that D-Wade and Udonis Haslam chastised me and played that clip over and over and over in film the next day.
Name: Nouia Eco
City: Wilmington
State: North Carolina
Question: Hey Champ, what do you think of K-Love's new look with his hair and headband and all?
James Jones: I like it. It looks natural for him.
At first, people thought it was funny, but I’ve told Kevin: If you look at him on the street, if you’d never seen him before, you would think it was completely natural. The only reason it looks odd is because we’ve seen him looking like the young kid, with the clean-shaven face.
I actually like it. It’s a little more mature for him. And he beams confidence with that new look.
Name: Justin Giusti
City: Orlando
State: Florida
Question: Are there any specific music or musicians that inspires you?
James Jones: I’m kinda weird. I’m not a big rap guy.
I like the Arctic Monkeys. I like their recent album. I’ll listen to Fallout Boy. I’ll listen to a newer group called The Neighborhood out of California. Those are my heavy hitters.
I’m a big alternative music fan. I love instruments. And those guys use real instruments – none of these synthesizers or beat machines and all that.
I like real music because, at the end of the day, when I’m listening to music, I like to appreciate and feel the amount of energy, time and work that went into crafting the music rather than something that’s synthesized and done on a machine. To know that the guys have had to constantly go through their ‘reps’ – either on the bass or the piano or the guitar or the electric guitar.
I can visualize and appreciate how much work has gone into it. It kind of has a lot of similarities with what we do. Just to shoot five or ten shots in a game, you’ve probably taken a thousand jumpers in practice. And I think athletes appreciate the time it takes going into being a musician, perfecting that craft. And I think musicians respect and understand what we go through.
That’s why there’s such a symmetry with us.
My whole take on music is I always listen to music that’s universal and versatile, which means that if I’m at the YMCA working on my game in the summer and kids walk into the room, I don’t have to turn it down. If I’m the house, relaxing, watching film, I don’t have to turn it down for my kids.
I like to be transparent wherever I go. And that’s the type of music I listen to. So before the game, and after the game; good game, bad game, it’s the same thing.