Bobby Jackson regular season games played when he was with us back in 2000-2005:
2000-01: 79 games played
2001-02: 81 games played
2002-03: 59 games played
2003-04: 50 games played
2004-05: 25 games played
294/410 = 71%
Oh I get it. I just choose not to love a guy who gets so much credit for "heart" yet he missed nearly 30% of the games for us back in the glory years.
I ordinarily try to stay out of these fanboy discussion, particularly considering Bobby Jackson isn't even in my top 20 favorite former or current Kings and I was generally underwhelmed by his return.
But this comment was completely off-base and totally uncool.
-In '03 Jackson suffered a broken hand. Ever tried to dribble, shoot, write, put on a glove, pick up a glass or even tolerate a broken hand?
-In '04 he had an unspecified abdominal injury. Now aside from causing blinding pain upon any type of movement (you'd be surprised just how much movement the abdominal muscles are responsible) the real worry is suffering futher trauma, leading to internal bleeding causing up to and including death. Abdominal pain is one of those we don't mess around with.
-In '05 Jackson simply had a lil ole wrist injury requiring surgery and three months of rehab in which he solicited several doctor's opinions.
Now at this point, I must admit I'm confused. Are you questioning Jackson's heart and spirit because he suffered those injuries in the first place or because he simply didn't play through them?
If it's the former, then that's a Zen-Tai Chi psychosomatic placebo-Karma thing that's been debated ad infinitum by far greater medical minds than we and I neither have the ability nor inclination to disucss.
However, if it's the latter then it's exactly the archaic attitude surrounding injury in athletics that needs and deserves to be eradicated.
These weren't simple scrapes, bruises or aches and pains.
These were significant injuries that rendered Jackson ineffective and potentially an on-court liability, not to mention threatened his personal well-being and career (but who cares about that right.)
You wouldn't want a firefighter with a broken leg trying to save your house. You wouldn't want a doctor with a head cold operating on you. Why do we expect and demand it from our entertainers?
And the true irony is, while you decry Jackson's extended absenses due to injury as evidence of his lack of heart, in truth,
those injuries were probably made more serious after he repeatedly played through and ignored relatively minor injuries until his body shut down on him completely.