http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4555227 Jackson says he will 'do my job' By Marc Stein Golden State Warriors coach Don Nelson still isn't saying much about Tuesday's meeting with disgruntled forward Stephen Jackson, but Jackson has told a Bay Area newspaper that he is prepared to rejoin the team after serving a two-game suspension for a sideline blowup with Nelson. "I've got no choice but to go out there," Jackson said in a phone interview Monday with the Contra Costa Times. "I'm just going to do my job. I don't want to be fake. I'm just going to go and play basketball and handle my business." The sitdown was scheduled by Nelson and Warriors general manager Larry Riley to discuss face-to-face with Jackson how to proceed in the wake of Jackson's well-chronicled request to be traded and subsequent spat with Nelson on the bench during the first quarter of the Warriors' exhibition victory last Friday in Los Angeles. Before the Warriors' preseason game Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, Nelson declined to share what he hopes to achieve in the chat with Jackson, telling reporters: "I don't have an agenda. We're just meeting. It'll be a private meeting." But sources with knowledge of Golden State's thinking told ESPN.com on Monday that the Warriors do want to get Jackson back on the floor as soon as possible if reinstating him does not lead to further distractions, believing that it will be even more difficult to trade Jackson than it already is if he is not playing regularly. The Warriors, sources said, do not want to send Jackson home for an extended stay until they can find a deal, as the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks did last season with Jamaal Tinsley and Stephon Marbury, respectively, before ultimately negotiating buyouts with both players when trades couldn't be struck. A buyout would not be feasible in Jackson's case, given that he's earning $7.6 million this season before entering into a three-year contract extension worth $27.8 million starting with the 2010-11 season. So the Warriors will undoubtedly prefer to hear that Jackson is indeed prepared to return to work. ESPN.com reported Sunday that the Warriors, according to sources, remain willing to grant Jackson's wish to be traded as long as they can find a palatable deal, which is what Nelson said publicly in late September. Sources say that Golden State has indeed made and fielded numerous trade calls regarding Jackson since his desire to leave was made public in late August, but no deal appears close in an economy where teams are overwhelmingly reluctant to take on players in their 30s possessing long-term contracts. "If something happens, then it happens," Jackson told the newspaper Monday when asked about being traded. "But I'm just going to play, just do what I do." ESPN.com reported Sept. 15 that Nelson had no plans to strip Jackson of his captaincy in the wake of Jackson's wish to be dealt to Cleveland, New York or one of the three Texas teams, which Jackson revealed at a Dime Magazine party in New York. But it remains unclear whether Jackson's two-game suspension will affect his captaincy, after Nelson, as promised, re-established the 31-year-old as a co-captain at the start of this season along with center Andris Biedrins, guard Monta Ellis and forward Ronny Turiaf. When pressed for specifics before Monday's game against the Clippers, Nelson said: "I'm not going to comment on [Jackson's situation]." Jackson was hit Saturday with a two-game suspension that kept him out of the Warriors' outdoor game for what was deemed "conduct detrimental to the team." His clash with Nelson occurred Friday night after Jackson went to the bench having racked up five fouls and a technical foul in just over nine minutes against the Lakers. Sources said Jackson screamed expletives at Nelson at least twice before being sent to the locker room. Sitting out the two games cost him $139,091 in salary, which takes Jackson's financial losses for the season to nearly $165,000 after factoring in a $25,000 fine he received from the NBA for publicly requesting a trade. Jackson told the newspaper that he was upset that Nelson and the rest of the Warriors' bench not only exposed him to trouble by leaving him in the game after his third foul in the first quarter but also for not sufficiently sticking up for him with the replacement referees working that night after Jackson's multiple tangles with Kobe Bryant. "I felt like I didn't get handled right in the game," Jackson said Monday. "I know I did what I'm supposed to do being a man. I'm not going to let Kobe throw elbows at me. "[Things are] always made out to make me look bad. At the end of the day, I wouldn't disrespect [Nelson] like that. But I was mad at our staff for not having my back. If I'm going to go out there and bust my ass for you, I expect you to have my back." The newspaper also reported that Jackson spent Monday at the Oakland Zoo with his wife while missing the Warriors' 124-117 loss to the Clippers to complete the suspension. Trade interest in Jackson would undoubtedly be widespread if he was entering the final year of his contract. He not only possesses championship experience after helping the San Antonio Spurs win their second of four titles in 2003 but last season ranked alongside LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade in the exclusive club of players to average at least 20 points, six assists and five rebounds per game. But the extension Jackson signed early last season has hampered the Warriors' efforts to find him a new home -- and focus on the promising youngsters they've stockpiled such as forward Anthony Randolph, sharpshooter Anthony Morrow and rookie guard Stephen Curry -- in spite of Jackson's mostly positive playoff history. Jackson has been the Warriors' emotional leader almost from the time he arrived in a January 2007 trade with Indiana, leaving behind a controversial past with the Pacers marked by his participation in the melee in Detroit that spilled into the stands at the Palace of Auburn Hills in November 2004. Led by Baron Davis and Jackson, Golden State halted a 12-season playoff drought with its late surge into the No. 8 spot and subsequent first-round upset of the 67-win Dallas Mavericks in '07. The Warriors then finished as the most successful non-playoff team in the history of the NBA's 16-team playoff format with a record of 48-34 as the West's No. 9 seed in 2007-08. But Jackson's discontent has been brewing since Davis left town to sign as a free agent with the Clippers in July 2008. Sources say that unhappiness spilled over this offseason after the Warriors' attempts to acquire Amare Stoudemire from the Phoenix Suns broke down in June after the NBA draft. Jackson apparently believed that Stoudemire's arrival was imminent, but sources close to the situation insist that the Stoudemire deal was never as close to fruition as some suggested, with Golden State unwilling to part with its lottery pick once Curry became available to the Warriors with the No. 7 overall selection and with Stoudemire believed to be unwilling to commit to a contract extension in Oakland. Stoudemire can opt out of his Suns contract at season's end if he is willing to forfeit his $17.6 million salary for 2010-11, which would make him one of the league's prized free agents in the much-anticipated summer of 2010. On top of its concerns about Stoudemire's recovery from eye and knee problems, Golden State inevitably would have wanted assurances that it could have secured Stoudemire for the long term before parting with any prized assets. Asked last week if he was ever worried that Phoenix was close to sending him to Golden State, Stoudemire told ESPN.com: "It was still up to me, but that's something I really don't discuss too much. I just want to focus on what we have at hand."
If I was Nelson I would let him ride the bus for a while but as soon as I got to the nearest rest stop I would leave him. How an NBA player making that kind of money can act like such a b**ch is beyond me. The NBA ought to have rules of conduct that are more prohibitive than losing a couple of days pay, there should be quadruple or more fines, maybe the players would get the message then.
"I felt like I didn't get handled right in the game," Jackson said Monday. "I know I did what I'm supposed to do being a man. I'm not going to let Kobe throw elbows at me. "[Things are] always made out to make me look bad. At the end of the day, I wouldn't disrespect [Nelson] like that. But I was mad at our staff for not having my back. If I'm going to go out there and bust my ass for you, I expect you to have my back." Interesting.
Jackson Gives Up Warriors' Captaincy OAKLAND, Calif. -- Stephen Jackson told Warriors general manager Larry Riley and coach Don Nelson in a private meeting on Tuesday that he didn't want to be a captain anymore. They said that was fine with them. That's the first piece of fallout to come out of Jackson's two-game suspension for conduct detrimental. But judging by Jackson's tone during a 10-minute interview, it might not be the last. Jackson once again made it clear he's not happy in Golden State, but continued to maintain he'll play hard as long as he's a Warrior. But it seems obvious that will be a significant challenge. When asked about the meeting, which occurred before the team's noon practice, Jackson said: "It was a meeting, no different than any other meeting I've had. I go in there, listen to what they've got to say and come back and play basketball. Whether I pay attention to it or not, that's up to me. But I had to show up. So I showed up." Jackson indicated that he didn't think Nelson supported him on Friday night, when he was picking up five fouls and a technical foul in less than 10 minutes of a preseason game against the Lakers, and more specifically Kobe Bryant. "If I would have felt that way (like he had Nelson's support), I wouldn't have blown up," Jackson said. Jackson also made it clear that he didn't walk off the floor on Friday night. He said Nelson sent him to the locker room. As for giving up his captaincy, Jackson said: "That's just the way I feel. That's just the way I feel. Don't try to dig into it. That's just the way I feel." Later Jackson said being a captain was "overrated." Jackson said his relationship with Nelson has changed. As recently as a couple of weeks ago, Nelson said he "loved" Jackson and that he understood him. "Of course (it's changed), anytime someone takes hundred some thousand, $150,000 from you, of course it's going to change," Jackson said. "Regardless of who it is. If my mom took some money from me, I'd still love her to death but I'd be upset about it. And he's not my mom so you can imagine how I feel. "I've just have to listen. I have to give him that respect ... to listen to him when he's coaching. So I'm going to give him that. But as far as being a man off the court I don't listen. I've got to listen to him on the court and that's it. I'm going to give him that respect." When Jackson was asked if he thought there would be more issues down the line with Nelson and the Warriors, he responded: "I don't know. We'll have to wait and see. I can't predict the future." Nelson, who spoke to the media before Jackson did, opened his comments this way: "The prodigal son has returned. It's good to have Jack back. We're going to keep him in the same position as far as my starting three is concerned. We met this morning. What went on in the meeting will remain private, in house. He served his suspension and we're ready to roll." http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/10/13/jackson-gives-up-warriors-captaincy
I don't understand why people want this guy on the Rockets. He's a cancer. It's apparent from his comments that he doesn't feel like he needs to work for all that money they're paying him. And, though he wants to be traded, he doesn't seem to understand that he is submarining his chances of getting traded with the comments he makes. Who is going to want to give up a chip and take on the salary burden for a guy who is not committed to helping the franchise, doesn't want to take on a leadership role, throws tantrums when he doesn't get his way, and then blames all the trouble he's created on other people?
Really? I thought that was the opposite of what he was saying. I thought he tried pretty hard to make it clear that he was going to do his job and play. And, I think the purpose of these players demanding a trade is to FORCE their way out. When you say you don't want to be somewhere it makes your trade value plummet to pennies on the dollar, more teams are willing to give up "pennies". It actually increases his chances of getting traded when usually the Warriors would only trade him in a situation where they got decent value. As for wanting him on my team, the guy is crazy but if a team has solid veteran leadership they can contain crazy. You get a guy like him for talent. There are plenty of teams that have won championships with "cancers" on their squad.
Sometimes we got to make gambles in life, even on nutcases like Jackson. The guy can ball pretty damn well and we contained Artest pretty well. I do agree though that he is being a little girl (like most NBA players) and should just play. Despite being basketball, that is his job and he needs to shut up and do what he is paid to do.
Winning cures all. GS has been a mess since Baron and JRich left and lost their leadership. I agree Jackson should just shut up and play, and voice his concerns about the team in a private manner but that's just who he is. He will behave perfectly fine if he's on a winning team. Losing with no significant improvement in sight can bring out the worst in people.
I'm not going to take up for him, but last year after ellis was pronounced out for a few weeks, nelson basically said they were playing for 09-10. He was alternating off games with the vets. One night crawford would play, the next jackson, the next maggette. Thats not trying to win and thats not good coaching. I'm not excusing jackson because i think he's the type that needs to be on a good team and everything is good.
Jackson wouldn't be captain on any other team in the NBA. GSW just happen to be very young and immature.
Its the Golden State curse, along with the Clipper curse of one of the more famous in NBA history. They should never have disbanded Run TMC.
I've blasted Nellie for the longest time and he is the main problem with the Warriors right now. But it depends on who would replace him. If they hired a strong-minded coach who could grab the attention and respect of the players right away, the Warriors might be OK until they can retool their roster next summer. Otherwise, the players will just roll their eyes at whoever the replacement is. Nellie or not, they MUST trade Stephen Jackson. Monta Ellis probably has to go also. Only a GM on drugs would take Corey Maggette from them. Nellie put together this unbalanced roster and the Warriors are stuck with it a while. I can't believe he is still the coach. Beating the Mavs was indeed a serious setback for the franchise.
The thing about Don Nelson is that his act eventually gets old. It got old the first time he was in Golden State (ran Webber out of town). It especially got old in Dallas when Avery Johnson was pretty much the coach the last couple of years Nelson was there. And it's old now in Golden State (again), when Baron Davis left, Richardson got traded, Harrington got traded, etc. It's not entirely Nellie's fault because Mullin has been torpedoing this team even BEFORE that miraculous run in the playoffs few years back (I'll agree with you that beating the Mavs hid a lot of problems that GSW had). But Nelson's the main culprit here. In all honesty, I would still take SJax on the Rockets team (but without that crazy contract). Despite his immature episodes, he's shown that he can play in a controlled environment (San Antonio). He's not an alpha dog and plays well when he's a complimentary player.
Agree with you Nellie. 'Nuff said. On Cap'n Jack: The Rockets have no need for a player like him. Only teams with championship aspirations this season and next would want him and that contract. The Cavs would be a great fit, for example. There are only a limited numbers of suitors for an overpaid, aging player like Jackson who still has gas in the tank.
Are you sure? "I've got no choice but to go out there." and When asked about the meeting, which occurred before the team's noon practice, Jackson said: "It was a meeting, no different than any other meeting I've had. I go in there, listen to what they've got to say and come back and play basketball. Whether I pay attention to it or not, that's up to me. But I had to show up. So I showed up." and "Don't try to dig into it, that's just how I feel," Jackson said. "I don't want to be a role model. ... Being captain was overrated to me, anyway. You don't do anything but go out before the game and talk to the refs. I don't want to do that, anyway." and Then why did he agree to a three-year, $28 million contract extension last November? He said that was about money -- he couldn't turn it down. But now he wants out, and the sooner the better. and, getting to the money "Whether you pay me or not, I'm not biting my tongue." and again "If they want to send me home and pay me, I'm fine with that," he said. and perhaps his ultimate desire In regards to a buyout, Jackson said: "It has to be right. I doubt if they'd do that." He said he'd go out and play because he has to in order to collect a paycheck. But, it is clear all he means to do is go out and play ball. That's not really his job. His job is to lead the team and win games. He obviously won't bother with that. He'll just have fun on the court until the Warriors find a team for him or buy him out -- and if they'd rather he just stayed home in the meantime, he'd be happier still. No accountability at all. That extension was such a mistake. Yes, he's taking a Pippenesque scorched-earth strategy to make a trade easier. But, I think he's actually taken it too far -- to the point where teams stop saying "We can get Jax cheap!" and start saying, "What if he pulls this crap on us next and we're stuck paying $28M?" Pippen had a decent (not great) reputation as a professional before his big stunt in Houston. Jackson was already known as a thug and a malcontent before this. He might have basketball talent. But, he can't handle adversity, obviously. He isn't considerate of the goals of the franchise. He doesn't want to be a leader. He isn't committed to winning. He doesn't have the patience or self-control to handle things the right way. Battier can't do all these things for him. In fact, with McGrady and Yao out, and the young guys we've got, I don't think the Rockets even fit the definition of a team with solid veteran leadership.
