Report: Cavs Want Stephen Jackson

by Marcel Mutoni

In Golden State, Stephen Jackson is no longer the captain, and at this point, is virtually persona non-grata in that town. Which, according to the latest rumor, is perfectly fine with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

If the Warriors don’t want Jackson anymore — which they very much don’t; feelings between the two parties being mutual, of course — the Cavs would love to take him off their hands. He is a problem Cleveland’s front-office is more than willing to tolerate.

From the Plain Dealer:

You have not heard the last of the Stephen Jackson trade rumors involving the Cavs. According to sources, the Cavs do have an interest in Jackson and have had some internal discussions about trading for him.

With strong team leaders and Mike Brown, who is close to Jackson and coached him in two different stops, there is a belief the Cavs could harness his good qualities and suppress his bad ones that he’s been showing in an effort to get out of Golden State.

Assuming he was happy with the potential trade, Jackson would provide Cleveland with something they desperatedly need: a perimeter presence more than willing and able to take the pressure off LeBron.

For Danny Ferry and the Cavs’ front-office, on many levels, this is a gamble that may be worth taking. The question now is how much they’ll be willing to give up.

Not too surprisingly, the latest out of the Warriors’ camp is that Stephen has suddenly found it in his heart to play the role of good soldier. Gee, I wonder if the possibility that he might not be there for very much longer had anything to do with Jackson’s new outlook on life?