Will the Milwaukee Bucks Be Forced to Eventually Trade Stephen Jackson?

The Milwaukee Bucks are a team that made roster changes during the offseason in hopes of making some noise this season. However, the loss of center Andrew Bogut for a major portion of this season changes everything. Point guard Brandon Jennings and Bogut were figured to be the two mainstays on the team while the other pieces around them could change if needed.

Veteran guard/forward Stephen Jackson was brought in and brings more experience to the table. He can play alongside point guard Brandon Jennings in the backcourt or on the wing that gives the Bucks more options to turn to on the offensive end.

However, Jackson has shown throughout his NBA career that there are two sides to him. There is the side that brings about his off-the-court issues—not getting along with his coaches and going after the referees—that usually end up hurting Jackson (money-wise and overall reputation around the league) and the team (bad PR).

The other side to Jackson is that he can be a leader and help a team do great things (Golden State Warriors defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs). He was a mentor to the young players on the Warriors at that particular time.

This season Jackson has had his share of issues in Milwaukee, which may be a sign that the team should look to move him before things get any worse. He was recently suspended by the NBA for yelling at the referees after a loss to the Chicago Bulls Friday night, missed the home game (a win for Milwaukee) the following night versus the Los Angeles Lakers and was benched by head coach Scott Skiles for the game against the Detroit Pistons.

The Bucks have been able to get some great play from Shaun Livingston, who has made it back from a serious knee injury that almost took away his career. Along with Jennings in the backcourt and a Drew Gooden/Ersan Ilyasova combo in the frontcourt, the Bucks have been able to win their last two games as they look to stay afloat.

The bottom line is that if Jackson and Skiles cannot get along, the Bucks should move him so they can move on and worry about other things. The Bucks should have to worry about getting Bogut back healthy, and if Jackson does not want in, they should move him.