Note to S-Jax -- be careful what you wish for.
Stephen Jackson's wish -- to be traded away from the struggling and dysfunctional Golden State Warriors and coach Don Nelson -- was granted earlier today. But it's hard to make the case that his new situation is an improvement.
Jackson and little-used point guard Acie Law are headed to the 3-6 Charlotte Bobcats. Veteran swingman Raja Bell and forward Vladimir Radmanovic are headed to Oakland in return.
For the Bobcats, Jackson fills an obvious need: perimeter scoring. But Jackson's best position at this stage of his career is small forward, and in Charlotte, that's Gerald Wallace's job. That means he'll slot in at shooting guard, where he'll be a defensive liability against the league's quicker wings. But his shooting ability should help open the floor for slashers like Wallace, Boris Diaw and Raymond Felton -- which will help the Bobcats far more than a defensive specialist like Bell did.
He's also a significant investment -- Jackson's contract runs through the next three seasons, and he'll make over $10 million in 2012-13 (when he's 34). That's sort of a strange long-term investment for the Bobcats to make, when everyone thinks they're trying to cut payroll and prepare the franchise for a sale.
Golden State gets rid of a malcontent and a little bit of payroll relief -- Bell's contract expires after this season, but Radmanovic has a player option for next year. It's hard to say how either player will fit into the Warriors' rotation, which is already over-loaded with wings -- especially when you consider the fact that neither of the new arrivals is adept at initiating an offense. Jackson's ability to run the point took a lot of pressure off Golden State's young backcourt. That ability will be hard to replace.
Jackson will become one of the primary scoring options for his new team, but his value in most fantasy formats will actually drop. Golden State plays at a breakneck pace on offense; there are turtles and snails that get up and down the court quicker than Larry Brown's Bobcats.
LeBron James has announced plans to give up uniform number 23 as a means of honoring Michael Jordan. "I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized some way soon," James told reporters.
James wants the league's twelve other twenty-threes to follow suit. One of them -- Jason Richardson of the Phoenix Suns -- already declared he's on board via his Twitter feed, saying "the NBA should of retired 23 years ago."
The league-wide retirement of a number would be a first for the NBA, but other sports have gone that route to honor all-time greats. Major League Baseball retired Jackie Robinson's 42 in 1997 -- the 50th anniversary of Robinson's debut in the big leagues. And the NHL has officially retired 99 for Wayne Gretzky -- and un-officially retired 66 for Mario Lemieux.
Byron Scott became the first NBA coach to lose his job this season when the Hornets dropped the axe this week. Scott's departure wasn't unexpected -- his contract expires after this season, and his high salary and middling job performance made him an obvious target for the perpetually cost-cutting Shinn family. When the Hornets stumbled out of the gate to a 3-6 record -- including a loss to the lowly Knicks -- Scott's fate was sealed.
Stealing a page from the Minnesota Timberwolves' "You made this mess, you clean it up" Playbook, the team has given general manager Jeff Bower the coaching job for the remainder of the season. The T-Wolves did the same last year with general manager Kevin McHale -- who, you'll note, is no longer employed by the team. Bower's short-term prospects seem similarly bleak.
Bower will be assisted by Tim Floyd -- the ex-USC head coach who quit earlier this year amidst allegations he made payments to representatives of Trojan guard O.J. Mayo.
In other words, he was probably willing to work cheap.
This situation is going to get worse before it gets better. Already there are reports that franchise player Chris Paul is not pleased with the development and the fact that he wasn't consulted beforehand. Meanwhile, the Hornets are painfully thin on the perimeter, where big-money free agents Peja Stojakovic and James Posey have been major disappointments -- and management is desperate to shed another $3 million in salary to avoid the dreaded luxury tax... so don't expect reinforcements.
Best guess? The 2010-11 season will be Chris Paul's last in a Hornets uniform... and quite possibly, the team's last in New Orleans.
Here's an observation that should terrify Memphis fans:
He leads by example.
- Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, on Zach Randolph
Uh, Mr. Tillery? That's the problem.
