Lost in the Warriors' big win last night against the much maligned LA Lakers was Stephen Jackson's 5 fouls in 9 minutes and his 2 technical fouls in 3 preseason games. I know there's replacement refs, but seriously- who gets 2 technical fouls in the PRESEASON?
Captain Technical unfortunately does not seem to be the answer for the 2009-2010 Golden State Warriors.
via blog.nbc.com
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Let's just say last night wasn't exactly one of Jack's finer moments as a Golden State Warrior. Marcus Thompson over at Inside the Warriors was there to see the Warriors first win at the legendary Great Western Forum since 1999 and has the details:
Still, I wasn’t as mad as Stephen Jackson, who was so peeved that he was relieved from action. Jackson was in a heated match-up with Kobe in the first quarter. They were yapping, playing hard, etc. Jackson picked up five four fouls in fewer than eight minutes, which led to him popping off at the mouth and getting a T. Moments later, he picked up foul number five.
He checked out of the game. Next thing you know, he was gone from the bench. He never returned. I was told Nellie gave him the rest of the game off because he was frustrated and emotional.
So when I got Nellie after the game, I expected him to downplay it. I expected him to say he wanted to give his guy a break. It was no big deal. He wanted to play the youngsters anyway.
NELLIE: "I’m not going to comment on that."
Red flag.
Of course, by the time I got to the locker room, Jackson was gone and his teammates were hush. Something’s up, I think.
What is up? Could it be frustration that the rumored trade to Cleveland probably isn't going to materialize anytime soon?
If you look at the web reaction about the Warriors and Cavs swapping Stephen Jackson for Zyndrunas Ilgauskas (read: $11.5 million expiring) from folks other than myself who didn't try to use the rumor as a lame opportunity to sell the Cavs management, media, and fans on trading for Jackson the verdict was the Cavs can do better than that:
- Big Z isn't going anywhere - Ilgauskas trade rumors make little sense [Fear the Sword]
- Marc Stein: Stephen Jackson a Warrior, for Now [ESPN True Hoop]
- Stephen Jackson and the Cleveland rumors: Not so fast (but check back later) [Talking Points]
It's abundantly clear that around the league most people in the know realize that:
- Stephen Jackson is not as good as he thinks he is
- Jackson is not worth the contract extension Robert Rowell gave him
- Nellieball and the overall lack of talent on the Warriors roster has seriously inflated Jackson's stat line last season- Antoine Walker towards the end of his first stint with the Boston Celtics comes to mind.
This could be a very toxic situation. The Warriors are going to lose a lot and lose via lot of dumb ways this season. That's just the nature of a young team without any proven superstars or even All-Stars. I wouldn't be too surprised if at some point during the season the Rowell, Jackson (hey he shouldn't have signed up for the suck if it was going to drive him this crazy) and company admit their mistake and negotiate a contract buy out.
Two technical fouls from your "captain" in three PRESEASON games? As Allen Iverson would say-- We're talking 'bout preseason man!
This IS a joke.
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