By any measure, the trade that brought Stephen Jackson to the Charlotte Bobcats has been a big success.
Entering Saturday's home game with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Bobcats were 12-13 with Jackson and 3-6 before he arrived. But adding a piece like Jackson is a significant adjustment for new teammates. How three of them have adapted to Jackson's arrival:
Raymond Felton: Felton is clearly the greatest beneficiary of Jackson's presence. The point guard now has a finisher to bail the Bobcats out of bad possessions. But just as importantly, Jackson adds another ballhandler and decision-maker to the starting lineup.
That makes the game dramatically easier for Felton, more a combo guard
Over the last 17 games, Felton is averaging about 15 1/2 points per game and shooting 54 percent from the field and 52 percent from 3-point range. His assists are roughly where they've always been (5.2 per game), but they are down of late (14 in the last seven games).
I suspect Felton would like to raise his assist average, but the offense has run pretty smoothly of late (even if coach Larry Brown thinks they're taking too many 3s). It's hard to find too much fault when a team is shooting around 50 percent in a four-game stint.
Boris Diaw: If Felton has gained the most, then Diaw probably has given up the most.
The second half of last season the offense pretty much ran through Diaw in the post. He was getting lots of touches, making key decisions down the stretch of games and drawing huge praise.
Now he's often in foul trouble in the fourth quarter and Jackson is creating, either for himself or others.
Thursday in New York seemed encouraging for Diaw: He finished with 12 points, six rebounds, six assists and one turnover.
Circumstance points him toward being a more conventional power forward - focused more on rebounding and defense than playmaking - and that's tough. Remember, Diaw entered the NBA as a guard; his first pro coach, Atlanta's Mike Woodson, said he never imagined Diaw ending up in the big-man rotation.
Gerald Wallace: Jackson lightened Wallace's load.
Wallace was simultaneously this team's first offensive option and its primary rebounder. And more times than not, he had to guard the opposing team's top wing scorer.
Now Jackson (with some help off the bench from Flip Murray) can carry the biggest load on offense, often leaving Wallace wide open on the weak side of the defense. Teams are backing off of him more than ever, so Brown is encouraging Wallace to take those jump shots when they're presented.
Just as importantly, Jackson is a strong defender. That means he and Wallace can share responsibility for guarding the Carmelo Anthonys and Kobe Bryants, and that's going to keep Wallace fresh.
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