Report: In-Fighting Leads to San Antonio Spurs Waiving Stephen Jackson
By Josh Hill
The Stephen Jackson era in San Antonio has come to an end. According to Adrian Wojnarowsi of Yahoo! Sports, the Spurs have Jackson, ending his tenure with the team that started last year when he was traded to San Antonio via the Golden State Warriors. The move comes a major surprise as Jackson had worked his way into the regular rotation for the Spurs, but in-fighting apparently soured the relationship to the point where a release was best for both parties involved.
According to Woj, Jackson and Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich had been “sparring” all season long over Jackson’s role with the team. Obviously, that role grew but one now has to wonder if the role grew because Jackson earned it or begged long and hard enough to get it? After a glance at Jackson’s stats, it would appear that the latter is what happened.
Jackson is averaging just 6.2ppg and is shooting an abysmal 37.3 percent from the field. But nevertheless, he had worked his way into the regular rotation and his minutes will need to be filled somewhere.
Woj reported that his source said this release had been “brewing for days”, but it seems it’s been brewing for months. Jackson and the Spurs actually discussed a possible release around the trade deadline, so the fact that he’s been released now comes as no shock to those in the know. Thing apparently reached a boiling point in recent days, and that shows in the bizarre timing of Jackson’s release.
The bottom line is that Jackson was apparently a problem no one knew about all season long. At the very least, that goes to show either the Spurs have an incredible PR department, or Jackson is so washed up that no one cared to hear him complain exect those who were employing him.
Well, those who employed him.