Day 42: The return of Captain Jack

(Illustration courtesy of Art Mobb)

Good news, everyone! Stephen Jackson is back in the NBA! The mercurial (you know, that's a word I've never actually used before, but I'm hearing it all the time now for some strange reason) shooting guard/small forward signed with the Los Angeles Clippers the other day, who are so banged up right now that it's possible he could start appearing in games for them this week.

Jackson, who's 35, was an awesome fantasy player from 2003 (when he was a Spur) all the way to his last year with the Bobcats in 2011. His peak years came in Golden State, where he put superstar-esque numbers for three seasons. His best year came in 2009, when Don Nelson decided to play him a ludicrous 39.6 minutes a game. That year, Jackson averaged 20.7 points, 6.5 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.7 three's, 1.5 steals and shot 82.6% from the foul line. So yeah, he was a statistical beast back in the day.

Today, though, Jackson is firmly entrenched as a role player, and it's doubtful he'll do more than provide depth to the Clippers bench. In fact, he may very well never see the court when J.J. Redick returns from his injury. Still, it's always neat to see a player like Jackson who we've all kind of written off having a role again in the NBA. It'll be awkward to see his name on the waiver wire, and even more awkward to not have any interest in wanting to pick him up, but hey, at least he's out there again.

So there you go. Stephen Jackson, back in the NBA. And can you believe I made it three paragraphs without mentioning his role in the Malice at the Palace fiasco? Well, let's not talk about that. Instead, let's focus on what his former team -- the Golden State Warriors -- were up to the other night.

• Stephen Curry was a shot monster on Monday, hoisting up 32 attempts and finishing with 43 points, 5 three's, 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. Sure, the 14-32 shooting is nothing to be thrilled about, but it really doesn't matter when the rest of those stats are remarkably good.
• Andre Iguodala missed yet another game for the Dubs and is still without a timetable to return. He's taking jumpers before games, but he's yet to practice, which means he still isn't close to returning to the court. Iggy was having an awesome season prior to suffering a hamstring injury, but the uncertainty of his return has to be irritating to his owners.
• Ben Gordon had his best game of the year on Monday, which isn't saying a lot because he only scored 12 points in 14 minutes for Charlotte. Gordon was only a passable fantasy option last year for the 'Cats, and now that the team has Al Jefferson around and now that he's coming off an injury, there's little reason to pay much attention to Gordon anymore. Which is a shame, because he was an awesome player back when he was in Chicago.
• DeAndre Jordan was awesome in Philly yesterday, posting 11 points and 21 rebounds in 39 minutes. Jordan may not be capable of lighting up the scoreboard like Dwight Howard or Andre Drummond, but he can pull down boards and block shots with the best of them. There are only a handful of better fantasy options at center in the NBA.
• Tony Wroten was solid but not great in his start for the Sixers, going for 9 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. He shot 2-12, but that's largely attributable to playing against Chris Paul (who went for 25-15-and-3 yesterday). Wroten has played so well in Michael Carter-Williams' absence that it's conceivable he could have a larger role with the team when MCW returns on Wednesday. Wroten isn't a bad pick-up at all, considering how high his ceiling is if something serious were to ever happen to MCW.
• Trevor Booker got the start for the Wizards in place of the perennially-injured Nene and produced 12 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks in 33 minutes. Booker makes for a terrific play whenever Nene is out, and given that Nene is dealing with a nagging Achilles injury, it's possible Booker could be quite useful this week. If you need rebounds and blocks, he's looking like a solid short-term solution.
• With Nik Vucevic out with an ankle injury, Andrew Nicholson was able to start for Orlando and put up 19 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks in 37 minutes. At the moment, both Tobias Harris and Vucevic are out, so Nicholson has a brief moment to shine statistically. Though, much like Booker's value, his rise is likely to be very fleeting.
• Dirk Nowitzki had 18 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks for the Mavs on Monday. I need to apologize to No. 41, because I anticipated him having a weak year now that he has to fend off Monta Ellis to get the ball. In fact, it's been the opposite effect. Monta takes away double-teams from Dirk, who's responded by having one of his best statistical seasons in years. Well done, Dirk. Sorry I ever doubted you!
• Derrick Williams got the start for the Kings and had the best game of his young career: 31 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals and 3 three's. Williams is a decent player when there's space between him and the basket, though he's not exactly great at creating his own shot. The big obstacle for him is that he'll be sent to the bench now that Rudy Gay is coming onboard, and that's going to crater whatever value he has. There's a report that the Kings are trying to deal Jason Thompson, and such a move would indeed free up Williams to start at power forward. But until that happens, Williams isn't the best fantasy add out there.
• Super late posting today, guys! My bad!