Mike James
From Hoopedia
Michael Lamont James (born June 23, 1975 in Amityville, Long Island, New York) is an American professional basketball player currently with the New Orleans Hornets of the NBA.
Following a college career at Duquesne University that saw him finish ranked third all-time in steals (201), fifth in assists (348) and 10th in points (1,411) at the school and included being named to the all Atlantic Ten Conference 1st team in his senior year, he was not drafted. He began his NBA career when he signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat during the 2001-2002 season. He has since played for the Boston Celtics, the Detroit Pistons, the Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors averaging 11.9 points per game. As the starting point guard for the Raptors during the 2005-06 season, he averaged career highs of 20.3 points, 5.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game and shot 47% from the field including 44.2% from 3-point range which ranked among the league leaders. James is the first undrafted player in the history of the NBA to average at least 20 points a game in a season.
On April 11, 2006, Mike James became the first Toronto Raptor to score 30 or more points in 4 consecutive games, a feat that even the high scoring Vince Carter never accomplished.
James was a member of the Pistons' 2004 NBA Championship team as a reserve. He and fellow reserve guard Lindsey Hunter formed a formidable defensive guard combination nicknamed the "Pit Bulls" by Rasheed Wallace, because of their aggressive nature on defense.
On October 4, 2005, James was traded from the Houston Rockets to the Toronto Raptors for Rafer Alston. James was a very strong contributor to a Toronto Raptor team that finished 27-55. He was the second leading scorer on the team, behind Chris Bosh.
He is a marginal 3-point shooter, and also occasionally possesses the dribbling skill and quickness to drive past defenders to the basket. He is known to be a one-dimensional, no defense player, and late in close games in the 2005-06 NBA season he has shown a propensity for firing off quick 3-pointers, which throughout the season have either won games for the Raptors or lost games for them in the final stages of the game. This has led to criticism by some fans that, for a point guard, he shoots the ball too much rather than pass it to the right teammates at the right time. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote of his big 2005-06 season: "Previously, James had started only 68 games, so some scouts wondered if those numbers were an aberration. Others felt his impending free agency affected his play, prompting him to seek stats at the expense of playmaking duties."
While playing for Toronto in the 2005-06 season, he reached a career high of 39 points in a win against the Detroit Pistons.
On July 11, 2006, James signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The deal is reported to be for four years, with a player option on the last year, and with a trade kicker clause, which would raise his salary by 15% automatically if he were to be traded. Much of the 2006-07 season has been marred by mediocre play, which has limited his minutes to 25, down from the 37 he averaged during his career year in Toronto.
