Jackson: jailbird or jackpot?

By Mike Kaufmann

It isn't often that I get to write about one of my Bay Area teams, but with the Warriors completing a blockbuster trade with the Indiana Pacers, I couldn't resist.

At this point in time, the Warriors took back more talent than they gave up and ultimately dumped two large contracts as well. This would seem like an ideal trade, but still, I'm worried.

Rare is the occasion when talented players rise above their character issues. In fact, as recent history would suggest, it never works out for the team taking on the trouble-making athlete.

Does anybody remember the Portland Trailblazers of just a few years ago, affectionately referred to as the "Jailblazers?" Year in and year out they were loaded with talent, yet never did anything with it.

The Cincinnati Bengals are another recent example. Nine players have been arrested in the past nine months. Most teams cringe when just one of their players is involved in an off-the-field incident, but anybody associated with the Bengals organization has to be nearly numb to such circumstances.

Isiah Thomas values talent over all else in his recent acquisitions. And while it can be argued that he just doesn't have players that mesh together, Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury aren't of the highest character.

It happens in all sports: A confident -- perhaps cocky -- general manager or coach believes that he can be the person to finally get through to the troubled player and unleash their immense talent. Isiah Thomas tried it in New York. The San Francisco Giants are trying it now with their burly superstar. Yet the results have been eerily similar: It doesn't work out.

Which brings us back to the trade. Stephen Jackson, one of the main combatants during the Pistons-Pacers melee, is one of the integral pieces coming to Golden State. Yet he also was involved in an incident outside a strip club where he fired a gun into the air.

Does this matter on the basketball court? Well, not yet, even though the Warriors have gone 0-2 since he's been here. But he still has a court appearance tomorrow and could face jail time. Jail time, by the way, affects Jackson's ability to be on the court.

The question, ultimately, is whether the trade will improve the team. As a die-hard fan, I certainly hope so.

As a realist? Well, history definitely points the other direction. But maybe Jackson on the Warriors will be the exception to the rule and not just another example.

Contact Mike Kaufmann at (408) 551-1918 or mlkaufmann@scu.edu.

Correction: The story incorrectly stated the name of a player recently traded tot he Golden State Warriors. It is Stephen Jackson.