Pivot Points: Stephen Jackson Offers More of the Same for Bobcats

Forgive me if I'm not impressed, but as a Charlotte native I've seen this played out before; in fact it involved the very same teams.

Much ado about nothing has been made over the trade that took place between the Charlotte Bobcats and Golden State Warriors that sent Stephen Jackson to the Queen City in exchange for Raja Bell.

Acie Law and Vladamir Radmonivich were also included in the deal, but what it boils down to are the principle players, Jackson and Bell; and I must say at the end of the day it won't help either team.

In fact, for Charlotte residents, it must feel like déjà vu considering Jackson is only the latest player from the Warriors who was supposed to be the piece the Bobcats needed to propel them to their first-ever playoffs.

A few years ago Charlotte made a trade for Jason Richardson and Bobcat fans rejoiced. Richardson was the offensive threat Charlotte lacked; a player able to get his own shot who was also the deep threat they sorely needed.

Sound familiar? It should, because that's exactly how Jackson is being received now; and to be honest this may be a worse deal than the Richardson misadventure.

At least Richardson was a team player who didn't mind being part of a scheme, while Jackson has ultimately been a headache for almost every team that has been unfortunate enough to employ his services.

For a young Bobcats team, Jackson has the potential to be a greater cancer than he ended up being in Golden State. He's not exactly the nurturing type; and while the Warriors were inundated with talent, that's not the case in Charlotte.

The Warriors are a pitiful bunch, but at least they're entertaining to watch. Even though they'll probably lose, they'll keep it interesting—and are able to score points in bunches.

No such luxury exists in Charlotte where the Bobcats lose often and ugly. They're so bad on the offensive end they're in danger of becoming one of the worst offensive teams in NBA history.

I can't even remember the last time the Bobcats were able to crack the century mark—and it's not like they sacrifice offense in order to concentrate on defense; they happen to be inept on both ends of the floor.

The only area they excel in is quotes from coach Larry Brown, who must be running out of phrases to explain the many different ways his team finds to lose games.

Think I'm exaggerating? Charlotte is dead last in points scored per game, last in field goal percentage, and reside near the bottom in every other offensive category of note.

The defensive side is a little better, but I tend to drift to the theory Charlotte's offensive ineptitude is contagious and other teams find themselves playing as bad as the 'Cats when they have the ball.

Which brings me full circle to this point: Jackson's irritation in Golden State was evident and he played in an offense where he was able to score points in bushels. He also had one of the most laid back coaches outside of Los Angeles in Don Nelson. Why then would he be happy in Charlotte?

With the Bobcats he must deal with Larry Brown, who has a reputation of being a stern coach. He would also be playing in an offense that is currently challenging for the worst field goal percentage in NBA history. Is it likely he wants to be part of that?

Team owner Bob Johnson and President Michael Jordan may be one of the worst managing duos in the league, but this deal has the potential to be their Waterloo.

In the short time the Bobcats have been in Charlotte they've managed to alienate the entire state of North Carolina and everyone except the most avid fans of basketball.

I'm a resident of Charlotte, and Bleacher Report would have a hard time paying me to cover the Bobcats as a Featured Columnist. Yet, I digress, and I guess if I'm honest the news isn't all bad.

In Golden State, the Warriors will be getting a good defensive player in Raja Bell who is more than willing to stick to the status quo. In Radmonovich, they get a power forward who believes that he's a shooting guard.

I guess I should be honest about the Bobcats end of the deal as well, because the Jason Richardson deal wasn't all bad for the 'Cats.

Charlotte, after realizing Richardson wasn't going to work out, was able to deal him to Phoenix for Boris Diaw, who has become arguably the second-best player on the Bobcats' team.

My only hope is that after this trade blows up in Michael Jordan's face he is able to make a similar deal for the soon-to-be disgruntled again Stephen Jackson.