By now it's old news that the Bobcats sent Raja Bell and Vladmir Radmonasomething packing for Stephen Jackson and a Caesar Salad. You have to feel for Raja Bell. Dude was a poor man's Joe Johnson in Phoenix. Then it all spiraled out of control after
Kobe clowned him back in the '06 playoffs: injuries, poor shooting, a trade to the Bobcats, more injuries. Bell is a hardworker- a blue collar basketball player - a good defender and solid character. Unfortunately, he's exactly what the Warriors need and he was shipped off to the most chaotic clubhouse in the nba.
But really the news here is Stephen Jackson. Jackson is crazy enough to pull something off in Charlotte. Larry Brown is the perfect coach for him (he's a straight-shooter). And Jackson is (for all his faults) a
warrior good soldier on the basketball court. I'm predicting that the team rallies around the guy, and I see the Bobcats gelling at some point in January and making a halfway decent playoff push until they realize they're the Bobcats. That's how good I feel about this trade for Charlotte.
My advice is, if you own Jackson keep him around. He didn't shoot well last night but he played 45 minutes and filled the stat sheet evenly. Raja Bell is droppable as is Vladamir Radmansandwich.
Note: I also think this trade is good for Gerald Wallace owners as the scoring load is no longer entirely on him - percentages will rise.
**UPDATE** Raja Bell is so thrilled to be with Golden State that he has decided to undergo wrist surgery which will keep him off the court for a minimum 6 weeks.
Jackson stats were inflated by the Warriors' pace. I can't see his numbers not taking a dip on a new squad, any squad, let alone the Bobcats.
ReplyDeleteI think the Warriors' pace argument is a little overblown. Jackson will be the focal point of the offense in Charlotte. I'm not projecting a spike in numbers, I'm just explaining that it's not time to jump ship with Jackson.
ReplyDeleteI guess we'll see...
I agree with the mysterious anonymous man (Aaron?). We just wrote a post about that 2004-2005 Suns team. We've watched every player on the Knicks have his numbers spike by about 15% when we went from give the ball to Fat Post Players to Seven Seconds or Less. The Warriors are the most uptempo team. The Bobcats are 29th. There will be 14 fewer possessions per game. I don't think Larry Brown will make a swingman not named Allen Iverson who is a career 41% shooter the focal point of his offense.
ReplyDeleteUltimately, I agree with you. Don't just ship on Jackson. I wouldn't drop him or trade him for pennies on the dollar. But this trade is generally bad news for Jackson owners who are going to get 15-20% less production from him now.
But you're right, we'll see. I've been wrong before.