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Mark Jackson Just Can't Let It GO

dipship31 said:
Link to article? Can't find it on the front page.
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Here, for example:

https://www.deseretnews.com/article...s-stir-with-comments-about-John-Stockton.html

By Jody Genessy, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY — Mark Jackson rankled some Utah Jazz fans on Monday when word started to spread on Twitter about a backhanded compliment he gave John Stockton.

NBA.com writer David Aldridge explored some of the all-time best backcourt combos to evaluate whether or not Golden State's coach was correct in calling Splash Brothers Steph Curry and Klay Thompson “the best-shooting backcourt tandem in the history of the game.”

Aldridge listed multiple top-tier shooting backcourts: Portland’s Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter; Mo Cheeks and Andrew Toney of the Sixers; Oscar Robertson and Jon McGlocklin of the Royals/Bucks; Vern Fleming and Reggie Miller of the Pacers; Mark Price and Craig Ehlo of the Cavs; Jerry West and Gail Goodrich of the Lakers; and, of course, Stockton and Jeff Hornacek of the Jazz.

The case for and against those duos was made in the interesting article, but Jackson, a teammate of Stockton's in 2002-03, insisted it’s a moot point.

"Whatever you want to rank 'shooting,' my two guys are the greatest shooting, jump-shooting tandem, that this league has ever seen," Jackson told NBA.com. "And that's not even close. And I'm not guessing. I've watched all the greats, and it's with all due respect."

Turns out, Jackson had more respect for Hornacek’s shooting than Stockton’s.

"Hornacek -- great shooter. John Stockton -- good to very good shooter. Not a great shooter,” Jackson said. “Don't get me wrong. He was an all-time great player. But John Stockton would not be considered a great shooter."

Here’s how the four players stack up in some basic shooting statistics:

Thompson (three years): 43.6 percent from the field; 40.9 percent from 3-point range; 83.1 percent on free throws.

Curry (five years): 46.2 percent from the field; 44.0 percent from 3-point range; 89.5 percent on free throws.

Stockton (19 years): 51.5 percent from the field; 38.4 percent from 3-point range; 82.6 percent on free throws.

Hornacek (14 years): 49.6 percent from the field; 40.3 percent from 3-point range; 87.7 percent on free throws.

Just for fun comparison’s sake, check out the effective field goal percentage from basketball-reference.com:

Stockton, Jackson’s version of a “good to very good shooter,” had a stellar eFG percentage of .546 over nearly two decades. Incidentally, that is the same mark the sweet-shooting Curry has had since entering the league in 2010.

Hornacek tallied a .530 eFG percentage compared to .523 for Thompson in his third year.

“Steph can pull up off the dribble, in traffic. They're two of the better guys we've seen at those positions,” Hornacek recently told Aldridge. “But John and I could shoot it a little, too.”
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Stockton was a great shooter. He had an unorthodox shot and shooting was not his primary responsibility, but he was a great shooter. If Stockton wanted to score 20ppg he could have easily. Mark Jackson is a hype machine and couldn't shoot the ball at all, so I don't hold too much stock in his Stockton comments.
 
Bigby Wolf said:
I understand someone putting Stockton up there but I wouldn't. He never really shot enough for me. Jose Calderon is a guy who reminds me of him when it comes to shooting now. A guy who you think could maybe be a great shooter but never really shoots enough to know.
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Not enough shots? John Stockton took 13,658 shots in his career (19 seasons), Steve Nash took 12,844 shots (18 seasons). If you take nearly 14,000 shots in your career and hit 52% of those shots, I don't care how you spin it...you are a great shooter.
 
To me, "great shooter" just comes secondary to best ever distributor. Moot point.
 
I am only 23 so I never saw him play in his prime but I have seen plenty of games since he retired to have an opinion.
 
Bigby Wolf said:
Ya maybe you guys are right. When I think of Stockton I just never really think "one of the greatest shooters ever". Looking at the numbers though I guess I should start thinking that.

Random question though. Was Stockton ever criticized for not shooting enough in the same way Mavs fans criticize Calderon? Stockton only took 1.5 threes per game and I realize the game has changed but that still seems a bit low for such a great shooter.
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Yes. I would take it further by saying I'd rather have Stockton shooting in clutch than Malone. Malone often stank when the game mattered most.
 
Thanks for the link Colton. I just got it off of Hoopshype so I just copied and pasted.
 
This thread inspired me to change my signature line.

And some links.
The wife...
https://bleacherreport.com/articles...onal-anthem-before-golden-state-warriors-game

And the stripper...
https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/...-stripper-naked-photos-feds-article-1.1104142

And some stats...

Mark Jackson's career was hi-lighted by his single and only appearance in an all star game. In 1989 he had four assists in 16 minutes off the bench. The east lost by 9. Stockton had 17 assists for the west, the west won.

Did you New York traded him away. Twice.

Denver nuggets acquired him by trade twice, and promptly waived him before the season started on his second go around with them.
 
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When Stockton was first drafted, he couldn't shoot a lick. He was never a pure shooter, but he became very efficient with a learned jump shot. He worked hard to be a good shooter. Oh yea, Mark Jackson is an idiot.
 
mellow said:
This thread inspired me to change my signature line.

And some links.
The wife...
https://bleacherreport.com/articles...onal-anthem-before-golden-state-warriors-game

And the stripper...
https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/...-stripper-naked-photos-feds-article-1.1104142

And some stats...

Mark Jackson's career was hi-lighted by his single and only appearance in an all star game. In 1989 he had four assists in 16 minutes off the bench. The east lost by 9. Stockton had 17 assists for the west, the west won.

Did you New York traded him away. Twice.

Denver nuggets acquired him by trade twice, and promptly waived him before the season started on his second go around with them.
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Good info. The guy sounds really sleazy...like Don King level sleazy.
 
Could you imagine what Stockton could do in today's game, with no hand checking and no defense? He would have made Nash look pedestrian. It wouldn't surprise me if Malone and Stockton played today, Stock would average 18 assists a game. Or his assists would be around the same (10-12) and his scoring would be in the low 20's.
 
green said:
Could you imagine what Stockton could do in today's game, with no hand checking and no defense? He would have made Nash look pedestrian. It wouldn't surprise me if Malone and Stockton played today, Stock would average 18 assists a game. Or his assists would be around the same (10-12) and his scoring would be in the low 20's.
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That no hand checking thing would work both ways. Just sayin.

But it is fun to imagine Stockton running Deron Williams into a Karl Malone screen....I can almost see the grimace on Derons face as he shakes his wrist and limps down the floor screaming at the ref.....

Or how about Stockton setting one of those base line back screens on Anthony Davis who responds by breaking in half.

I miss the old nba where teams and players had distinct personalities. The animosity between players made the competition better. Now the only drama the nba can drum up is trade speculation and draft anxiety. Yawn.
 
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