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Court Report: The Skinny on S-Jax

Here is your major news of the day, with the lead story of course being that the Warriors were able to find a taker for Stephen Jackson(notes) (and everything that comes with him).

• Desperate times call for desperate measures, at least that has to be the line of thinking for the Bobcats, who have dealt Raja Bell(notes) and Vladimir Radmanovic(notes) for Stephen Jackson and Acie Law(notes). When you consider who is comfortably at the bottom of this list, it makes the move seem a bit less outlandish from a big picture perspective. Think about it – the Bobcats have averaged almost a dozen points less than the seventh-worst scoring team in the league, and over 29 points less than the league-leading Warriors! It may sound counter-intuitive, but Jackson should help them improve their league-worst shooting percentage (39%). His own number won't be much above that mark, but starters like Gerald Wallace(notes) (35%), Boris Diaw(notes) (45%), and Raymond Felton(notes) (36%) all will benefit from the added offensive threat from an efficiency standpoint, although Jackson's presence cuts into their offensive volume. Considering how anemic the offense has been to this point, I'm inclined to view this as a positive for at least Wallace and Diaw. On the downside, Felton will lose at least some of his distribution responsibilities, and D.J. Augustin's(notes) role becomes even more limited. The proverbial "big if": if Jackson can play at least somewhat within himself, then he could actually help this team.

Of course, we're handing out universal upgrades in Oakland, although the usual qualifier about specifics applies (as in, good luck prognosticating Nellie's whims). Everyone should be "feeling" better with Jackson out of the picture, and his usage will be spread throughout the team. Monta Ellis(notes) becomes the true offensive alpha dog and is looking at a real opportunity to excel. Bell figures to join the starting five here in very short order and, as a career 41-percent shooter from long-range, should find plenty of success in the Warriors free-flowing system. If you need threes, go get him now. Anthony Morrow(notes), Corey Maggette(notes), and Stephen Curry(notes) will see more time and usage as a result of the trade and Kelenna Azubuike's(notes) injury. And Radmanovic, who is of little use in most scenarios, could actually emerge as a Nellie favorite, since he's tall (6-foot-10) and can knock down a three (career 38%). He should at least get a chance to show something in the short-term, as the team is still without Andris Biedrins(notes) and Ronny Turiaf(notes). Deep-leaguers will want to use a speculative add here, in the event that the shots fall early for VladRad and he finds himself in Nellie's good graces. Anthony Randolph(notes) owners should continue to have no expectations of consistency.

• A team source has confirmed that Chris Paul's(notes) ankle has no structural damage, and we're expected to have more details about his recovery and a projected timeframe sometime on Monday.

Kobe Bryant(notes) aggravated a groin injury Sunday, an injury originally suffered on Nov. 8. Although he says that he won't miss any time, it's worth noting and monitoring.

• The ink is still drying on Jamaal Tinsley's(notes) contract, and the Grizzlies have told Allen Iverson(notes) that they want word of his future "within a couple of days." Reports are that Iverson has had no contact with the team since he left 10 days ago to deal with a personal matter, and an anonymous source – allegedly close to Iverson – said it's doubtful that he will return to Memphis. For Mike Conley(notes) owners, Tinsley's presence is disconcerting, although certainly less so than having AI around.

• Perhaps Shaquille O'Neal's(notes) absence on Saturday was a bit more than precautionary, after all. He's considered doubtful for Tuesday's game against Golden State, although the matchup and that it's the first game of two sets of back-to-backs lends itself to sitting the big guy, anyway.

Kevin Love(notes) is scheduled to be re-evaluated on Friday. He'll have his hand X-rayed, and an updated timetable should come shortly thereafter.

Note: Early baseball planning is dominating the day, but the NBA Skinny will return next Monday in it's usual time and place. For a litany of pickup options and more status updates, see the Week 4 Dashboard.