When is the REAL deadline?

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Decision to match for Jackson due today
Warriors reach day of decision

Tony Cooper, Chronicle Staff Writer Wednesday, October 17, 2001


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Marc Jackson technically hasn't returned to the Warriors. That won't happen until after he undergoes and passes a physical exam -- which is scheduled for today.

Assuming that restricted-free agent Jackson passes the exam, Golden State then must submit paperwork to the NBA stating that it is matching the six-year, $24.4 million offer tendered to Jackson by the Houston Rockets.

Jackson said Monday that Golden State told him it intends to do just that. Today is the end of the 15-day deadline the Warriors had to match the Rockets' offer, or lose Jackson.

But even if Jackson passes the physical and re-signs with Golden State, what are the Warriors going to do with him? Jackson played in just 48 games last season because of groin problems.

Golden State's apparent thinking: It doesn't want to see Jackson go to another team, especially a conference rival, without getting anything in return. And Jackson isn't going to be paid that kind of money to sit at the end of the bench, so he has to be a prominent figure in the team's plans, at least for the time being.

So, the Warriors voluntarily have stuck themselves with someone who has been very vocal about not wanting to be in Oakland. If they re-sign Jackson, they won't be able to trade him for 90 days, and can't deal him to Houston for a year.

As if that weren't enough, Jackson has the right to veto any trade for a year, and he's already been quoted as saying he won't make life easy for the Warriors while he's in Oakland.

Coach Dave Cowens had been operating training camp under the assumption Jackson wasn't going to come back, and has said time and again he was happy with his other big people -- Adonal Foyle, Erick Dampier, Danny Fortson, Corie Blount and rookie Troy Murphy.

With Jackson added to that group, someone will surely have to go. That's too many bodies and there's only so much playing time to go around.

"I looked at the roster (before training camp opened)," Fortson said, "and thought, 'This isn't going to work.' "

It won't work. The New York Knicks have been interested in Foyle for a while, and are reportedly willing to hand the Warriors point guard Charlie Ward in return. Golden State would love to lop off a salary or two, and with Ward assured of making almost $18 million over the next three seasons, he's way too rich for the Warriors' blood.

However, Ward's appeal is that he's a pure point guard, and a source in New York said the Warriors might be in the market for insurance in case Larry Hughes' transition to the point doesn't pan out. With the retirement of Larry Johnson, the Knicks could use another big body up front and Foyle, one of the league's top shot-blockers, definitely qualifies.

Foyle is also the most marketable of the bunch, as few clubs would take a chance on Fortson or Dampier, given their injury-sodden pasts. Fortson played just six games last season because of a stress fracture in his right foot; Dampier has played in only 64 games the past two seasons and has the additional baggage of a hefty contract.

The Denver Nuggets are in the market for some help up front, with stalwart Antonio McDyess out until February with a bad knee. The Nuggets have had conversations with nearly every team in the league -- including the Warriors --

in an effort to swing a deal, but nothing specific has been pitched to Golden State. Denver has small forwards and shooting guards it is willing to move, but the Warriors seem fairly set in those departments.

The Warriors haven't formally said they're seeking to retain Jackson -- and they might not do so for another day or two.

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More disinformation from the media. The writer seems to contradict himself in his own story. So when is the REAL deadline ??????