Woelfel: Jackson isn't happy with current contract
Do we have our first official distraction of the season? As discussed in the FanPosts and his most recent segment on WSSP, Gery Woelfel is once again reporting that Stephen Jackson is unhappy with having a mere two years and $19.3 million remaining on his contract. Oh dear.
Jackson, who hasn't had an agent for several years, hasn't uttered a word about his contact status since the start of training camp. He was unavailable for interviews Thursday.There is growing speculation, though, that Jackson is upset the Bucks haven't approached him about reconstructing his contract and that he was now going to approach them.
If this sounds eerily familiar, you may recall that Woelfel quoted Jackson after his introductory presser in June saying an extension was "mandatory," though if true the terms "silly" and "baffling" probably make more sense. Put bluntly, there's zero reason for the Bucks or any other team to extend Jackson: he's 33 years old, he hasn't even played a game for the Bucks yet, and for cryin' out loud he still has two years and nearly $20 million on his current deal.
Of the 15 guys on the Bucks roster, a whopping three have more guaranteed years on their current contracts than Jackson (Bogut, Mbah a Moute, Gooden) and only Bogut makes more per season. Not having an agent might help explain why no one has clued Jackson into reality at this point, though we can only hope the Bucks contain the issue before it impacts the club. It's not insignificant that Jackson has kept quiet publicly about this since Woelfel's original story months ago--we know he's not shy, and hopefully it's not something we'll be talking about a week from now.
Badger of Honor: Better Off Red: WORLDS ARE COLLIDING
Over at his other blog, our man Dan Sinclair waxes poetic on the conversion of his two favorite things: the Milwaukee Bucks and Wisconsin Badgers. Did we mention Jon Leuer is making his Bucks debut tonight in Minnesota?
JS: Dunleavy fitting in quickly; Timberwolves up first
We'll have a game preview up Saturday afternoon, but in the meantime Scott Skiles offers a hint of what to expect from the Bucks in their preseason opener in Minnesota.
"We've got some things we want to look at in particular (Saturday), and we'll take a look at those," Skiles said. "I'd like to get the rookies in there. If they're having any first NBA game-type jitters, get them over with tomorrow."I don't know how many minutes, but at least get them out there."
Ball Don’t Lie: Milwaukee Bucks Season Preview
Just your basic Yacht Rock-inspired preview from Kelly Dwyer, Dan Devine and Eric Freeman.