INDEPENDENCE —The Golden State Warriors will play at Quicken Loans Arena tonight, but swingman Stephen Jackson won’t be with them.
Nor will he be with the Cavaliers.
Jackson, who wanted out of Golden State and had expressed a strong desire to play for Cleveland, was traded Monday to Charlotte along with Acie Law for Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic.
“He is happy about the trade (to Charlotte), delighted about the trade,” Jackson’s agent, Mark Stevens, told ESPN.com. “This is what we wanted —a new start —and this gives him a chance to compete.”
The Cavaliers talked with the Warriors about acquiring Jackson, who played with Cleveland general manager Danny Ferry in San Antonio and for coach Mike Brown when he was an assistant with the Spurs and Indiana Pacers.
Jackson has had troubles off the court, but is a favorite of Brown’s two sons, who have the 31-year-old’s jersey on display in their Westlake home.
Golden State didn’t get a lot from Charlotte for Jackson, who is a great defender and streaky scorer, but the Cavaliers weren’t offering much, either.
Cleveland reportedly dangled a package of troubled guard Delonte West and injured free agent Wally Szczerbiak, who would have been signed and then traded, but the Warriors probably had more interest in big man Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who is making $11.54 million in the final season of his contract.
The Cavaliers, who don’t have a lot of depth along their front line, might have been willing to trade Ilgauskas, but only if they got assurances from the Warriors that they would buy the 7-foot-3 center out of his contract.
Under that scenario, Ilgauskas could have then re-signed with the Cavaliers 30 days later, as Antonio McDyess did with Detroit last season when the Pistons traded him and Chauncey Billups to Denver in the Allen Iverson deal.
“It never got to me,” Brown said of any proposed deal for Jackson. “I don’t deal with that. The only thing I deal with is coaching this team. If it would have happened, great. If it didn’t happen, great. I always wish him the best wherever he is.”
Jackson, who is joining his sixth team in 10 NBA seasons, is earning $7.65 million this season. He is also under contract for $8.45 million in 2010-11, $9.26 million in 2011-12 and $10.06 million in 2012-13.
The 6-foot-8, 235-pound swingman averaged 16.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists in nine games for the Warriors this season. For his career, he’s posted averages of 15.5, 3.8 and 3.2 across the board.
Jackson is on pace to average at least 14.1 points for the eighth straight season. In four of those seasons, he averaged better than 18 points, including two seasons of more than 20.
“He’s a good player,” Brown said. “Any time we don’t have to see him in an opposite color uniform, I’m good with that.”
While with Indiana, Jackson was part of the infamous Nov. 19, 2004 brawl with Detroit fans at The Palace of Auburn Hills and was suspended for 30 games. Brown, an assistant with the Pacers at the time, was in the stands attempting to pull Indiana players away from fans.
Also while with the Pacers, Jackson was involved in a fracas outside an Indianapolis strip club on Oct. 6, 2006, and ended up firing several shots from a pistol. Jackson was eventually suspended for seven games, which he served at the start of the 2007-08 season with Golden State.
Shaq doubtful
Apparently, Shaquille O’Neal’s shoulder strain is a little more serious then originally believed. That or the Cavaliers are being extremely cautious and giving the 37-year-old some time off early in the regular season. O’Neal, who didn’t play Saturday against Utah, is listed as doubtful for tonight. The 18th-year pro did not practice Monday.
“We can be cautious during this time of the year,” said Brown, who again offered no insight as to when or how O’Neal got injured. “We’re not going to rush anybody back, let alone Shaq.”
Beyond the arc
Brown has a simple explanation for why the Cavaliers are second in the league in 3-point percentage at .460. Phoenix leads at .462.
“We have good shooters,” he said. “(Owner) Dan Gilbert and Danny Ferry did a nice job of bringing in the right guys around Shaq and around LeBron (James). On top of that, our guys are creating good looks by moving the basketball. … We’re not trying to create anything fancy or outrageous. We’re just swinging the ball to the next guy.”
Wait and see
Brown said no decision has been made on whether West, who suffers from bipolar disorder, will play tonight. The guard missed the first three games of the season, returned to play in the next four and has sat out the last three.
Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or rickn@ohio.net.
