Icing, With A Cherry On Top

After a crazy performance by rookie Brandon Jennings of the Bucks, a pretty good basketball game by the Warriors, the weekend ended with a pretty sweet note, Captain Jack is no longer running the ship and is shipped out of the Bay Area.  A few blog posts back, I had written that because of all this drama, Stephen Jackson was causing, it was almost bad Karma for him to do it. I had written that if I were the GM, I’d ship him off to another rebuilding team, since he is locked in his contract to about three years, so he can’t escape the losing. It’s just business, I’d say.  And it’s even more fitting since he even went on to say that he only signed the extension cause he needs money! We all know that it’s about money, but sheesh, it makes him look like a gold digger and not really a basketball player. Apparently, he isn’t one of those guys that “love” the game, but rather a “business man.” Well despite all the bickering I’ve had about management, the Warriors shipped him off to another rebuilding team, worse, in my opinion than the Warriors, the Charlotte Bobcats! We got Raja Bell and Vladamir Radmanovic for Jackson and his hefty contract. Unfortunately, I am sad to see Acie Law go, but we are already guard heavy and I don’t think he would see much time. Money wise, this is an excellent trade for us, since Bell’s contract expires after this season and Radmanovic will only get paid if he exercises his option for next year. So we are off the books for Jackson’s salary and at a good time. As everyone is looking forward to next year’s off season, I hope maybe the freed up salary can convince a decent player to come to the Warriors and get them over that edge. Next year’s free agent class will have superstars and basketball players to choose from, not drama queens like Jackson.

As for Warriors though, the players that they traded for will help the team in many different ways. Finally you have a guy on your team that is a veteran and will help stabilize the leadership, in Bell. Though he wasn’t a leader wherever he went, he is a steady player and a good presence in the locker room. This is definitely needed in Monta Ellis, since he has been the latest player to bicker a lot and was influenced a lot by Jackson. Bell also provides a steady guy that can lead on the defensive end. I’ve watched him play over the years and he was known for getting in Kobe’s face. If you’re the guy that has the assignment of watching Kobe for that night or series, the team obviously thinks that your “D” is a lot better than the other guys. This is good, since the Warriors play few and far in between defense. He also played with Steve Nash where their style of play was an up and down tempo. This is good for both the team and Raja, since he is familiar with the style of play and likes to play that way. I think he is most effective when he has free reign on the court.

As for Radmanovic, he can provide a steady outside shot. Even though he didn’t see much time in LA, he was still effective playing for them. And he wasn’t on the court all the time with Kobe. He can add another element to the Warriors offensive and give them another option on the offensive end. Though his defense is stellar, I think he will fit nicely in the Warriors offensive and be a nice option for Stephen Curry or Monta Ellis to kick to after a drive that draws the defense in. Overall, I think he spreads the court for those two explosive guards and will open up lanes for them.

I think this is a good trade for us. We got rid of a disgruntled player, a heft contract and a bad taste in our mouths. The storybook ending for Jackson, ended a long time ago, and he turned in the ugly, deceiving, selfish sister. After the big brawl in Indiana the Warriors helped him re-build his NBA image and even named him Captain because he showed maturity and leadership, which the young Warriors needed. How does he repay? He signs a three-year extension and says he wants to stay as a Warrior, only for a few months to pass and have him say that he only signed the contract because of money and he wants to play for a contender and not the Warriors anymore, BUT, that if he was to get traded to another rebuilding team, he would rather stay a Warrior. Well he got his wish. Not only did his teammates say he was a distraction now, but they didn’t think that they could move on as a team if he was still here. And now, he is gone, but not to a contender. but to another rebuilding team, but worse than the Warriors. And he’ll hopefully have teammates that want to play with him. If that isn’t Karma, I don’t know what is.