Things have not gone quite as planned for Stephen Jackson in Milwaukee this year. After the
Charlotte Bobcats traded him to the Bucks before the lockout, he showed up for camp out of
shape, struggled badly on the floor, took a suspension from the team for missing a bus and
from the league for arguing with a referee. He was knocked out of the starting lineup and
then out of the rotation, to boot.
He raised some eyebrows two weeks ago when he told Hoopsworld.com that his relationship with
coach Scott Skiles was irreparable.
MORE NBA TRADE RUMORS
— Report: Boston Celtics put Rajon Rondo on block
— Report: Dwight Howard would not sign extension with Los Angeles Lakers
“To not be playing, and not have any reasons behind it, it’s kind of disrespectful,”
Jackson said. “At the end of the day, I’m 33 years old. I’m not a 22-year-old guy that
you’re coaching. I’m a grown man who’s probably done more than a lot of people in this
locker room in this league, including coaches.”
The Bucks, obviously, would be very willing to deal Jackson before the March 15 NBA trade
deadline. But he’s a guy who is shooting 35.7 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from
the 3-point line, and is owed $10.6 million next year. He also carries a reputation as a
royal pain in the neck, as he has shown with his Milwaukee experience. The logical next
step, assuming no trade can be made, would be the Bucks buying Jackson out or waiving him
outright.
Despite the rocky first two months of their relationship, Skiles said he still thinks that
the team can get something out of Jackson, currently out with a hamstring injury, this year.
Skiles said Jackson talked with team trainer Marc Boff, and that he could return in a week
or two. From there? Well, who knows.
“I am hopeful we can turn the whole thing around and he can be part of that,” Skiles said.
“We’ll see. When he can get cleared to go, hopefully, it’s not—with the way the schedule
is, dealing with these injuries, typically a guy will get kind of cleared, you’ll work him
in with a practice day and the play in a game. With not much practice time, sometimes guys
will get cleared and you’re putting them out there in a game. We’ll have to see what
happens.”
But, I reminded Skiles, Jackson said their relationship was broken beyond repair. He had
also said that the Bucks had not spoken to him about changing his role, though, and that was
simply not true, Skiles pointed out. “Look, I am not going to get in a (expletive) contest
about it,” Skiles said. “We’ve had many conversations. I also read that he hadn’t been
talked to and, you know, I’ll let other people judge that.”
Either way, Jackson’s remarks have not done much for his trade value. “You’d never say
never, of course, but it is hard to imagine anyone taking him on,” one general manager
said. “He still thinks he can play like he is 28. He can’t. That might be news to him, but
I don’t think it is news to the rest of us.”
The Bucks had hoped that Jackson could do for the team what John Salmons and Corey Maggette
before him had failed to do—provide a consistent scoring outlet for point guard Brandon
Jennings. While it may be that Jackson has already played his last games for the Bucks,
Jennings joins Skiles in his belief that Jackson can still come back and contribute.
“He has been positive in the locker room and in practice,” Jennings said. “That hasn’t
been a problem. He goes hard in practice, he goes hard every day. He is waiting to get
another chance and when he does, he is going to do his thing.”
What Jackson’s “thing” is these days is difficult to determine—he did average 18.5
points last year, so theoretically he can still score. But he dropped off this season, even
before his attitude problems surfaced. Skiles might think he can still draw something out of
Jackson, but there doesn’t seem to be much evidence of that.
3.01.2012
Celtics' Ainge denies report that Rondo on trading block
NBA-the Boston Celtics are aggressively trying to trade point guard Rajon Rondo—a report
general manager Danny Ainge denied on Thursday.
Sources told ESPN's Chris Broussard that the team is actively pitching Rondo to teams
because they believe they are no longer title contenders and that Rondo's play doesn't
justify the problems he creates for coach Doc Rivers.
— Dwight Howard trade rumors: Big man reportedly won't sign extension with Lakers
— Celtics to be 'very active' at NBA trade deadline
That, Ainge and Rivers both said, is untrue.
"He's our best player, he's the most important part of our future," Ainge told Boston radio
station WEEI. "There's no way we're actively trying to trade Rondo. That make no sense, no
logical sense."
Ainge admitted he couldn't turn down an offer for Rondo that made the Celtics better, but
concluded, 'I've made zero calls to try to trade him, and I won't."
Ainge also said he had no concerns about Rondo's maturation process, and Rivers said their
relationship "is as strong as it has ever been."
"Our communication has never been better. I want him here,I can say with almost 100 percent
certainty he will be here with us when the season ends. I'm tired of this stuff. It's not
fair."
According to Broussard, Boston's front office continues to discuss a Rondo-for-Stephen Curry
trade, which was reportedly discussed in December before the Golden State Warriors pulled
the plug. Curry has since struggled with foot and ankle injuries, which ESPN says is a
factor in the Celtics' decision-making process.
Rondo, 25, is averaging 14.2 points, 9.6 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Celtics,
who are 17-17 and currently occupy seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
The report comes a day after Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski said the organization is
willing to break up the Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen before the NBA
’s March 15 trade deadline.
"Boston is very active out there,” Wojnarowski said. “They're willing to trade any of that
Big Three if they can find a deal that helps them going forward with cap space, with draft
picks. (GM) Danny Ainge, (coach) Doc Rivers have determined internally, 'We are not
contenders, we are not going to win a championship this year.' And if the right deal comes
along for Pierce, Garnett or Ray Allen, they're gonna move them.”
general manager Danny Ainge denied on Thursday.
Sources told ESPN's Chris Broussard that the team is actively pitching Rondo to teams
because they believe they are no longer title contenders and that Rondo's play doesn't
justify the problems he creates for coach Doc Rivers.
— Dwight Howard trade rumors: Big man reportedly won't sign extension with Lakers
— Celtics to be 'very active' at NBA trade deadline
That, Ainge and Rivers both said, is untrue.
"He's our best player, he's the most important part of our future," Ainge told Boston radio
station WEEI. "There's no way we're actively trying to trade Rondo. That make no sense, no
logical sense."
Ainge admitted he couldn't turn down an offer for Rondo that made the Celtics better, but
concluded, 'I've made zero calls to try to trade him, and I won't."
Ainge also said he had no concerns about Rondo's maturation process, and Rivers said their
relationship "is as strong as it has ever been."
"Our communication has never been better. I want him here,I can say with almost 100 percent
certainty he will be here with us when the season ends. I'm tired of this stuff. It's not
fair."
According to Broussard, Boston's front office continues to discuss a Rondo-for-Stephen Curry
trade, which was reportedly discussed in December before the Golden State Warriors pulled
the plug. Curry has since struggled with foot and ankle injuries, which ESPN says is a
factor in the Celtics' decision-making process.
Rondo, 25, is averaging 14.2 points, 9.6 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Celtics,
who are 17-17 and currently occupy seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
The report comes a day after Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski said the organization is
willing to break up the Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen before the NBA
’s March 15 trade deadline.
"Boston is very active out there,” Wojnarowski said. “They're willing to trade any of that
Big Three if they can find a deal that helps them going forward with cap space, with draft
picks. (GM) Danny Ainge, (coach) Doc Rivers have determined internally, 'We are not
contenders, we are not going to win a championship this year.' And if the right deal comes
along for Pierce, Garnett or Ray Allen, they're gonna move them.”
Obama: I knew about Jeremy Lin before everyone else
President Barack Obama says he was ahead of the curve on Linsanity.
Appearing on a podcast with ESPN's Bill Simmons, Obama talked about the New York Knicks point guard, the role of sports in the presidency, and, of course, the Chicago Bulls.
Lin, like Obama, is a Harvard graduate—and Obama said he caught wind of Lin's skill when Lin was still in school.
"And I knew about Jeremy before you did, or everybody else did, because Arne Duncan, my Secretary of Education, was captain of the Harvard team," Obama told Simmons. "And so way back when, Arne and I were playing and he said, I’m telling you, we’ve got this terrific guard named Jeremy Lin at Harvard."
— FULL TRANSCRIPT: B.S. REPORT WITH BARACK OBAMA
Simmons also asked about the importance of a President throwing out a decent ceremonial first pitch at baseball games, and Obama brought up George Bush's post-9/11 strike at the World Series, adding that he was visiting soldiers in Iraq and speaking at a basketball gym.
"And somebody just handed me a ball and said, 'Come on, Mr. President, take a shot.' And I said, 'OK, and I shot it and swished it from the 3-point line.' And the amount of excitement that those folks had was surprising to me.
"But I think it just sort of reminded me of the kind of bond that sports creates in people. People—for all our differences politically, regionally, economically—most folks understand sports. Probably because it’s one of the few places where it’s a true meritocracy. There’s not a lot of BS. Ultimately, who’s winning, who’s losing, who’s performing, who’s not—it’s all laid out there."
Naturally, Simmons brought up Obama's beloved Bulls, asking how often he hoped to welcome the Bulls as NBA champions.
"Every year," Obama said. "And it hasn't happened yet, but it will happen."
Asked if that was meant as a guarantee, Obama replied: "Well, I've got another five years here," causing Simmons to note the implied guarantee that Obama would be re-elected in November.
Called on it, the president laughed and said: "Somewhere along the line, my Bulls are going to come through here. Absolutely."
Appearing on a podcast with ESPN's Bill Simmons, Obama talked about the New York Knicks point guard, the role of sports in the presidency, and, of course, the Chicago Bulls.
Lin, like Obama, is a Harvard graduate—and Obama said he caught wind of Lin's skill when Lin was still in school.
"And I knew about Jeremy before you did, or everybody else did, because Arne Duncan, my Secretary of Education, was captain of the Harvard team," Obama told Simmons. "And so way back when, Arne and I were playing and he said, I’m telling you, we’ve got this terrific guard named Jeremy Lin at Harvard."
— FULL TRANSCRIPT: B.S. REPORT WITH BARACK OBAMA
Simmons also asked about the importance of a President throwing out a decent ceremonial first pitch at baseball games, and Obama brought up George Bush's post-9/11 strike at the World Series, adding that he was visiting soldiers in Iraq and speaking at a basketball gym.
"And somebody just handed me a ball and said, 'Come on, Mr. President, take a shot.' And I said, 'OK, and I shot it and swished it from the 3-point line.' And the amount of excitement that those folks had was surprising to me.
"But I think it just sort of reminded me of the kind of bond that sports creates in people. People—for all our differences politically, regionally, economically—most folks understand sports. Probably because it’s one of the few places where it’s a true meritocracy. There’s not a lot of BS. Ultimately, who’s winning, who’s losing, who’s performing, who’s not—it’s all laid out there."
Naturally, Simmons brought up Obama's beloved Bulls, asking how often he hoped to welcome the Bulls as NBA champions.
"Every year," Obama said. "And it hasn't happened yet, but it will happen."
Asked if that was meant as a guarantee, Obama replied: "Well, I've got another five years here," causing Simmons to note the implied guarantee that Obama would be re-elected in November.
Called on it, the president laughed and said: "Somewhere along the line, my Bulls are going to come through here. Absolutely."
Pittsburgh Steelers cut Chris Kemoeatu, will release Aaron Smith
The Pittsburgh Steelers continues to purge their roster.
The Steelers will cut defensive end Aaron Smith and the team cut guard Chris Kemoeatu on Thursday, according to multiple reports.
Kemoeatu, a seven-year veteran, started eight games for the Steelers in 2011, his lowest total since the 2007 season. The news was first reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Aaron Smith, a productive defensive end in the team’s 3-4 scheme will also be cut, according to NFL.com.
These moves come on the heels of Wednesday's announcement that the club has released 14-year veteran Hines Ward, a wide receiver who helped the Steelers win two Super Bowls.
The four-time Pro Bowler was the MVP of Super Bowl XL.
Pittsburgh has also cut cornerback Bryant McFadden and wide receiver Arnaz Battle this offseason.
More cap causalities could come as well, with the agent for Steelers linebacker James Farrior expressing his concern that his client could be the next player released.
“It’s not a done deal, but the percentages just aren’t there,” Ralph Cindrich, Farrior’s agent, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Cindrich said he has not yet talked with the Steelers. Farrior has been the team’s defensive captain for the past eight seasons.
Pittsburgh’s offseason has already been full of maneuvers to get under the cap for when the league year begins on March 13. The team has also been clearing cap space to discourage teams from making an offer sheet to restricted free agent wide receiver Mike Wallace. The team reportedly plans to place a first-round tender on Wallace.
So far this offseason the Steelers have restructured the contracts of offensive tackle Willie Colon, linebackers LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons, cornerback Ike Taylor and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
The Steelers will cut defensive end Aaron Smith and the team cut guard Chris Kemoeatu on Thursday, according to multiple reports.
Kemoeatu, a seven-year veteran, started eight games for the Steelers in 2011, his lowest total since the 2007 season. The news was first reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Aaron Smith, a productive defensive end in the team’s 3-4 scheme will also be cut, according to NFL.com.
These moves come on the heels of Wednesday's announcement that the club has released 14-year veteran Hines Ward, a wide receiver who helped the Steelers win two Super Bowls.
The four-time Pro Bowler was the MVP of Super Bowl XL.
Pittsburgh has also cut cornerback Bryant McFadden and wide receiver Arnaz Battle this offseason.
More cap causalities could come as well, with the agent for Steelers linebacker James Farrior expressing his concern that his client could be the next player released.
“It’s not a done deal, but the percentages just aren’t there,” Ralph Cindrich, Farrior’s agent, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Cindrich said he has not yet talked with the Steelers. Farrior has been the team’s defensive captain for the past eight seasons.
Pittsburgh’s offseason has already been full of maneuvers to get under the cap for when the league year begins on March 13. The team has also been clearing cap space to discourage teams from making an offer sheet to restricted free agent wide receiver Mike Wallace. The team reportedly plans to place a first-round tender on Wallace.
So far this offseason the Steelers have restructured the contracts of offensive tackle Willie Colon, linebackers LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons, cornerback Ike Taylor and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Report: New Orleans Saints, Drew Brees roughly $5 million a year apart on new deal
While contract talks between the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees continue, the two sides are roughly $5 million a year apart on a new deal, according to a Yahoo! Sports report.
Brees will receive the franchise tag Monday if a long-term deal has not been reached, according to multiple reports.
The Saints also have other free agents to worry about, most notably wide receiver Marques Colston and guard Carl Nicks. Both players would certainly draw plenty of interest if they hit the open market.
The Saints have been busy trying to clear more room under the salary cap over the past few days, including a restructured deal for defensive end Will Smith. Yahoo! Sports speculates that linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis could also be released to free up approximately $11 million.
Brees will receive the franchise tag Monday if a long-term deal has not been reached, according to multiple reports.
The Saints also have other free agents to worry about, most notably wide receiver Marques Colston and guard Carl Nicks. Both players would certainly draw plenty of interest if they hit the open market.
The Saints have been busy trying to clear more room under the salary cap over the past few days, including a restructured deal for defensive end Will Smith. Yahoo! Sports speculates that linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis could also be released to free up approximately $11 million.
Oakland Raiders use franchise tag on safety Tyvon Branch
The Oakland Raiders have placed their franchise tag on strong safety Tyvon Branch, the team announced Thursday.
"We are pleased that Tyvon will return to the Raiders in 2012," Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said in a statement. "Tyvon is a talented, productive player who we hope will be wearing the Silver and Black for many years to come. We will continue to work on a long-term deal to make that happen."
Branch has been a full-time starter for the Raiders the past three seasons, starting 48 consecutive games. Last season. Branch recorded 109 tackles and had a sack and an interception.
The franchise tag for safeties is expected to result in a salary of $6.2 million in 2012, down from $8.8 million last season, according to NFL.com.
By using the franchise tag on Branch, running back Michael Bush is likely to hit the open market when free agency open on March 13.
"We are pleased that Tyvon will return to the Raiders in 2012," Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said in a statement. "Tyvon is a talented, productive player who we hope will be wearing the Silver and Black for many years to come. We will continue to work on a long-term deal to make that happen."
Branch has been a full-time starter for the Raiders the past three seasons, starting 48 consecutive games. Last season. Branch recorded 109 tackles and had a sack and an interception.
The franchise tag for safeties is expected to result in a salary of $6.2 million in 2012, down from $8.8 million last season, according to NFL.com.
By using the franchise tag on Branch, running back Michael Bush is likely to hit the open market when free agency open on March 13.
Philadelphia Eagles place franchise tag on DeSean Jackson
The Philadelphia Eagles have placed the franchise tag on wide receiver DeSean Jackson, the team announced on Thursday.
Jackson has been in the league for four years, all with the Eagles. He was scheduled to become a free agent on March 13.
Last season was a bit up and down for Jackson, as he was deactivated for a game for missing a special teams meeting and also held out at the start of training camp because he wanted a new contract.
"We want DeSean to be an Eagle for the long haul and this is a step in the right direction to accomplish that," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said in a statement. "DeSean is a talented player and a proven playmaker in this league and we look forward to him continuing his career in Philadelphia. It's our understanding that he has the same desire. We will continue our efforts on getting a long-term deal done with him."
The franchise tag will keep Jackson with the Eagles for the 2012 season, at an estimated salary between $9.4 and $9.6 million. Jackson earned $600,000 last season in the final year of his rookie deal.
After the Eagles season-ending win over the Washington Redskins, Jackson said he wanted to be back with the team.
"I hope I will be here," he said. "These guys on this team and the fans, this is home," Jackson said.
In 15 games last season, Jackson had 58 receptions for 961 yards and four TDs. Jackson made the Pro Bowl in 2009 and 2010.
Jackson has been in the league for four years, all with the Eagles. He was scheduled to become a free agent on March 13.
Last season was a bit up and down for Jackson, as he was deactivated for a game for missing a special teams meeting and also held out at the start of training camp because he wanted a new contract.
"We want DeSean to be an Eagle for the long haul and this is a step in the right direction to accomplish that," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said in a statement. "DeSean is a talented player and a proven playmaker in this league and we look forward to him continuing his career in Philadelphia. It's our understanding that he has the same desire. We will continue our efforts on getting a long-term deal done with him."
The franchise tag will keep Jackson with the Eagles for the 2012 season, at an estimated salary between $9.4 and $9.6 million. Jackson earned $600,000 last season in the final year of his rookie deal.
After the Eagles season-ending win over the Washington Redskins, Jackson said he wanted to be back with the team.
"I hope I will be here," he said. "These guys on this team and the fans, this is home," Jackson said.
In 15 games last season, Jackson had 58 receptions for 961 yards and four TDs. Jackson made the Pro Bowl in 2009 and 2010.
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