Reply With Quote
San Antonio Spurs
Ric Bucher
+ Trust Stephen Jackson believes the Spurs released him when they did so they could assure themselves of not facing him in
the playoffs. Jackson came on my radio show today @957TheGame to talk about his departure as well as his concern about a comment he made earlier this week being misconstrued. Asked elsewhere about his departure from the Spurs, Jackson was subsequently quoted in several places that he was not upset because "I got my money," as if that's ALL he cared about. (The entire interview can be heard here: http://media.957thegam...). Knowing Jack as I do -- going back to his first turn with the Spurs when Tim Duncan first anointed him as his favorite teammate -- I believe there were two reasons he answered as he did. The first is that getting released didn't cost him any money and he was simply stating that fact; the second is that it very much bothered him that coach Gregg Popovich cut him out of the postseason, a time Jackson has traditionally excelled, especially as he's looking to land another contract. Apparently there were issues for several months, because Jackson asked that he be dealt before the trade deadline. When Pop later wanted him to concede that Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green were better, Jackson refused. Popovich, concerned about the team's chemistry, then decided the risk of a fractured lockerroom was too great with Jackson mad-dogging his compe ion for minutes. Jackson suggested on the radio that he did challenge the younger wing players in practice and that that may have indeed led to his ouster, but he maintains that any player who wants to cut it in the league needs to be able to face and overcome those battles. To be fair, Jackson, statistically, was having one of his worst years, but he said the drop had less to do with a decline in his game and more to do with learning, for the first time, how to be an efficient bit player. There is some merit to that -- players who have consistently played 35 or more minutes and have that sliced in half are like starting pitchers going to the bullpen: it requires a different approach. Also to be fair: Jackson's career is one long testimony to believing in yourself when no one else does. Refusing to concede, no matter what the cir stances, is how a second-round pick who played in a half-dozen countries before he broke into the NBA has carved out a 13-year and counting career, including six trips to the playoffs. That he wouldn't to Pop is hardly surprising. For me, it's also admirable.
