The Stephen Jackson Trade: Golden State Finally Starts 2009 NBA Season

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The trade is sound. Steph Jack and his agent made it inevitable and the deal works.

So...little used Acie Law and The-Man-Who-Didn't-Want-to-Teach out, veteran hard-nosed defender and soft Euro-bigman in.

Now we'll definitely see the three D's from Monta and Steph—Drive Draw and Dish—to Radmanovic for three! Or a long two.

And opposing scores are guaranteed to drop with a stopper like Bell, presuming the wrist is workable at some point.

Curry, Ellis, Randolph, and Morrow show promise. Maggette's a stable vet and Turiaf's the weak link but coachable. The trade is good. It's the loss of Azubuike to injury that's the mightiest blow.

So Captain Jack has found another ship and the 2009 season can finally start for the Golden State Warriors. Oh, but wait. There's still one thing left to do.

Don Nelson, who will turn 70 in May, needs only 22 more wins to become the Winningest Coach in NBA History. Nellie's never won a title and unfortunately he never will. The Wins Record is his ticket to the Hall of Fame...and his ticket to retirement in Maui.

Make no mistake about it, ownership committed last year to seeing it through. Don Nelson gets 24 wins, or the season ends, whichever comes first. This is the Bay Area, where we stand by guys trying to achieve big goals in almost any circumstance (cf. Barry Bonds).

With Jack gone, this team will achieve Nellie's goal before the All-Star Break. Thanks to the trade, I put money on it happening Jan. 26, 2010, against Sacramento in the state capital.

'Cause that's just how NorCal rolls.

After that, with a hot ROY candidate and a healthy team, a less-stressed Nelson could make the playoffs. Then the Don would have his 70th birthday where he belongs: on the hardcourt where he spent his life.

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