BRANDAN WRIGHT one of the fastest rising stars in the basketball scene.
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Jackson's value surprises even Nellie
Jackson's value surprises even Nellie Everyone knew Stephen Jackson was a good player, but not even Coach Don Nelson thought Jackson could mean this much to the Warriors. Heading into Wednesday, the Warriors were 15-6 since Jackson returned from a seven-game suspension to start the season. "I didn't think any one man would make that big of a difference," Nelson said Wednesday. "What he's done is gotten the rest of the guys to play at a higher level. It's not just him, it's his leadership." Jackson is averaging 21.1 points per game. His previous high was 18.7 in 2004-05 with Indiana. • When the Warriors traded Jason Richardson to Charlotte on draft day for No. 8 pick Brandan Wright, there was an expectation that Brandan Wright would be asked to contribute immediately. But Brandan Wright has played only 77 minutes in 28 games and is shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 50 percent from the free-throw line. He has given the Warriors a boost on the boards with 24 rebounds, an average of one for just over every three minutes of play, or about 15 per 48 minutes. • Nelson said he already has called Scott Skiles, who was fired Tuesday as coach of the Chicago Bulls. The two go back to 1986 when Nelson, then in Milwaukee, used the 22nd pick to take the troubled Michigan State guard. Skiles had drug and alcohol problems in college, but he played 10 seasons in the NBA and still holds record for assists in a game with 30. "I drafted him; he was in jail," Nelson recalled. "I asked him what kind of shape he was in. He said, 'I can't do much running where I'm at, but I've been doing a lot of push-ups."' • Warriors guard Monta Ellis and assistant Stephen Silas, in conjunction with Kaiser Permanente, were to meet with an Oakland family after Wednesday's game to give gifts. "I adopted a family for Christmas," Ellis said.
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