Stephen Jackson

Stephen Jackson of the Golden State Warriors was traded today along with Acie Law to the Charlotte Bobcats for Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic.   Stephen Jackson is a good player, but he rubbed many the wrong way with his constant demands for a trade. Jackson went on record saying that he wanted to be traded to a contender, preferably the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Dallas Mavericks, the Houston Rockets, or the San Antonio Spurs.   He wants to win, I can’t blame him for that.  What surprised me was that he included the New York Knicks on that list because they suck.  The Knicks are not winners or contenders.

Now, Stephen Jackson will suit up for the Bobcats.  Another team that sucks. So, when demanding a trade, be careful. You never know where you will wind up. Especially if you have a hard contract to move.   At 31, Jackson is going to make $7.7 million this year and his nearly $28 million three year extension starts next year.   In reality, no contender was willing to pay Jackson that much (except maybe the Cavaliers), so he ended up where he belongs.

Stephen Jackson is versatile and he wants to win.

To Stephen Jackson’s credit, he is still a good two way ball player and he may even make the Bobcats a better team.  He’s a play maker and he can score in a variety of ways.  He also can be a shut down defender when he puts his mind to it.  Basically, he’s effective offensively and defensively.  Charlotte made this move because they need more scoring.   Jackson is a better scorer than Raja Bell and just as good defensively.   This trade should work out for both teams because Charlotte gets their scorer and the Warriors get salary cap relief.  Jackson wins and looses.   He wins because he gets to the leave the team that he’s been complaining about all season.   He looses because he got traded to another team that sucks.

Jackson is a fierce competitor.

And don’t believe Jackson’s agent, Jackson can not be happy with this trade.   He now plays for a team that is worse than the team that he wanted to leave. Jackson’s agent said the following:

“He’s happy about the trade, delighted about the trade.  This is what he wanted, a new start, and this gives him a chance to compete. Plus he’s a huge fan of that team’s president, Michael Jordan.”

I’m a fan of Mike Jordan too, but Jackson is not happy.

Stephen Jackson is averaging 16.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists on the season.

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