Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

Antawn Jamison wore the blue and gold (actually, the blue, burnt orange, yellow and ridiculous lightning bolts) of the Golden State Warriors for five ignominious seasons. Technically, he was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in the 1998 NBA draft. A subsequent trade—straight up for Tarheel teammate Vince Carter—brought him to Oakland.

Jamison came to epitomize a specific player type for the Warriors—one which the franchise fell for and overvalued for many seasons after Jamison departed. He was essentially a solid bench scorer who was cast as a No. 1 option on offense. For verification of his optimal role, check out Jamison’s ultra-efficient career season as the Dallas Mavericks’ sixth man in 2003-04.

Forced into major minutes by a complete lack of offensive talent, Jamison did his best to shoulder the scoring load. And for all his warts as a player—Jamison’s an awful defender and passer—he did manage to score despite the bulk of the opposition’s defensive attention. Jamison managed to be so successful (relative term) because there’s really not any defense for the things he does well: shoot quick floaters and use his pogo-stick second jump to tap in offensive rebounds.

His awkward style and unpredictable offensive repertoire led to scoring averages of 19.6, 24.9, 19.7 and 22.2 points per game from the 1999-00 season through the 2002-03 campaign.

Jamison wrote himself into the history books in 2000-01 by becoming joining Michael Jordan as the only NBA players to score more than 50 points in back-to-back games. Jamison pulled off the trick, scoring exactly 51 against Seattle on December 3 and Los Angeles on December 6. Amazingly Kobe Bryant also scored 50 in that second contest.

There’s no getting around it: Jamison was a good Warrior. He always showed great effort and he absolutely maximized his somewhat unusual talents. He’s definitely not to blame for the Warriors horrendous record during his tenure, as he was just the best option on a terrible series of teams.

Jamison’s long career—he’s entering his 14th season this year, and figures to be a major bench asset for the Los Angeles Lakers—is a testament to the effectiveness of his quirky offensive style and his willingness to fill the role his team requires of him. He’s a pro’s pro.

Antawn Jamison checks in at a worthy No. 4 on the list of the Golden State Warriors’ top 10 players since 2000.

Dec. 10 2010; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Portland Trailblazers guard Brandon Roy (7) handles the ball during the first half against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Trailblazers defeated the Suns 101-94. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE

It’s been no secret: free agents want to go to contending teams because they want to win championships.

Just look at this year’s winner, the Miami Heat. Shane Battier, Mike Miller and Juwan Howard were all veterans wanting one last chance to get a ring—and they got rewarded. How about this offseason? The number of players interested in signing with the Heat has only increased. From Ray Allen to Jermaine O’Neal to Chris Kaman to Elton Brand, everybody wants a shot at playing for an NBA championship – and they are willing to take less money than what they could get with other teams.

One of those “other teams” is none other than your Golden State Warriors, who have had their troubles getting big-name players to suit up at Oracle Arena. The Warriors haven’t had a “star” sign with them in free agency in years, and the only possible reason is that players don’t want to come to a losing franchise. Who wants to come to a team that’s been to the playoffs once in the past eighteen seasons?

Here are a few examples of players spurning the Warriors from this offseason (one of them is still in progress):

• Brandon Roy – Probably the top free agent on the Warriors’ radar, Roy signs a two-year, $10 million contract with the up-and-coming Minnesota Timberwolves, who have three young and talented phenoms in Kevin Love, Derrick Williams and Ricky Rubio. Not only did he spurn the Warriors, but he ignored pleas from GM Bob Myers (his former agent!) and decided he was better off in cold and frigid Minnesota.
• Jason Kidd – Kidd went to the New York Knicks for three years and $9 million, a contract that the Warriors clearly could have matched. There would have been no better way for Kidd to end his Hall-of-Fame career than by coming back to his hometown. But the only problem was that he wanted to win another championship.
• Antawn Jamison – Another one of Myers’ former clients, Jamison spurned him to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers at the veterans’ minimum of $1.4 million when the Warriors could have paid him at least $3 million. The only plausible reason: he wanted to win a championship (are you seeing a trend here?)
• JJ Hickson – Desperate for a backup power forward, the Warriors then went after Hickson, who responded by re-signing with the Portland Trail Blazers.
• Carl Landry – Landry might be the Warriors’ last hope to get a backup big man. He has expressed that he would like to play for Golden State, and the Warriors have also expressed interest in signing him. So what’s the holdup? Apparently Landry wants more than the Warriors can afford to give him, and he is also considering the Charlotte Bobcats, who can afford to give him a big payday. You know that there’s something seriously screwed up when players would rather sign with the worst team in NBA history than your team.