Stephen Jackson: Golden State Warriors Captain or Cancer?

It used to be that in Bay Area sports you could always count on your stars. We were spoiled with the likes of Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, and Chris Mullin among many others.

Each put in an exemplary performance week in and week out for their respective franchises and were generally model citizens on and off the playing field. They were consummate professionals all the way and respected their teams, whose fans returned that loyalty by cementing their legacy.

Step in Stephen Jackson; my, how times have changed.

In late August, Jackson, attending a sneaker release party with former teammate Al Harrington (now with the New York Knicks) told Dime Magazine, “It’s not about a decision I made. It’s just things are in the air right now. I really can’t get too much into it right now, but I’m just looking to go somewhere where I can go and win a championship…either Cleveland, anywhere in Texas, or out here with Al in New York…I’m 31 years old. I have four or five years left, I want to be in a situation where I can continually be in the playoffs and get another ring. So that’s where my mind is at now.”

After signing a contract extension early last season worth $28 million over the next 3 years with the Warriors, this is how he repays his organization and fans, by throwing them under the bus.

Granted, Stephen Jackson does not benefit from postseason caliber teams that earlier Bay Area sports icons did, but respect and professionalism for an organization and their fan-base should not depend solely on playoff potential.

But should we be surprised, after providing chance after chance to a player with such a dodgy past do we really think he has matured over his three year stint with the organization?

Let’s not forget Jackson’s participation in one of the ugliest brawls in U.S. sports history at the Palace of Auburn Hills in 2004. Although he did not start the fights instigated by Ron Artest, it was his lack of judgment that earned him a 30-game suspension by the league for throwing punches at fans in the stands (One of the harshest penalties ever levied on a player in NBA history).

And it was his lack of judgment outside of an Indianapolis strip club, where he was caught firing a hand gun that led to a felony count of criminal recklessness during training camp in 2006, just before his first season with the Warriors. This earned him a seven-game suspension before he could even step on the court for Golden State.

And now, his recent error in judgment for violating league policy in regards to his comments about wanting a trade has earned him $25,000 fine, for “public statements detrimental to the NBA,” the league announced late last month.

It seems that his lack of judgment on the court has cost the Warriors too, erratic and volatile in his play, his strongest attribute, scoring, can be described as streaky at best. And although Jackson averaged a team-high 20.7 points per game, to go with 6.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds, much of that can be attributed to Don Nelson’s free-playing offensive system, which he should be thankful for in resurrecting his career.

Also, let’s not forget his “emotion” has garnered him over 2.5 fouls per game and amounted in one of the highest technical foul tallies in league the last couple of years, which eventually led to more suspensions. His turnover average last season was just shy of four at 3.9 ranking him second most in the league at one point behind Dwyane Wade. These turnovers often led to game-changing moments for opposing teams at very crucial times in the game, which unfortunately don’t make it into the post-game statistics. How many times have we seen an errant pass or a fast-break three-pointer by Jackson turn the ball over to the opposing team generating momentum in the opposite direction.

However, Don Nelson, the head coach of the Warriors, seems to think this behavior warrants the title of team captain and covers-up his mental lapses as “energy” and “passion.”

Nelson recently told ESPN.com, “Jack is still my Cap (meaning captain)…I’ve talked to him…I don’t anticipate any problems.”

Jackson also received another vote of confidence from the Warriors front office recently as new Warriors general manager Larry Riley said, “Stephen Jackson has been a true professional since arriving here three seasons ago and our expectations of him have not changed despite his recent comments. He's been one of our most consistent and productive players during that time. We expect that same display of professionalism as we begin to prepare for training camp and the start of the upcoming regular season."

One begins to question, are we assessing the same player?

It seems that if he curbed his enthusiasm in the three-pointer department and concentrated on scoring easy buckets and managing the team on the court, the Golden State Warriors could have playoff expectations of their own.

Word has it that Jackson’s negativity with the Warriors has spread to Monta Ellis, who might be seeking out of Golden State as well, after only signing a multi-year extension himself a couple of seasons ago. Let’s ship “Captain Jack” out before his negativity spreads throughout the entire team.

No one is questioning Jackson’s talent, in fact, if he never spoke out I’m sure many fans would reluctantly accept his stay with the Warriors, but his record as a player and personality does nothing to support his cause. Like fleeting embers born from earlier fires, new stars have replaced the old in the Bay Area and one star has certainly left us wanting more.