Sure, the Jermaine O?Neal and Shawn Marion trade was a big deal.? After all, they share a total of 10 All-Star appearances.? Yet, no one seems to be talking about the other part of the move.? You know, that other guy Miami received in the trade.? The guy who held Andre Igoudala scoreless in the fourth quarter to help secure a victory for a team where every win is as important as President Obama?s bailout plan.? The guy who was just inserted into the starting lineup and responded with 17 points and 12 rebounds in 39 minutes of action against the Knicks.? Yeah, that guy.? Nobody is talking about Jamario Moon.? It?s okay though, he?s used it.




?I don?t think about it too much,? Moon told RealGM of being overlooked, prior to Friday night?s game in Atlanta.? ?You know, I?m making the most out of the opportunity I got now.? I?m here right now and that?s all that matters.? I don?t look back.? I don?t forget where I came from, but I don?t look back and think a lot of people overlooked me.?




Moon played his college ball at Meridian Community College in Mississippi.? There, he averaged almost 21 points a game while pulling down nearly nine boards a contest.? He declared for the 2001 NBA Draft, but was left wondering if his dream of being an NBA player would ever come true after his name was not called.




Jamario could have given up.? That would have been the easier route.? Instead, he bounced around all over the world for the next six years.? He played ball in the Mexican League and even was a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. In 2007, Moon was finally able to impress some scouts and landed himself a two-year contract with the Toronto Raptors.




What was so impressive about Jamario?s workout?? Well, you could start with the flashy dunks.? Or maybe it?s his range from the outside.? If you ask him, however, he?ll say it all starts on the defensive end.




?That?s how I got in this league,? Moon said.? ?That was my knack.? I?ve got to continue to do what I do.? I?ve got to continue to keep being aggressive on the defensive end so I can stay on the floor.?




When asked if being traded to Miami frustrated him at all, Moon responded, "It wouldn?t do any good to be mad, right?? You know you?ve got to make good out of any situation.? But of course I?m happy to be out of the snow [in Toronto].? It?s a better situation here too."




For Jamario Moon, it?s just another chapter in his life?s journey.? For Miami, however, it?s a diamond in the rough.? Many considered Moon as a throw-in of the O?Neal-Marion trade.? In Saturday?s win against New York, Moon played the second most minutes of anybody on the team, only two behind Dwayne Wade and six more than O?Neal.




That isn?t ?throw-in? type playing time.? Moon is expected to be a valuable part of Miami?s playoff run.? In the short time he?s been with the team, he already has his coach?s attention.




?Jamario has been playing very good minutes for us,? Head Coach Erik Spoelstra said.? ?He?s extremely active defensively and he?ll give us that type of presence each game.?




So, give Miami some credit for going out and getting in Jermaine O?Neal.? But, don?t forget about the other part of the deal, because Jamario Moon is a name that might be around in Miami a lot longer than Jermaine's.




- Brian Reynolds is a contributing writer from Emory University and can be reached at Brian.matthew.reynolds@gmail.com