Purple Reign
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....or been there, done that.
Idle Jackson believes tank isn't empty yet
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 13, 2006 12:00 AM
Suns guard Jim Jackson said his friend, Dennis Hopson, never took much satisfaction from his 1991 NBA Finals championship ring he won with the Bulls because it came from being with a team that hardly put him on the court.
Jackson never thought he'd face the same situation. But just as he never imagined moving around the NBA to 12 teams, Jackson finds himself on a contender but out of the rotation for the first time in his career. This time appears to be more permanent, given his numbers have not improved and that he has not even played with Leandro Barbosa out.
"I've always said, 'Would you be comfortable sitting on the bench and getting a championship, knowing you didn't have a lot to do with it?' " Jackson said.
He is not asking for a trade - yet - and not saying that he would not accept one.
Things are going too well for Phoenix without him to complain, particularly when he has been unable to play like last season.
He shot 46 percent from three-point range with Phoenix last season. Earlier in the season, he was averaging 41 minutes a game with Houston. Now, he is a 29.5 percent shooter who has not played in four straight games by coach's decision.
It has made some say that Jackson is looking his age (35), but he believes he still offers as much as contemporaries Robert Horry and Gary Payton.
"They said that when I was in Cleveland," Jackson said. "I'm not a player that plays five minutes and produces or eight minutes. My production comes over 20-plus minutes."
Jackson is mindful of how his playing status affects his upcoming free agency, but figures teams will be interested in him regardless. He believes he has two or three seasons of being a rotation player left.
"The bottom line is I do want to play," he said. "Whatever the future holds, we'll see. I can only make sure I'm ready for when that call comes here or somewhere else.
"I really don't anticipate playing. More than anything else, there hasn't been communication for what's going on. But you can read between the lines. I've been in the league long enough to know that. Trust me, someone out there knows what I can do."
Idle Jackson believes tank isn't empty yet
Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 13, 2006 12:00 AM
Suns guard Jim Jackson said his friend, Dennis Hopson, never took much satisfaction from his 1991 NBA Finals championship ring he won with the Bulls because it came from being with a team that hardly put him on the court.
Jackson never thought he'd face the same situation. But just as he never imagined moving around the NBA to 12 teams, Jackson finds himself on a contender but out of the rotation for the first time in his career. This time appears to be more permanent, given his numbers have not improved and that he has not even played with Leandro Barbosa out.
"I've always said, 'Would you be comfortable sitting on the bench and getting a championship, knowing you didn't have a lot to do with it?' " Jackson said.
He is not asking for a trade - yet - and not saying that he would not accept one.
Things are going too well for Phoenix without him to complain, particularly when he has been unable to play like last season.
He shot 46 percent from three-point range with Phoenix last season. Earlier in the season, he was averaging 41 minutes a game with Houston. Now, he is a 29.5 percent shooter who has not played in four straight games by coach's decision.
It has made some say that Jackson is looking his age (35), but he believes he still offers as much as contemporaries Robert Horry and Gary Payton.
"They said that when I was in Cleveland," Jackson said. "I'm not a player that plays five minutes and produces or eight minutes. My production comes over 20-plus minutes."
Jackson is mindful of how his playing status affects his upcoming free agency, but figures teams will be interested in him regardless. He believes he has two or three seasons of being a rotation player left.
"The bottom line is I do want to play," he said. "Whatever the future holds, we'll see. I can only make sure I'm ready for when that call comes here or somewhere else.
"I really don't anticipate playing. More than anything else, there hasn't been communication for what's going on. But you can read between the lines. I've been in the league long enough to know that. Trust me, someone out there knows what I can do."
