At long last, the Warriors have finally traded for a starter from Mike D’Antoni's old “seven seconds or less” Suns team.
Unfortunately, Amare Stoudemire is still in Phoenix, averaging 19 points and 8 rebounds per game for the 9-2 Suns.
Instead, Raja Bell is on his way to Oakland, for the low, low price of the Warriors’ best player.
Stephen Jackson was banished to Charlotte this week, just as Jason Richardson was before him, the latest conquest in Rod Higgins’ attempt to demoralize Otis Smith by collecting the most Warrior expats.
By sending Jackson to the Bobcats, the Warriors have effectively erased his relevance as an NBA player. Charlotte may turn around and eventually deal him to contender, but for the time being, Jackson is stuck in basketball purgatory.
The Bobcats have no offense to speak of, so Jackson will be forced to carry the team, while clashing with the conservative Larry Brown along the way. Of course, Jackson painted himself into this corner, continuing to speak out against the franchise until they couldn't wait for a better deal to materialize.
Jackson’s departure was no doubt accelerated by the recent back-and-forth with team president Robert Rowell, the con artist and his mark. Jackson struck a chord with one comment in particular, declaring that the Warriors are more concerned with selling tickets than winning games.
In an apparent attempt to illustrate Jackson’s point, the Warriors traded their former captain in a move designed to save the team money. Trading Jackson frees up the Warriors’ salary cap in 2011, but any spare money will go directly to contract extensions or mid-level free agents.
Star players don’t come to Golden State willingly, so the team will be left to sign another Corey Maggette or Derek Fisher. The team may as well print up t-shirts that say: "We traded our best player and all we got was this lousy cap space!”
A max-contract free agent would eventually put the Warriors in danger of entering the land of luxury tax, which they’ve proven they’re unwilling to do.
Instead, Cohan will simply continue to maximize profits from a fan base that remains loyal to his organization, despite his repeated attempts to sour them on his product.
Under Cohan, the Warriors have had a long-standing policy of making trades to escape bad situations and worse contracts, not to actually make the team better.
As evidence, take a look at what the Warriors now have to show for Jackson, Richardson, and Baron Davis:
(The faint of heart may want to skip ahead to the next paragraph)
- An unproductive, injury-prone Brandan Wright, who will miss most or all of this season
- An unused $10 million trade exception, which has now expired
- Five months of an injured Raja Bell, who may never play a game for Golden State
- A year and a half of Vladimir Radmanovic
Even for the Warriors, that’s an impressively awful return. To echo Jackson’s sentiments, are those the moves of a team that’s trying to improve their win total?
Golden State hasn’t recovered since letting Davis walk in April 2008, and they’ll face a similar struggle as they try to replace Jackson’s production. For two years, Jackson and Davis made the Warriors matter, made them an event.
Now the only time they’ll share the floor is during half-empty (or worse) Clippers-Bobcats games, a fate unbecoming of a duo that succeeded where thirteen years’ worth of players failed.
It’s difficult to dramatize Jackson’s departure, given that it’s been months in the making.
Monday simply marked the end of his curriculum, making “Captain Jack” an official graduate of Golden State University (it’s eerie how much ‘Golden State’ sounds like a college, given the team’s lack of relevance in the pro game).
Of course, the Jackson deal is only the first chapter in a four-part series for the Warriors. Next up is a Monta Ellis trade, followed by Nelson abandoning the team mid-season, whereupon the remaining survivors will be left to clean up Chernobyl yet again.
Jackson was far from perfect, and his flaws could be maddeningly frustrating, but he single-handedly made Golden State fun to watch.
The Warriors will still take a ton of shots, but you won't see high-flying knuckleballs from five feet beyond the arc.
You'll still see technical fouls, but there won't be the same underlying threat of a complete and total meltdown.
Without him, the Warriors will continue to represent everything the worst of sports, a team where the front-office drama is always more intriguing than what’s happening on the court.
The Oakland Sports Examiner.
Comments
Great front offices are like great referees. You forget about them and concentrate on the players.
Stephen Jackson single-handedly made Golden State unbearable to watch. Making dangerous passes when a simple bounce pass would suffice, shooting a three with twenty seconds left on the clock, arguing with referee while his teammates were at the other end of the floor defending--the list goes on and on. If this is the type of basketball you prefer, then I am deeply saddened for you.
Are you serious with this crap journalism? It's not that they don't spend money, they spend it poorly. They have always been around or over the cap. $60 million to Ellis and Beidrins...$50 million to Maggette. What they should do is get rid of one more bloated contract for an expiring, and get way under the cap by the deadline. (Radmanovich or Maggette) With great youth in Monta, Randolph, Curry, Beidrins, another pick on the way and yes Wright, they should be patient. Offer the right star Free Agent the coin. If they don't take...don't settle and maintain. That talented youth will start to post wins, and someone will come the next year.
Unlike Mully, Saint and Rowell. Nellie and Riley won't panic.
Your article whines like you work for TMZ, but offer no solutions.
What Schlock journalism. You should be embarrassed. Offer some ideas that don't begin with Sell the team.
until cohan sells the team, there is no hope. what is the one common theme among the years and years of losing. sure the players suck, but who brings them in? and who is the person who should hold them accountable? in the end, cohan is the only one who can affect change. unfortunately, he's perfectly happy just making money and putting a crap team together.
Hey Court Jester.... I got an idea for ya...Schlock This.
Ray, you are right on. The only thing I would add is that we also got Corey Maggette for Baron, I know it wasn't a trade but it was a knee jerk reaction to losing BD.
I, and too many Warriors fans, have suffered under this ownership thinking they are on our side. Court Jester, open your eyes and stop drinking the Koolaid. Monta is probably asking for a trade as I type this, his agent is meeting with the front office today, so don't count him in for the future. Randolph is growing impatient and feeling neglected. AND do you not remember how the whole Webber/Nellie fiasco went down in the 90's??? Those that forget the past are doomed to repeat it. The 07 playoffs made us all forget. See you in another 13 years.
Keep up the insightful writing RY!
There's only one solution to the GSW problems. Stop buying tickets. We deserve a winning team. All these years all we end up is frustrations. It's always next year...but next year never comes. It all starts from the top. So stop wasting your money and when management realizes that theres so many empty seats in the Coliseum then they will definitely do something about it...hopefully sell the team to a better owner.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!