Stephen Jackson is seeking a trade to a contender, but will the Warriors oblige?

SCOTT JACOBS

Stephen Jackson is not perfect.  Far from it.

But he’s 31, and he’s not getting any younger, and his Golden State Warriors, the team he’s played for since the 2006-2007 season, don’t seem to be on the verge of getting any better any time soon.

Jackson is tired of the losing, and in Dime Magazine he made that well known.

Can you really blame him?  The Clippers aside, the Warriors are one of the NBA’s most consistently bad franchises.  One playoff berth in 15 years will get you that rap.

But the Warriors tried to get better this offseason.  They tried to get Amare Stoudemire, in very public trade talks that ultimately fell through.  So now Jackson wants out.  He’s seen what it’s like to play for a winner.  He’s won a championship with the Spurs.  He tried his luck elsewhere and found that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.  He’s gotten his numbers, he’s landed his cash, now he just wants one thing: a team that can compete for a title.

But he’s still under contract with Golden State, so whether he gets his wish or not is an entirely different story.  What we know is this: Jackson is a very good player (not to be confused with great or even a star), and you know what to expect from him.  He put up a career high 20.7 points per game last year in Don Nelson’s up tempo no holds barred offensive attack.  He’s a decent defender, and at 6′8″ he is a versatile wing player. Is he the missing piece to a title contender, say a Cleveland or a San Antonio?  Maybe.

Is he the type of guy who will make a team better?  Yes.  Dramatically better?  No.

So the Warriors have a decision to make.  Keep an aging Jackson and a team together that really has no prayer at a ring, or begin anew with Steph Curry and some of the other younger pieces they have in place.

The Warriors don’t have to move Jackson.  But in a league where the NBA’s best try to dictate what their teams do, and where they go, hearing Jackson say he wants to go to a contender is a tad bit refreshing.  You play to win the game, and apparently Jackson is sick of losing.  He is a hard nosed, energetic flyer who plays the game with his emotions on his sleeves. A decent three point shooter, and a vocal leader, Jackson always keeps things interesting.

Whether the Warriors care about Jackson’s wish though is an entirely different conversation altogether.

Photo: Getty

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