<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Eddie Jones never really talked about how badly he wanted to be somewhere else. He never openly said how much he would have loved being traded to Minnesota, and how disappointed he was when Latrell Sprewell made the move there instead of him. He never even came close to demanding a trade, but he certainly had visions of playing for legendary coach Larry Brown and with Allen Iverson when both were in Philadelphia. Jones had nothing against his Heat coaches or teammates, it was just that those other teams were in winning situations. And for the better part of his Heat career, Jones was not. He started out with a 50-win debut season in Miami, but that ended in a disastrous three-game playoff sweep at the hands of the Charlotte Hornets. Then came two years without a postseason -- a first for the veteran shooting guard. And last year started with a tumultuous 5-15 record before an amazing turnaround made for a feel-good ending. Little did Jones know that last year's ending was just a taste of the good fortunes to come. Jones is the only player on the Heat roster remaining from the 2000-01 season, his first in Miami. He was supposed to be part of a championship-caliber team that season -- one with Alonzo Mourning dominating the lane and Jones ruling the perimeter. Mourning's kidney disease, however, dashed those hopes, leaving Jones to experience the entire rebuilding process. Now that the Heat managed to acquire Shaquille O'Neal, Jones believes he's close to experiencing something he has desired the past four years. ''I never really told anybody anything,'' Jones said of his disappointment the past four years. ``It was more so that I wanted to be in a great situation, where I wanted to win one championship. I think the first time I even talked to Shaq on the phone I said, `I just want to win one. I just want one right now. I just want to feel that.' 'I don't think I ever got to the point where I was like, `I wish that was me.' But I always got to the point where I saw the opportunity was great out there and said, 'I just hope things come together here.' Sometimes you have to wait for great things to happen.'' In two years the Heat has gone from a 25-win tragedy to the NBA elite. The acquisition of O'Neal and the development of Dwyane Wade has made the transition quicker than Jones could have imagined. DIFFERENT ATTITUDE But Jones isn't naive enough to think an NBA title is a sure thing. He has, after all, played with O'Neal and not won a ring. With the Lakers, Jones and O'Neal played together for two full seasons and never got past the conference finals. Jones knows why those Lakers teams failed. And he's confident it won't happen in Miami. ''The locker room wasn't a great locker room,'' Jones said of his old Lakers team. ``I thought we liked each other, but we just didn't play together. If you don't play together, you just won't win. Everybody needs to know their roles on their team. Guys just didn't want to play the team game. Everybody wanted to do their own thing. It was a young team and didn't know much about losing or winning. ``I don't see that on this team with the guys that [the Heat] brought in. I don't see anything thus far that could indicate that may happen.'' DESERVING This will be the third time Jones has approached a season with championship aspirations. The first was in his younger, carefree days with the Lakers and the second was in his prime with the Heat. Now Jones is reaching the point of desperation. A championship is all he plays for. And those who have watched him hang around in Miami don't want anything less for him. ''We've always had a great respect for Eddie,'' Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said. ``He's a very, very talented offensive player, he's our best perimeter defender, he's just a real true professional. He's 32 years old, and the only guy who worked out more here this summer on our entire team was Wang Zhi-Zhi. I think Eddie has really taken it upon himself to be a veteran leader and do the right things and to show the way. Those are very important things. ``I would like nothing better than to see Eddie be part of something great. He deserves it. He's done everything we've asked of him.'' </div><div align="center">Source</div> <div align="center"> </div> I can't believe EJ wanted to be traded. I'm pretty sure Miami would've loved to get rid of his contract. Oh well. Anyways its good to see that when he first spoke to O'Neal that their issues were a thing of the past and they are focused on one thing this year: win an NBA Championship.
it's hoghly possible they win this year. I won't get into the facts and figures but Shaq, EJ and Wade will bring something special to the leauge. You hear talk about Malone and Payton deserving a ring but people always overlook players like Jones.
Ej Shaq and EJ took care of there problems that good they dont need to bring that into the games they have a pretty good chance at the chapionship.
