Nov

9

Jackson’s Agent Adding Fuel To Fire

Posted by Stephen Rhodes under NBA News, NBA Rumors, SDC COMMENTARY 

I think it is safe to say that it is old news that Golden State Warriors swingman Stephen Jackson is demanding a trade from the team. Unfortunately for him, he isn’t exactly making any friends in that respect, according to The Sporting News.

It appears that in this case, it isn’t Jackson who is the antagonist in this situation; curiously enough, it is Jackson’s agent Mark Stevens who is the culprit. After Golden State’s loss to Sacramento on Sunday, Stevens told Chris Broussard of ESPN that Nelson had done questionable things in the past – basically saying that Nelson lacked any credibility to handle any trade of Jackson to a willing club.

Stevens further added:

“No one trusts Don Nelson. When Nelson was in Milwaukee, Wayne Embry trusted him and brought him in, and he betrayed Embry. In Dallas, Mark Cuban took damn good care of him and his son [Donnie Nelson Jr.], and he betrayed Cuban. In Golden State, Chris Mullin hired him and trusted him and Nelson backstabbed him by reaching out to president Robert Rowell and blaming Mullin for everything that was going wrong with the Warriors.”

From the first glance, it appears that Jackson and Stevens are burning bridges, with Stevens carrying the gasoline and matches. But rest assured that Jackson is the enabler of all this going down.

I would like  to think that both Jackson and Stevens are mindful of the fact that the Warriors are in no real hurry to trade Jackson as the trade offers coming their way thus far are terrible. Expect something a bit more palatable between Golden State and any other teams wanting Jackson’s services when the trading deadline draws near.

Also, I will acknowledge that Nelson has some character flaws. However, I do not understand how Stevens’ statement about Nelson will benefit his client at all. He should understand that other team general managers/higher-ups will catch wind of this and more than likely will act accordingly – which will decrease Jackson’s value when trade discussions come up in the future.

My advice to Jackson is to hire another agent and start fresh and make amends while he still has the opportunity. While his time with Golden State is limited, he can at least bide his time and remake his image if he expects to continue his career in the NBA. Otherwise, he will become the second coming of Allen Iverson. And the league doesn’t need another head case right now.


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