If there's one guy who was left twisting in the wind this summer after Baron Davis took off for L.A. and Monta Ellis threw his newly $66-million-extended body off a moped, it was Stephen Jackson. Jackson was just as much a part of the free-wheeling Warriors that knocked off the Mavericks in '07 as Davis and Ellis. And while other people have received huge deals and have been the focus of conversations with Don Nelson and Chris Mullin, Jackson has been quiet, only asking occasionally, "Hey, what about me?"
The good news is that some things are turning up S-Jax. On top of all the charity work he's been doing and the likelihood that Jackson will be more prominently featured in the offense, it turns out Jackson had his grill fixed a few weeks ago. The Examiner reports that Jackson had plastic surgery to fix his gap-tooth and all the other damage that was caused by a rather nasty run-in a few years ago that featured "gun-play" and Jackson getting run over by a car.
But now Jackson has a new look to go with a constantly maturing attitude that's always been strong in the locker room but lacked restraint outside of it. Jackson's new and improved proactive disposition has to be music to the ears of a Warriors franchise in desperate need of positive leadership.
