Steven Jackson Article

[thatlookseasy]

Its a long one, but good and in depth. It kind of glosses over his time with the bobcats, but does a good job of capturing his motivations throughout his career

Inside the mind of the San Antonio Spurs' Steven Jackson

Stephen Jackson looked at his buzzing phone and tucked it away, unanswered. He hurried to catch a connecting flight at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport that would take him back to Oakland and to the Warriors franchise he once helped to a historic playoff upset. Before he reached the gate, Jackson's phone buzzed again, this time with a text message. R.C. Buford, the general manager of the Spurs. Buford wanted to know if Jackson could talk to Coach Gregg Popovich. Jackson already knew what the conversation would entail. How could it be anything else but a return to San Antonio, the place where he found his basketball identity? After saying a short prayer, Jackson called Popovich. He spoke with Popovich and Tim Duncan, and rerouted his flight, life, and career. The Spurs finalized the deal and obtained Jackson for Richard Jefferson at this season's trade deadline.

A career had passed since Jackson left the Spurs nine years ago. He brawled in Auburn Hills, fired a gun into the air and got run over by a car in Indianapolis, and drew suspensions from five different teams. He also co-starred for a deep Pacers team that would have contended for a title had the fight not shredded the team's fabric. He provided the backbone of the "We Believe" Warriors. And he nudged the Charlotte Bobcats into fleeting respectability in the franchise's only playoff berth.

More than any other organization in the NBA, the Spurs are equipped for all that Jackson brings. They are prepared to benefit from the absolute teammate, the man who attends chapel before games and sang in his church choir as a youth. They tolerate the occasional, well-documented episodes, the infractions that appeared on police blotters and newspaper headlines. It is the good in Jackson, he is convinced, that leads to the occasional bad.

NBA teams are on a permanent search for consummate, complementary parts. The easy job is spotting the talent in a Tim Duncan or Kevin Durant. The harder job is crafting the roster with players who accentuate the talents of those star players and blend their own into a mixture that will best suit their team.

Jackson has been miscast in the starring role a couple of times in his nomadic career. He's more comfortable and productive in a supporting role. In this title, he is who he wants to be and has been since high school. He is quick to tell people that he is a wonderful addition to any roster and fast to add that Duncan calls him the ultimate teammate. Others echo these statements. But being low-maintenance is one of the primary qualities of most complementary players. They require little pushing, motivation, or coddling compared with most stars. This is where Jackson's career and reputation are at odds. He tries to be there for teammates in ways that directly lead to confrontation and trouble. In Jackson's case, the question becomes, is there such a thing as being a cruddy consummate teammate? There are deep-rooted reasons for why Jackson is who he is.

[4Corners]

Big fan of Jackson. He deserves a ring.

Can't say that for the fat French POS Boris Diaw

Unprofessional, insubordinate, and they way he quit on a team and basically blackballed the Bobcats should provide any bobcat fans enough fuel to pull for the thunder.

Bobcats should of taken a stand and benched his ass for the entire season. Lost a lot of respect in that whole situation. More proof MJ doesn't care.

[kman72]

yeah i still love jack, just wasnt the right fit here anymore through rebuilding. and yes i was cheering for the spurs until diaw go there now i hope they lose until he is out of the league

[4Corners]

yeah i still love jack, just wasnt the right fit here anymore through rebuilding. and yes i was cheering for the spurs until diaw go there now i hope they lose until he is out of the league

How this whole fiasco with Diaw just got swept under the rug is embarrassing.

[Sapper]

Glad Jax has a ring - hope Crash gets one too.