Warriors' Jackson reaches agreement with Rockets HE HOPES GOLDEN STATE WILL NOT MATCH OFFER BY LAURENCE MIEDEMA Mercury News After months of waiting, the Warriors finally can decide if center Marc Jackson will be part of the team's rebuilding plan. Jackson, a restricted free agent, reached an agreement Friday with the Houston Rockets on a reported six-year, $24.375 million contract. The Warriors have the right to match the offer sheet -- worth $3.25 million this season -- or let Jackson join the Rockets. Warriors officials say they won't comment until they receive a copy of the agreement, which will probably arrive today, the first day of training camp. The Warriors will have 15 days to match Houston's offer or relinquish their rights to Jackson, who was third in the rookie of the year voting last season. The Houston Chronicle reported on its Web site Friday that the Rockets had begun talks on a deal in which the Warriors would agree not to match the offer because they already have long-term deals with big men Danny Fortson, Adonal Foyle and Erick Dampier. ``Hopefully, they'll just leave me alone,'' Jackson told Houston television station KRIV. ``This is for me. Houston is for me. I'm looking forward to playing for them. . . . Hopefully, the Warriors will let me go on with my life. I'm ecstatic.'' Jackson, a 6-foot-10, 270-pound center-forward drafted in the second round in 1997 from Temple, averaged 13.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in 48 games last season. He played two seasons in Europe before joining the Warriors. The Warriors, 17-65 last season, were 9-26 in games Jackson started. ``If we are able to get Marc Jackson back here, that's good,'' Warriors forward Antawn Jamison said Friday before the Rockets' deal was announced. ``If it doesn't happen, we have Corie Blount who can come in and a nice rookie in Troy Murphy who can pick up some of the slack. So if he doesn't come back I don't think we lose anything, but if he does we gain a whole lot.'' Warriors General Manager Garry St. Jean said Wednesday that he had not heard from Jackson or his agent for more than a month and was waiting for another team to make an offer before the Warriors made a decision. If the Warriors don't match the offer, Jackson would replace Hakeem Olajuwon, who was traded in the off-season to Toronto. The Rockets received a medical exception Friday worth $3.25 million because of the season-ending Achilles' tendon injury to Maurice Taylor and used that money to make the offer. NBA rules allow a team that loses a player to a season-ending injury to sign a player making up to 50 percent of the injured player's salary. The Warriors had up to $4.5 million -- their mid-level exemption -- to match an offer for Jackson. The New York Knicks were reportedly thinking about using their $2.875 million injury exception (for the career-ending injury to Luc Longley) on Jackson. Geez, Jackson sounds like he's in chains in Golden State. Who knew switching basketball teams constituted a whole new phase of life? I like Jamison's enthusiasm, but those words weren't exactly plucked straight from the smart barrel. Lose nothing or gain a lot? Sounds similar to a certain someone trying to put the spin on KT breaking out because of Mo's injury. I also think there might be team/player options put some place into the contract, based on the bolded text at the top. If I do my math right, the Warriors were 9-26 when Jackson started, and 8-39 when he didn't. That translates to 25.7% winning percentage with him starting, vs. a 17.0% winning percentage with him on the bench, or injured. Over an 82 game season, a 25.7% comes out to a little 21 wins. a 17.0% comes to just under 14 wins. Based on that number, over 82 healthy games Marc Jackson would've a 4 game difference vs. what they ended up with, and a 7 game difference having him, vs. without him. Far from an exact science, but neato little numbers nonetheless.
Look at this from Marc Jackson: Hopefully, they'll just leave me alone,'' Jackson told Houston television station KRIV. ``This is for me. Houston is for me. I'm looking forward to playing for them. . . . Hopefully, the Warriors will let me go on with my life. I'm ecstatic.'' This says a lot about his character. Way to show some grace to the team that gave you a chance to sign somewhere for 4mil/yr. "Hopefully, they'll just leave me alone". How about a "no comment", Marc? That would be too classy. If not for the Warriors, you'd be making peanuts at some gym in Turkey or delivering packages for UPS. As for Jamison's comments, there is nothing wrong with them. They got rookies and young players who can step up in Jackson's place and fill his role. This means the Warriors will stay the same(Really bad). If Jackson stays, they'll have him AND the young players(like Blount, Murphy).
Marc Jackson signed an offer sheet with the Houston Rockets yesterday on a 6 year deal worth roughly $24.6 million. The Warriors have not had meaningful dialogue with Jackson in over 6 weeks, and Jackson told media he hoped the team would not try and match the offer, and let him get on with his life. The Warriors have told the Rockets they would make a decision on Jackson this weekend, they are not expected to match such a large offer. The Rockets were on hand last week for an informal workout with Jackson and Rockets swing man Cuttino Mobley who urged Jackson to visit the area, and basically set up the workout for Jackson and key member of the Rockets staff. Jackson had been under consideration early in the summer, and fell off the radar when the team went in a new direction. The Warriors technically have 15 days to match the offer, regardless of the outcome, Jackson did prevail, in landing a large multi-year contract. Word on Jackson is he is a gifted athlete with a nice shooting touch, but is a difficult player to coach and has something of an attitude problem. I got this at Bskball.com
i agree with BTM. why is jackson saying "i wish they would leave me alone?" - they were his team! he was a warrior free agent! of course they cant leave him alone! as for jamisons remarks, no way theres anything wrong with that. pretty classy id say.
Who is starting to think that Mo has actually been injured the whole time and they just decided to announce it after he was signed. Remember that he never even visited with any other teams. Perhaps everything has worked out as the Rockets anticipated.
He might have spent to much time on a fans board being concerned about a player that he must hate to know what is classy and what is not.
Hey he can say "leave me alone" alll he wants as far as I'm concerned... It just shows how much he wants to be a ROCKET.
Funny, Jamison can say all he wants to say, but Marc Jackson is a cancer when he says something! Golden State didn't give him a chance to sign somewhere, Mo's injury did. You want classy? Golden State practically ignored a guy that was 3rd runner up in the ROY voting. It was their choice, just like it's Jackson choice to want to leave the team. But BTM, you still haven't posted link calling Jackson a cancer and having a terrible work ethic. And no this article that you just quoted with him wanting to leave Golden State doesn't count. But since you're determined to rip the guy for no apparent reason, even making things up along the way (calling him a cancer with no work ethic and having no proof), I guess you'll just continue with this.
Rocksmillenium, if not for GS feeding him the ball so much, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to maybe win ROY. What he said is very inappropriate for a player who owes his 6yr 24mil deal to the Warriors. Every GS fan I've spoken to says he's lazy and a bust. I'll take their word over some ESPN writer who maybe watched him once. Let's look at it this way: What if Jackson was leaving the Rockets to go to Golden State and he said those things about Houston?
