Cavs: Moon new to lineup but no one is taking LeBron’s role

By Mary Schmitt Boyer

Cleveland Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND

First, Jamario Moon took LeBron James’ locker at The Q. Then he took his starting spot in the lineup.

But make no mistake: Moon is not trying to replace James.

“You can’t replace a guy like that,” Moon said as the Cavaliers prepare for tonight’s season opener against the Boston Celtics at The Q.

“He was everything. He scored. He passed. He rebounded. He played defense. You can’t replace a guy like that. We’re not trying to replace him. We’re trying to work with the guys we’ve got.”

In case you were wondering, no, there will be no powder toss before tonight’s start. Not even as a joke.

“If anybody did it on the team, I think that would be disrespectful,” Moon said. “That was his trademark. That would be inappropriate.”

A noted prankster, Moon thought for a moment and then continued, “It would be fun,” he said, no doubt envisioning himself with the rosin. “If I did it, I would be doing it out of fun. I wouldn’t be doing it out of disrespect. But the past has got to be the past.”

Indeed, the Cavs have put James so far behind them that new coach Byron Scott, who never coached him, has not talked to Moon about trying not to be James.

Does he feel the need to?

“No, I don’t,” the coach said.

Scott said he’ll be relying on Moon for defense against the high-scoring small forwards and shooting guards in the league.

“If he can get eight, 10, 12 points for us, that’s kind of gravy,” Scott said. That’s about a third of the 29.7 points James averaged last season, and is just the start of the differences between the two.

Moon, 30, has played for nearly 20 professional teams all over the world, including the Harlem Globetrotters, and is thrilled to finally have an opportunity to show what he can do. Until this summer, James, 25, had played for only one team and always was the main focus on both ends of the floor.

At 6-8, 200 pounds, Moon is much lankier than the 6-8, 250-pound James, who was built like a Mack truck. James also has seven years worth of experience, compared to just three for Moon.

They’re both athletic, but in different ways. Scott admits that Moon’s athleticism can help him recover if he finds himself out of position — a trend the coach would like to see stopped.

They both can dunk, they both can shoot the 3-pointer and Moon, at least, still plans to celebrate with the three-fingered goose-eye the team made popular last season.

Moon admitted the team is trying to cook up a new pre-game routine for this season and he, no doubt, is heavily involved. In fact, when asked what he could do better than James, Moon smiled and said, “I’m a better comedian than LeBron.

“Come Wednesday night, there’s going to be a whole new Jamario Moon and a whole new Cleveland Cavaliers. I’m ready to get the show on the road.”