This is another micro-managed move by a rudderless franchise grasping at anything they think will keep the attendance levels up and short term revenue flowing. Warriors had him for 2 years, could have used him as a valuable trade chip, but now they are married to a very good role player who’s skills will continue to diminish until he retires a Warrior at age 35. Don’t get me wrong, I love Capt. Jack as a leader and as a player, but the pre-mature extension is a huge red flag (one of many) signaling that the Warriors don’t operate with vision, foresight, and with the goal of building a true contender in mind. They are all about keeping the casual fan’s interest.
Who was going to pay a 32 year old Jackson $28M/3 years? Only the Warriors.
Jackson is currently 11th in the league at 6.4 assists per game. Although I don't like the premature extension, he should work nicely playing alongside a healthy Ellis in the backcourt.
Obviously, he needs to drastically cut down on his turnovers, but I anticipate that happening once Ellis comes back to help take the pressure off of him.
PG: Ellis/Watson
SG: Jackson/Azubuike/Belinelli
SF: Maggette/Morrow
PF: Wright/Randolph/Hendrix
C: Biedrins/Turiaf
That's a borderline playoff team, but one that has no chance of winning a playoff series this year (which is why I advocate tanking this year for Rubio or a high pick). If Randolph and Wright reach their potential and Morrow is for real, then we COULD make it out of the 1st round eventually. Drafting or acquiring a solid true PG will put us in playoffs year after year, but unless you get a star PG (Rubio?) or one of our young guys turns into a big time star, we're not a Championship level team - not by a long-shot.
With the Jackson extension and Maggette's contract (which may be hard to move), the Warriors may be locked into this basic roster for a while. Sure, the front office led by Don Nelson could maneuver out of it, but the Jackson signing made it unnecessarily more difficult of a task than it already was.
The best thing for the Warriors to do moving forward would be to try to move Maggette in a package deal with Harrington. Keep playing the youngsters for continued development and evaluation. If the Warriors are clearly out of the playoff race by the New Year, bring back Monta very slowly and hope for a top 6 pick in 2009's draft.
Related Links
Stephen Jackson: Captain For Life - Geoff Lepper
Jackson’s the Captain, But Where Is the Ship Going? - Adam Lauridsen
Stephen Jackson signs contract extension with Warriors - Matt Steinmetz
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