GSoM friend Marcus Thompson from the Contra Costa Times spoke to Jason Richardson at length about the trade on Tuesday. JRich understandably sounds angry and betrayed. Regardless of your thoughts on the trade MT's article and blog post are more than worth the price of a click:
- J-Rich emotionally spent- He's angry, excited and sad five days after being dealt by the Warriors [Contra Costa Times]
- J-Rich Speaks [Hoop Junkie]
There's a ton of interesting quotes in MT's pieces, but this one struck me the most:
"I know you're not supposed to do that," Richardson said, referring to an unwritten player code, "but I played hurt for a franchise. I put my career on the line for the sake of the franchise. That's just how I am. I'm loyal. I was expecting them to be loyal to me."
Most people are forgetting Richardson's admirable return from that knee injury in their analysis of the trade. It severely hurt his productivity level, but you have to love a guy who put it all on the line for the team and the fans in this day and age in sports. The ratio of guys like Erick Dampier who "take their time" recovering from injuries to hard workers like JR isn't exactly 1:1. The apology letter Jason organized after the painful 2005-2006 season came straight from the heart and the amount of effort he poured in simply to live up to his playoff promise to the fans is incredible.
Again, thanks Jason.
Never forgotten.
It's also cool to read MT's reflection on his experiences with Jason while he was a Warrior:
Also see:
- JRich or Die Flying
- Draft Day Reflection
- 23 Post Draft Day 2007 Warrior Thoughts
- 2k6-2k7 REPORT CARD: Jason Richardson
Thanks to loyal GSoM community member xoverdribble for posting this up in a diary.