Only In Golden State: Jax Wants Out

Let’s turn back the clock a year. Mullin is still the GM, in name, and Stephen Jackson has another 2 years left on his contract. The Warriors usually keen to shed salary, inexplicably decide to extend him. Well maybe not all of the Warriors, team President Robert Rowell negotiated the deal without consulting Chris Mullin. The Warriors went from a valuable expiring contract for a 31 year old veteran player who could have been dealt to a championship team to a veteran player extended through 2013 when he will be 35.

“We’re excited to have Stephen under contract for the next several years,” Warriors president Robert Rowell said in a statement. “He has been nothing short of terrific — both on the floor and in the community — since we acquired him almost two years ago. He has embraced this opportunity with the Warriors and has become a leader of a very young basketball team. Furthermore, he expressed a desire to be here long-term and we wanted him to be a part of our team as we move forward. We view this as a win-win for everyone.” ESPN

Now it all blows up in the Warriors faces with Jackson declaring he wants out, and wants out to a playoff team, or back to New York to be with his buddy Al Harrington.

According to Dime Magazine during an interview in New York at block party put on by Jackson and Harrington’s sneaker company Jackson responded when asked about the Warriors playoff chances in 09-10 “Um…I don’t think I’ll be a Warrior next year. I’m looking to leave.”

When asked about how he liked playing in Nellie’s system, past tense, Jackson responds in the past tense and adds “I want to be in a situation where I can continually be in the playoffs and get another ring. So that’s where my mind is at now.”

Jackson is yet another player who sees the Warriors as a team that will give out bad contracts, then allow a trade to be forced.