Overlooked "Headcase": Stephen Jackson

by bforsythe on May 6, 2009 2:37 PM PDT Comment 34 comments

It was brought up in a post yesterday and it seems like we, as a fan base, are ready to accept a talented player with maybe a "few personality flaws". One name that was brought up that I don't think got nearly enough consideration is Stephen Jackson. Hey, if we're going to discuss Artest, why not? I believe this guy could be a great addition to our team if the price is right (dahh). He is tall and strong. He is a great pull-up AND spot-up shooter all the way out to three point land. He is a skilled passer who exhibits decent court vision. He is considered a top-notch perimeter defender, has a few post moves, and will attack the basket whenever the opportunity arises. He has had more than a few character issues come up but he has made serious efforts to make amends. Here is a link and a quote to consider (I did post them yesterday in a comment as well -- sorry for the repeat). How bout them apples?

QUOTE: From ESPN Insider Scouting Report

“Scouting report: Jackson is one of the league’s better defenders, which you’d never believe while watching him run up and down the court without bending his knees even one degree but is nonetheless true. He’s big for a wing, moves fairly well and plays with intensity; moreover, his ability to match against power forwards in a pinch helped make a lot of the Warriors’ small-ball lineups functional.

Offensively, his weapon of choice is a high-arcing 3-pointer — he’s great at pull-up 3s on the break in particular — but he also can finish at the basket when he attacks off the dribble. He’s not lightning quick by any means, but he’s a fairly elusive dribbler — though with a high bounce that he sometimes loses control over — and can get to the basket, plus he sees the court fairly well. "

LINK:

http://www.nba.com/warriors/news/jackson_march08_community_assist.html

Poll

Stephen Jackson

Yes.

20 votes

No.

57 votes

Maybe so.

23 votes

100 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Over paid.

But I still like him.

I’m not sure you could tame him though. If you thought Outlaw’s shot selection was bad…

Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .

by Nick Van Excellent on May 6, 2009 2:43 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I didn't even look into his contract status.

da-ahhh…

this has been a message from: "The People's Alliance to give Greg Oden at Least a Couple of Seasons"

by bforsythe on May 6, 2009 2:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Four more years.

$7,650,000, $8,450,000, $9,260,000, $10,060,000

Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .

by Nick Van Excellent on May 6, 2009 2:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Eh..

this has been a message from: "The People's Alliance to give Greg Oden at Least a Couple of Seasons"

by bforsythe on May 6, 2009 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's pretty bad for a guy who is 31 years old.

Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .

by Nick Van Excellent on May 6, 2009 2:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Especially considering that his TS% was 53 last year, with a career high of 54%.

by wepto on May 6, 2009 3:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Travis has a career ts% of 52.6.

Plus, Jackson is a good defender so it would definitely help the team, at least in the short run.

Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .

by Nick Van Excellent on May 6, 2009 3:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Should still be overlooked.

Might be good for some team, but won’t teach our guys what we want to learn.

by staylost on May 6, 2009 2:55 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I would rather root for the Lakers than have Stephen Jackson on the Blazers

Has nothing to do with his off-court personality either.

"I'm at the thingamajig talking the yakety-yak" - Kenny Smith

by blzrfan on May 6, 2009 3:07 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I should probably explain.

If Outlaw takes bad shots, Jackson is Outlaw on steroids. A few times a game, he’ll dribble the ball up the court, not pass to anyone, and literally waste the entire shot clock before chucking up shot. Jackson doesn’t get back on defense if he feels he doesn’t get a call. Turns the ball over making bad decisions. An extremely mediocre shooter with a bad contract.

"I'm at the thingamajig talking the yakety-yak" - Kenny Smith

by blzrfan on May 6, 2009 3:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Eh..

His assist ratio this year was better than Roy. I don’t think he wastes any of the shotclock, which part of the problem. Most of his 3 point shots are pull up 3’s in transition. His transition defense is good, probably better than anyone on the Blazers not named Batum.

There are reasons to dislike his game, but passing, transition defense, and wasting the shotclock are not one of them.

Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .

by Nick Van Excellent on May 6, 2009 3:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Considering his terrible A/TO ratio

Jackson is not a good decision maker with the ball. Go to Golden State of Mind and ask them if Jackson plays good transition defense or doesn’t waste the shot clock. Those are the two things Golden State fans complain most about Jackson besides his selfishness.

"I'm at the thingamajig talking the yakety-yak" - Kenny Smith

by blzrfan on May 6, 2009 4:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know.

First of all, I don’t really put much weight into how fans feel about their players. Bulls fans hate Hinrich, but that doesn’t mean he’s as bad as they think he is. When the team as a whole isn’t performing it’s easy to misplace blame.

Second, shooting three’s in transition is part of Nelie’s strategy. It would be selfish on a normal team, but it doesn’t really apply in that system. If your coach wants you to take a lot of contested threes then you can’t really blame the player. Also, he probably wouldn’t have a lot of turnovers if he was selfish. Selfish players don’t pass much period, so a lot of time they avoid generating turnovers by just shooting the ball.

Third, we are talking about upgrading a position on the Blazers. As far as that goes, here is how he stacks up against the Blazer wings.

Assist Ratio
Jackson- 21.6
Roy- 19.1
Fernandez- 17
Batum- 14.6
Outlaw- 7.3

PER
Roy- 24.08
Jackson- 16.20
Fernandez- 15.97
Outlaw- 15.15
Batum- 12.92

Turn Over Ratio
Roy-7.3
Outlaw- 8.3
Fernandez- 9.2
Batum- 9.8
Jackson- 13

TS%
Fernandez-58.8
Roy- 57.3
Batum- 55.5
Outlaw- 54.1
Jackson- 53

Jackson has a poor shot selection and turns the ball over a little too much. I’m not sure how much of that has to do with the system he plays in however. His defense overall is better than any of our current backcourt players including Batum, although that might change in a year or two. He is definitely an upgrade over Outlaw, Batum, and Rudy, although his contract sort of negates that advantage.

I am not in favor of bringing Jackson on. I’m just not sure if all your criticisms are warranted.

Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .

by Nick Van Excellent on May 6, 2009 5:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If you're going to GSOM for your Warriors information...

That immediately invalidates your position altogether…

And given your post above, it sounds as if you are arbitrarily against his game regardless so who’s to respect your viewpoint anyway? Accentuate the negatives, forget the positives… I love when other people employ such a narrow-minded strategy…

by ajbry on May 7, 2009 2:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

awful contract

by jksnake99 on May 6, 2009 3:08 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

That and "S-Jax's" inefficient shooting make this a no-go.

by AK1984 on May 6, 2009 3:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I love his play

and I’m willing to take a questionable character, but I’d still say no to him. He’s a me guy and I don’t think he’d mesh well… I could be wrong and if KP goes for him I’d trust him

C*mcast sucks!

by Blazermaniac77 on May 6, 2009 3:50 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed.

We will just have to wait and see. I also like Gerald Wallace, Caron Butler, Ron Artest. The thing about it is, whoever it is, he needs to be a strong guy. A built guy with a body that can at least somewhat impede LeBron’s drives to the hoop. IF we’re talking about championships then we must realize that LeBron is a guy we need to start focusing on. I love Tayshaun, but we’ve already seen his lanky defense (which is effective on most) is just not effective against a bull-dog strong SF like James. Maybe Webster can “organically” develop into this for us? He’s built similarly to LeBron in that his frame looks like it could add a good amount more muscle without hampering his athleticism. Oh why must there be an offseason?!?!

this has been a message from: "The People's Alliance to give Greg Oden at Least a Couple of Seasons"

by bforsythe on May 6, 2009 3:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If we are taking on horrendous contracts from the Warriors

I would rather have Maggette.

"The brownies,'' Fernandez said after the game. "The brownies are good for me to make three-points.''

by Sabonis4Ever on May 6, 2009 5:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I've got a better idea.

Let’s let Don Nelson suffer with Corey Maggette, Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis, and Jamal Crawford’ for the next few years.

by AK1984 on May 6, 2009 5:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jamal Crawford thinks Maggette is a selfish player.

There is some irony in that, but I think I agree with him.

Roy is the best player in the world with the exception of Incarcerated Mike from Queensbridge .

by Nick Van Excellent on May 6, 2009 5:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jackson ove Magette...

…for defensive purposes alone. Magette is a one-trick pony.

this has been a message from: "The People's Alliance to give Greg Oden at Least a Couple of Seasons"

by bforsythe on May 6, 2009 5:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maggette is bizaroTrout

Ball hog, but gets 1 million free throws a game.

"The brownies,'' Fernandez said after the game. "The brownies are good for me to make three-points.''

by Sabonis4Ever on May 6, 2009 5:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's strong.

Gets to the hole a lot, regardless of who is in the way. If only he played any resemblance of defense he might be worthwhile. I’ve been on this kick that whoever our SF of the future (SFOF) is he needs to be built to stand up to the likes of Carmelo (likely WCF rival) and LeBron (likely NBA Final rival). Whatever decision KP and friends makes, I hope they consider this in their selection. Our road to a championship will run through two offensivley dominant, big and strong small forwards.

this has been a message from: "The People's Alliance to give Greg Oden at Least a Couple of Seasons"

by bforsythe on May 6, 2009 6:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I love Capt Jack

but he’s really not a good enough player for his contract. He’s on the downslope to what was never that great a career.

He’s not as bad as this year’s numbers though. He’s just being asked to do wayyyyyy more than he’s capable of.

His ideal role should be like James Posey on the 07-08 celts; around 20-25 mpg, come in for defense/matchup reasons, and lean on him heavily when he’s got a hot hand, but don’t rely on his inconsistent outside jumper.

by howlingfantods on May 6, 2009 5:28 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'll resist the temptation to get into another discussion on the existence of the "hot hand."

That’s a great take though— Jackson is a very useful player who is currently both misused and overpaid.

by jksnake99 on May 6, 2009 5:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dispelling a few of your takes...

His contract amount is extraordinarily reasonable for a player of his caliber – compare his peers and then get back to me in terms of $ per season. The sticking point regarding his contract was the unprecedented and unnecessary extension given that he had 2 years remaining… Length and dollars are two entirely separate items. He’s not overpaid in the least, but he’s tied to a contract for too long. There’s a difference.

James Posey in his prime was a homeless man’s Stephen Jackson… Comparing the two as if they are peers is likely indicative of how much you saw of Captain Jack this season… Jack is a 21/5/6.5 player who plays defense… He put up 27/6/8 for an entire month this past season… James Posey, for comparison (LOL), has NEVER had a single game with those numbers.

by ajbry on May 7, 2009 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm describing his ideal role, not his overall skill level.

I’d take Cap Jack over Posey in a second, but I’m not a loony like 2009 edition of Don Nelson, and I wouldn’t make a 30 year swing man with bad feet, who has never shot over 43% the focal point of my offense. He’s a terrific all around player who takes plenty of bad shots and shouldn’t be relied on in the way GSW is now.

I live in SF btw; I’ve watched GSW around 10 times this season. It made me sad.

And BTW, you always look at overall contract value, not just dollars per year. When Jack is limping along playing spot minutes for you at 35 with two bad wheels, that 10 million bucks is going to be like a millstone around the franchise’s neck.

by howlingfantods on May 7, 2009 3:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs