ORLANDO, Fla. — The Warriors found a home for disgruntled swingman Stephen Jackson on Monday, sending him to the Bobcats in a four-player deal that pairs him with coach Larry Brown.
The Bobcats sent guard Raja Bell and forward Vladimir Radmanovic to the Warriors for Jackson and guard Acie Law.
“I wanted to be out pretty bad,” Jackson said. “Things were going bad. I was getting blamed for everything. I wasn’t seeing eye to eye with the team. I got fined in preseason, which was ridiculous. It was just a lot of things that I didn’t agree with that was going on.”
The deal gave Jackson his wish: a ticket out of town after his difficult relationship with Warriors coach Don Nelson, who had acknowledged since the season began the team would try to trade him.
Jackson said he was looking forward to playing for Brown, and he didn’t miss a chance to take a parting shot at Nelson when asked what kind of coach he looks for as a player.
“The kind of coach I want that has your back,” Jackson said. “That’s something that’s big to me. If a coach has my back, then I don’t mind playing 110 percent for him.”
With managing partner Michael Jordan signing off on the deal, Charlotte takes on Jackson’s contract, which has three years and $28 million left after this season. Golden State inherits Radmanovic’s deal, worth about $13.5 million over this season and next. Bell and Law are in the final year of their contracts.
• Warriors guard C.J. Watson has tested positive for the swine flu and will be away from the team indefinitely.
Footnotes.
Cavaliers center Shaquille O’Neal (shoulder) is expected to miss tonight’s game against Golden State.
• Hornets guard Chris Paul is out indefinitely because of a sprained left ankle.
• Lakers forward Luke Walton is expected to be out at least six weeks because of a pinched nerve.
• Jazz guard Deron Williams returned to practice after missing time as one of his daughters went through medical tests for an undisclosed condition. Williams said he had no updates on his daughter’s condition.
The Associated Press
