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“If one or two incidents would not have happened, that organization would be totally different. Which two incidents, I couldn’t tell you,” said Jamison, who has been reunited with Jordan, a Lakers assistant. “Our problem was outside distractions dictated the future of that organization. If we would’ve kept the reins a little tighter, if we would’ve done things the way it was supposed to be done, that organization would be one of the top organizations of having that consistency, eight or nine years still making the playoffs and contending. I truly believe that. One or two incidents started everything over.” Washington Post

Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Antawn Jamison 

Jamison only had three months to get acclimated to Cleveland before the Cavaliers lost to Boston in the second round of the playoffs. He said he never “felt like I fit in” before James bolted. “If LeBron would’ve stayed, I guarantee that next year we would’ve won,” said Jamison, who played out the last two years of his $50 million contract extension in Cleveland. “I left one situation. I went from that to worse than the situation I was in before.” Washington Post

Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, LeBron James, Antawn Jamison 

Jamison said Bryant has helped create a contentious atmosphere with him and his teammates, but the conflict has helped the team congeal. "Kobe will tell you," Jamison said. "He's like, 'Look, you guys as my teammates, yell at me. Let me know that you're open because I'm so programmed,' and this guy has told me this, 'I see nothing but that basket. You could be open, there could be three guys on me, but the only thing I see is that basket so you have to tell me, Look, I was open. Or yell at me mid-play. That doesn't affect me at all and I respect that.' " ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Antawn Jamison 

Jamison said the veteran-laden roster has adapted to Bryant's style and the players have no problem with confronting the five-time champion. "I think the thing we've seen in the past was most teammates might have been afraid to come to him or express, 'Kob' I was open,' or, 'That's not what we drew up,' " Jamison said. "The thing I like about this team, Steve Nash -- who is a Hall of Famer -- and Dwight [Howard] as well, Dwight and Kobe have gotten into shouting matches on the bench because Dwight will be like, 'Kob', that's your rotation. Get there.' And after the game he'll be like, 'Appreciate it, big fella. I needed that.' " ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Antawn Jamison 

Dave McMenamin: Antawn Jamison tells @ESPNLA710 that the only 2 road games he didn't feel the Lakers had the crowd behind them were OKC and San Antonio Twitter @mcten

Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Antawn Jamison 

The Lakers' 99-93 victory Friday over the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse featured all the elements that make teamwork tick. Dwight Howard overcame early foul trouble en route to 20 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks. Metta World Peace both scored (19 points) and defended, holding David West to 4-of-13 shooting. Reserves Antawn Jamison (18 points) and Steve Blake (17 points) made big shot after big shot. Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni called it "a big win for us." Others took it a step further. "It was our best win of the season," World Peace said. Los Angeles Daily News

Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Mike D'Antoni, Dwight Howard, Steve Blake, Antawn Jamison, David West, Metta World Peace 

Why have the Lakers been playing better? Antawn Jamison said it's because the team has finally developed chemistry: Why have the Los Angeles Lakers been playing better lately? Here's what Antawn Jamison had to say: “The most important thing for us is now we’re starting to get chemistry. We’re starting to understand each other’s roles. When I’m in there with Dwight, I know what to expect and I know where he likes the ball, and the same thing with Kobe. The pick-and-roll with Nash is different than the pick-and-roll with Blake. Coach had to adjust his system a little bit to us as well. Now that the chemistry is there and we’re all comfortable playing together, we all have a little bit more confidence. Sulia

Los Angeles Lakers, Antawn Jamison 

"It's been our chemistry, and we'll still trying to get it," Jamison said. "Steve (Nash) is playing off the ball sometimes, Kobe is dealing with Steve, Dwight is dealing with another scorer (Pau Gasol), it's time to get Pau involved, Pau gets hurt, Jordan (Hill) gets hurt ... It's definitely been a whirlwind. "We knew it was going to take time, but in this day we don't practice patience. We don't have time for it. That was the case here. In all honesty, we wanted things to click right away and it didn't. So we had to practice what we preached. That was the most important thing, being patient. Playing for the Lakers, that's unheard of." Orange County Register

Los Angeles Lakers, Antawn Jamison 

Ramona Shelburne: Jamison says he has no intention of retiring yet. "I don't think this is my last run. I can still compete with these young guys." Twitter @ramonashelburne

Los Angeles Lakers, Antawn Jamison 

He didn't play. At all. A coach looked at his roster, looked at the opponent, and for five consecutive games decided that Jamison was not one of the guys who gave his team the best chance to win. Antawn Jamison, the ninth-leading scorer among active players in the NBA, a guy who has averaged 19 points a game and will soon pass 20,000 career points, went down in the box scores with a DNP-CD for five consecutive games in late December. "Never in my career had that happened to me," Jamison said. "Never. I just didn't know what was going on. Did I do something wrong?" ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Antawn Jamison 

But as much as he regretted it, in the long run it was the best thing for Jamison and the Lakers. "He was a man about it," Jamison said of D'Antoni. "He sat down and talked to me. He told me he liked Metta at the 4. I could understand that. "And ever since then, we've honestly had an open dialogue about things. If there's something going on, he feels comfortable telling me, 'Look, I'm trying this. You might be in early, you might be out.' "It was good to have that wall come down a little bit." ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Antawn Jamison 

Jamison and Butler were the glue guys on those Wizards teams. The adults in the room. "We had a mixture of veteran guys and young knuckleheads," Jamison said with a smile. "I should've got time and a half for dealing with those guys." ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Antawn Jamison 

Kobe Bryant said Antawn Jamison "is like a little cockroach" Thursday, and meant it as a compliment. Here's why: "He just keeps finding cracks," Bryant said of Jamison's effectiveness away from the ball. Sulia

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Antawn Jamison 

Jordan turns 50 in about a week on Feb. 17. What would happen if he traded in his ownership stake in the Charlotte Bobcats for one more chance to lace up his Air Jordans in the league? Could he do it? "I wouldn't doubt that in the right situation with a LeBron (James) on his team or with a Kobe (Bryant) on this team, he could get you about 10 or 11 points, come in and play 15-20 minutes," said Antawn Jamison before the Lakers played the Bobcats on Friday. "I wouldn't doubt that at all, especially if he was in shape and injuries were prevented and things of that nature." ESPN.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Lakers, Michael Jordan, Antawn Jamison 

Jordan averaged 20.0 points in 37.0 minutes per game in his 15th and final season in the league before retiring for good at age 40. "He wasn't joking," said Jamison of Jordan's declaration at the HOF ceremony. "You hear stories still to this day, especially last year, him going to the practice facility and playing 1-on-1 with the guys and still they can't stop him." ESPN.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Lakers, Michael Jordan, Antawn Jamison 

Does he regret his decision? "Even though we are where we are right now, at least I got this opportunity," Jamison said. "It could've been, `What if I had an opportunity and I didn't take advantage of it?' It always would've been in the back of my mind." Los Angeles Daily News

Los Angeles Lakers, Antawn Jamison 

Jordan turns 50 in about a week on Feb. 17. What would happen if he traded in his ownership stake in the Charlotte Bobcats for one more chance to lace up his Air Jordans in the league? Could he do it? "I wouldn't doubt that in the right situation with a LeBron (James) on his team or with a Kobe (Bryant) on this team, he could get you about 10 or 11 points, come in and play 15-20 minutes," said Antawn Jamison before the Lakers played the Bobcats on Friday. "I wouldn't doubt that at all, especially if he was in shape and injuries were prevented and things of that nature." ESPN.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Lakers, Michael Jordan, Antawn Jamison 

"He wasn't joking," said Jamison of Jordan's declaration at the HOF ceremony. "You hear stories still to this day, especially last year, him going to the practice facility and playing 1-on-1 with the guys and still they can't stop him." According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Matthew "Nat" Hickey was the oldest player in NBA history when he played one game for the Providence Steam Rollers at 45 years, 363 days old on Jan. 28, 1948. Jamison, who used to play during the summer months in Chapel Hill, N.C., against his fellow University of North Carolina alum in Jordan, said the former six-time NBA Finals MVP has the confidence to pull it off. "He still believes he can do it," Jamison said. ESPN.com

Charlotte Bobcats, Los Angeles Lakers, Michael Jordan, Antawn Jamison 

Mike Trudell: Antawn Jamison on Kobe: “He makes the game so much easier. He demands so much attention.” Twitter @LakersReporter

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Antawn Jamison 

Jamison's 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 13 minutes in the Lakers' 105-96 win Sunday over the Oklahoma City Thunder brought reminders of how the 17-year veteran has scored at a prolific and efficient rate. That's partly why he's 488 points away from cracking the 20,000 mark. But it also juxtaposed Jamison scoring only four points in six minutes in the Lakers' win Friday over Utah. "It's tough because especially to me, just to know what role is and what minutes I'm going to play to get a feel for the game," Jamison said in a quiet moment. "It's difficult. But the thing I have to do is whenever my name is called, just play." Los Angeles Daily News

Los Angeles Lakers, Antawn Jamison