Stephen Jackson wants to come back to the Nets.
Yeah, and everyone we know wants a winning lottery ticket.
Jackson, 23, was the Nets’ summer league/training camp rookie find last year. He wowed them with his shot and his potential. He only needed some experience, some work habits and a chance.
The Nets gave him a chance. There likely will not be another after a season of repeated turnovers and bad decisions.
“I want to be here, and if they want me, I want to give the Nets the first opportunity because they gave me a chance to get my foot in the door,” said Jackson, who has drawn some interest around the league because of his outside shooting which some project as a weapon against the impending flood of zone defenses.
There could be calls from teams such as the Spurs, who were intrigued by Jackson last season and who always seek perimeter strength in support of their Twin Towers, and from the Wizards, who have an interest in his athleticism.
But with the Nets, it doesn’t look as if it will be Jackson’s decision. The Nets obtained Richard Jefferson in a draft-night trade and, like Jackson, he’s a swingman position guy. Kerry Kittles should eat up additional minutes at shooting guard.
Coach Byron Scott was impressed by Jackson when this hungry, rags-to-riches story plopped on the Nets’ doorstep. Jackson had committed to Arizona but never attended due to academic woes.
He entered the draft and went to Phoenix in the second round in 1997. He was cut by the Suns and bounced around, earning a living in the CBA and hoops hotbeds such as the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
After more summer leagues and training camps, he got his chance with the Nets. With the Nets ravaged by injuries, Jackson began the season as a starter. But the same mistakes over and over eventually popped Scott’s patience.
“I think [mistakes] frustrated Byron, but I’m a young player who’s learning,” said Jackson, who earned $523,500 last season. “As the season went along, he felt he needed more veterans.”
So Jackson holds on to hope the Nets will call while admitting, “I haven’t heard anything.”
“Whatever happens, happens. New Jersey is my first preference, but if it doesn’t happen, I’ll keep my faith in God that it works out for the best.”
