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One week after being traded from the Charlotte Bobcats to the Milwaukee Bucks as apart of a three-team trade that netted Charlotte the seventh overall pick and Corey Maggette, Stephen Jackson made some noise at his introductory press conference in Milwaukee.

Jackson told the assembled media that he could have played during the final month of this past NBA season, but Charlotte sat him down because the team already had it’s eye on the future.

The Bobcats won just four of their final 10 games to close out the season.

“The last 10 games, I could have played,” Jackson told Chris Jenkins of the Associated Press. “But they shut me down. The team shut me down. So I kind of assumed they didn’t want to make the playoffs… I didn’t want to be on a team where they’re going younger and they want to win three years from now. I’ll be at the end of my career. So winning now is important to me, and [Milwaukee] is a great place to win now.”

As par for the course, Jackson changes moods like people change underwear– he literally had three completely different responses to three different reporters over the span of a week after the Gerald Wallace trade at the deadline — as Higgins told the assembled media on draft night that Jackson was upset he was leaving Charlotte but also grateful to have played there.

“When I spoke to Stephen [draft day afternoon], he was actually pretty good,” Bobcats’ President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins said. “We had a candid conversation. Stephen, he’s always been a candid communicator and he loved it here in Charlotte and I think he was disappointed because he felt like he was a piece that could help us get back to some success and get back to the playoffs… I’m sure this is an emotional time for him, but he’s a pro.”

As anyone who watched those final 10 Bobcats’ games knows, this team didn’t shut Jackson down just because they were tanking into the lottery. Toughness has never been a question for Jackson, but he was simply too injured to contribute over those final games. The 11-year swingman lacked the lateral movement and quickness that made him a top-notch defender, and also allowed him to habitually drive to the basket.

With no defense and featuring an arsenal of strictly jump shots on the offensive end (not exactly the career 41.8 percent shooter’s forte), Jackson wasn’t in the position to help the Bobcats much down the stretch.

With that being said, Jackson is right about one thing: in trading the team-leader in points (18.5 per contest), Charlotte is firmly in re-building mode and likely won’t contend until the 2013-2014 season. The Port Arthur, Texas native brought a grittiness and die-hard mentality that this Bobcats team will severely miss; which is why they were able to trade for the rights to acquire Bismack Biyombo with the 33-year old Jackson still proving valuable as a trade chip.

“Well we all know what Stephen brought to the table.” Higgins said. “His positives were that he was tough-minded, he could make a clutch shot, he could put up a lot of points for you, he had leadership qualities and I think the one thing that people don’t see is that he was a very good teammate…

“Scoring those 20 points a game is something we’ve got to figure out.”

On a team like the Bobcats, a player like Jackson immediately turns a 10th or 11th seed in the Eastern Conference into a team that can compete for a playoff spot just because of his take no prisoners attitude and scoring ability. Unfortunately for Jackson, this Bobcats team is finished fighting for seventh or eighth in the East.

It’s time to go back to the drawing board and see if Michael Jordan and co can turn this team into a legitimate contender instead of merely an also-ran in a watered down Eastern Conference.

Barea Heading To Spain?

With an NBA lockout becoming more of an inevitability by the second, one prominent newly crowned NBA Champion says he might have to resort to playing in Spain if the NBA loses a chunk of the upcoming season. The Dallas Mavericks’ pint-sized point guard, J.J. Barea — who will also be an unrestricted free agent come midnight tonight — says he would consider playing internationally if the NBA loses a good chunk of next season to a lockout.

“I guess my plan B would be Spain, but I hope that does not happen,” Barea told ESPN Dallas’ Jeff Caplan.

With NBA Finals’ MVP Dirk Nowitzki also having already stated the he would consider playing in Germany if the owners and NBAPA can’t get this thing resolved, that makes two Dallas’ players who could be taking their talents to the international game instead of pursuing back-to-back NBA Titles.

Even if the lockout is resolved, as I mentioned above, Barea still has the possibility of sporting a different jersey next season. The Mavs’ backup point guard will test the free agent market and has said he would consider playing for the Miami HEAT, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers among others.

{AUTHOR_BOX}It’s uncertain as to whether or not any of those teams has serious interest in Barea, but what is certain is that there aren’t many teams out there that wouldn’t like to have a player that can get into the paint at will. Barea’s ability to slice and dice the defense en route to the rim may not get him a starting job elsewhere but could net him more money on the open market than the Mavericks’ can match.

Working in the Mavericks’ favor is the fact that Barea loves it in Dallas, wants to be apart of a championship-contender and has hinted that he would be willing to give the Mavericks a home town discount if the money is close to another offer.

“Of course he’d like to stay in Dallas,” Barea’s agent Dan Fegan told HoopsHype.com’s Raul Barrigon. “It was a magical season, he has an outstanding relationship with the organization and we’re gonna work hard to see that he has that opportunity.”

Unfortunately for Barea, Dallas and the rest of the NBA; none of these talks can get started until all of this lockout mess has been handled. NBA fans around the world are hoping for a quick resolution.

Pistons Continue Coaching Search

The latest name to be associated with the Detroit Pistons’ coaching vacancy is former Atlanta Hawks’ head coach Mike Woodson. Woodson led Atlanta to the playoffs in his final three seasons at the helm with the team, but was let go after the 2009-2010 season following six seasons with the team in which he compiled a 206-286 record.

Detroit has interviewed multiple candidates over the past few weeks to replace former head coach Jon Kuester; including former Bad Boy Piston Bill Laimbeer, former New York Knicks’ center and current Orlando Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing, Boston Celtics’ assistant Lawrence Frank and Milwaukee Bucks’ assistant Kelvin Sampson.

Woodson coached with Kuester on the 2004 NBA Champion Detroit Pistons as apart of Larry Brown’s staff and sources told The Associated Press that Woodson is scheduled for a second interview at some point today.

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