Latest news with #JimJackson
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Who would Jackson rather guard: Durant or Curry?
Jim Jackson joins Dan Patrick to discuss how he handled free agency as a player, why guarding Stephen Curry is so hard, if Luka Doncic can win the 2026 NBA MVP award, what Zion Williamson can do to stay healthy and more.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"They waited until the end, and Joe walked" - Jim Jackson thinks Phoenix Suns could've kept Joe Johnson in 2005
"They waited until the end, and Joe walked" - Jim Jackson thinks Phoenix Suns could've kept Joe Johnson in 2005 originally appeared on Basketball Network. The "Seven Seconds or Less" Phoenix Suns were ahead of their time. Led by Steve Nash, who relentlessly pushed the tempo to give his team the chance to hoist up as many shots as possible, every Suns game became an exhilarating track meet. The team was filled with electric players like Amar'e Stoudemire, Quentin Richardson, Shawn Marion and Leandro Barbosa, but one name that often gets overlooked is Joe Johnson. Advertisement Johnson, drafted 10th overall by the Boston Celtics in 2001, found his way to Phoenix a few seasons later. He quickly became a key piece of their high-octane offense and was a big reason the team won 62 games during the 2004-05 season. However, Johnson left the team in the 2005 free agency. According to Jim Jackson, who joined the team via trade in January 2005, the Suns are to blame for it. "Joe goes to Atlanta because earlier in that year, Phoenix could've paid him. They didn't. They waited until the end, and Joe walked," he said on "Podcast P with Paul George." Made his way to a better team After starting his career as the main man of the Dallas Mavericks, Jackson soon became a journeyman forward who the Houston Rockets traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. However, he refused to report to the Pelicans, explaining he was already tired and weary of moving from one place to another. Advertisement At age 33, Jackson was soon sent to the Suns. There, he witnessed basketball being played the way it should be: with complete freedom and unselfishness. "Man, Steve was unreal. Joe Johnson was at 6'8", doing crazy things. Amare was sick. Q-Rich was on that squad," he said. "The way they played — people don't understand how special that was at the time. People say they want to run and play that style, but you have to be in shape to do it. You can't just say, 'I want to run.' It's all the time." "With Steve navigating and negotiating, Amare doing his thing, Shawn Marion dropping double-doubles every night — it was just, 'Oooh, we had a squad,'" Jackson added. Advertisement Related: How financial pressure made Kobe Bryant skip college for the NBA: "There wasn't a lot left over from Joe's career" A critical injury during a crucial time After breezing past the regular season, the real test for the Suns came in the postseason. After they swept the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round, they defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the second round, 4-2. However, the victory came at a steep cost, as Johnson suffered a displaced orbital fracture over his left eye after landing on his face in Game 2. Johnson, who was averaging 18.8 points on 55 percent shooting from 3-point range, didn't return to the Suns' lineup until Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs. By then, Tim Duncan and the Spurs had already taken a 2-0 lead and would go on to win the series, 4-1. Advertisement That series was Johnson's last in a Suns uniform as he was soon traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Boris Diaw. He thrived with the Hawks, becoming an All-Star six times and a member of the All-NBA Team once. Although the Suns continued their success in the West, returning to the West finals the following season before losing to the Mavs, the team's fate could have been different had they had kept Johnson. Related: "That kind of talent simply doesn't happen" - Del Harris said 17-year-old Kobe was 'slightly better' than 24-year-old Eddie Jones This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"Spend some money" - Jim Jackson explains why the Lakers will try everything to build a championship-caliber squad for LeBron next season
"Spend some money" - Jim Jackson explains why the Lakers will try everything to build a championship-caliber squad for LeBron next season originally appeared on Basketball Network. LeBron James' decision to opt in to his player option worth nearly $53 million has been a popular topic these days, as some have chastised him for taking the money instead of re-negotiating a more team-friendly deal. Advertisement With King James' salary eating up a substantial piece of the Los Angeles Lakers' pie, the team has been left with few options to upgrade its roster. Even though they did get former first-overall pick DeAndre Ayton to be their starting center, they still lack a dependable backup big and capable wing defenders to truly be a team to be reckoned with in the West. Former NBA veteran Jim Jackson, who is now thriving as a media personality, is confident the Lakers, with their new owners, will do right by the Bron and spend what is needed to elevate the roster to contender status. Creating a championship team doesn't come cheap History has shown that if a franchise plans to pursue the coveted Larry O'Brien trophy, the team owner must break out their checkbook and be willing to pay top dollar for quality players. Los Angeles has always been a popular destination for free agents due to its desirable location, media exposure, and championship pedigree. However, the past few years have seen the Purple & Gold struggle to recruit top talent and make deep playoff runs. Advertisement Case in point: when the NBA's free agency period opened, while Western Conference teams like the Houston Rockets and the Denver Nuggets loaded up on talent, all the Lakers got was three-year pro Jake LaRavia, a 6'8" power forward who averaged 6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds while playing for the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings last season. Jackson said this just won't cut it. "You got new management coming in, but they have to make some moves and they got to spend some money to do it," Jim told popular sportscaster Dan Patrick. "That's the thing, because now you got all this influx of new money, new ownership, and if you want the Lakers — well, you want the Lakers to continue to be kind of a marquee franchise — you got to spend some money." Aside from needing to augment their roster, the Lakers' front office also has some financial dealings to complete with superstar guard Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, both of whom are due for new contracts. This means the franchise has a lot of financial decisions to make to help the team become a legitimate contender. k Advertisement Related: "God, I hope I don't get into this game. I'm not ready for this stuff" - Steve Kerr said watching Michael Jordan for the first time made him feel he didn't belong in NBA OKC is the exception The Oklahoma City Thunder's recent rise to the NBA's mountaintop was remarkable for numerous reasons; the most prominent of which was that they did it without breaking the bank. However, Jackson cited that this occurrence was an exception and not the rule. "Look at the teams that have won NBA titles. They spent money," he shared. "Now, OKC is a little bit different because they built theirs organically and didn't have to have a big salary cap and payroll because a lot of their guys were young." Advertisement "But from the perspective of Golden State, of Milwaukee, teams like that — and now Boston — that were in that first apron, or now the second apron, you had to spend some money. You had to go out and overpay to get talent to win it,"Jim stressed. Money matters in the NBA. Fans must never forget that their favorite franchises are businesses run by owners and executives who prioritize profit. This often translates into difficult financial decisions, something the Lakers know all too well. Related: LeBron doesn't think defense in the NBA has evolved by much: "There is too much switching" This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
NBC Sports
02-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Who would Jackson rather guard: Durant or Curry?
Jim Jackson joins Dan Patrick to discuss how he handled free agency as a player, why guarding Stephen Curry is so hard, if Luka Doncic can win the 2026 NBA MVP award, what Zion Williamson can do to stay healthy and more.
Miami Herald
16-06-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Mysterious metal object on FL beach is 80-year-old war relic. What is it?
After a puzzling 100-pound object washed up on a Florida beach, a deputy with a military background recognized it for what it was: an old bomb. The rusty piece of ordnance turned out to be an unexploded World War II era practice bomb, a spokesperson for MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa told McClatchy News on June 16. The bomb was discovered at Englewood Beach, prompting curiosity from passersby until a deputy with a military background identified it, the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office said. Jim Jackson told WBBH his grandchildren spotted the item on the beach from a condo. 'I first thought, this is a scuba tank, maybe,' he told the outlet. Then a couple days later, he said a deputy told him what it really was. Law enforcement evacuated the area as bomb squads came in to evaluate the item, eventually determining it didn't pose a threat. MacDill's explosive ordnance disposal team tried to transport it to the base to use as a training aid, but it essentially disintegrated, the spokesperson said. The airdrop bomb could have come from air force teams practicing over the Tampa Bay area during the World War II time period, which coincides with the base's completion in 1941, according to the spokesperson. It's also not the first time military ordnance has washed ashore in the area. MacDill advises anyone who sees what they suspect could be unexploded ordnance to contact local law enforcement. Englewood is about a 30-mile drive south from Sarasota.
