The biggest deal of the NBA offseason so far has been the draft day deal that sent Stephen Jackson from Charlotte to Milwaukee. That nay be the biggest for a while since the NBA will be heading for a lockout.
The question I asked myself when this trade was made was, why does Jackson keep getting traded to these middling teams? Nothing against the Bucks, but they aren’t going to win a title or contend for one anytime soon.
Jackson doesn’t seem fazed by getting traded to Milwaukee. He says he’s surprised by the city and had some words, not hateful, for the Bobcats.
“The only perception that I’ve had from other teams is coming to a boring city,” Jackson said. “That’s what they always say. But since I’ve been here, the weather’s been great. I didn’t expect the weather to be so great. When I come, there’s snow everywhere.”
I have a friend who visited Milwaukee and he said it wasn’t that bad, so Jackson may want to explore what they have to offer.
As far as the trade, I feel the Bobcats could’ve gotten more for Jackson. But he’s not bitter or holding any grudges. He just feels that they could’ve made a playoff push last season, but they decided to shut him down and go in a different direction.
“I didn’t want to be on a team where they’re going younger and they want to win three years from now,” Jackson said. “I’ll be at the end of my career. So winning now is important to me, and this is a great place to win now.”
“The last 10 games, I could have played,” Jackson said. “But they shut me down. The team shut me down. So I kind of assumed they didn’t want to make the playoffs.”
I do like Jackson as a player, but he’s not a difference maker. He seems supremely confident in his abilities, which is the confidence you need to play in the NBA. He feels that he can be the player that can make the Bucks a contender in the Eastern Conference.
“I know what I can bring to this team, and I know what it takes to get to the playoffs,” Jackson said.
“For us to win, we have to be all on the same page,” Jackson said. “And I’m pretty sure that coach is going to give me the room to police all that. If guys don’t want to play, you need to let us know that, because you’re not going to be a part of us. And I’m going to make that known.”
The Bucks could be scary if they’re healthy, I’ll say that much. But the unknown dynamic is whether Jackson and coach Scott Skiles will be able to get along.
