Here’s the second half of Stephen Jackson’s 20-minute talk with the Bay Area sports journalism community on Monday at the Warriors’ Media Day festivities.

– Geoff

Q: Stephen, given the fact that you are the captain, might you have considered making your feelings known privately before they went public? Or do you have any regret about that?

SJ: I don’t have a regret about anything I’ve done. I don’t have a regret about going into the stands with Ron Artest. I don’t have a regret about anything, because that was the way it was supposed to be handled. It had to come out some way. I mean, I took the fine for it, I paid my penalty for it. $25,000, which I thought was too much. But I paid the penalty for it. So I mean, it is what it is. It was said and done. Oh well.

Q: You don’t think it undermines your leadership role or your commitment to the team or your perception among your teammates?

SJ: No. If you know me, and if anybody that I’ve played with knows me, I say what I want to say when I feel like it, regardless of the consequences. That’s just always been me. And like I said, I’m 31 years old. I pay my own bills, I do everything for myself, so I’m going to speak my mind. If people don’t like it, then handle it how they want to handle it, but I’m going to say what I want to say, regardless of who don’t like it.

Q: Do you feel you’re in a no-win situation, in a way?

SJ: I’m not trying to win, because you can never win against the NBA. I’m not trying to win. I’m not even fighting that battle. That’s a battle that you can’t win. But at the same time, I’m going to be a man about what goes on in my life and how I control my life. No one controls my life. I control my life and what I say. And at the same time, it’s not a battle because you have to respect the NBA. They’re my employers, so I’m not trying to fight against them. You can’t win that. I’m just going to continue to speak my mind.

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We’ll get to the analysis in a little bit, but first, let’s start with the raw data. Here’s the first of a two-part transcription of Stephen Jackson’s jam-packed Media Day session from Monday.

– Geoff

SJ: What’s up, vultures? I’m happy to be alive. Thank God I got another opportunity to play basketball. I’m always happy about that.

Q: Are you happy to be a Warrior?

SJ: Yeah.

Q: Want to talk about when you said you didn’t want to be a Warrior?

SJ: Don’t ask me questions I’ve already answered. I feel the same way I felt last time. Y’all know I got fined, so don’t ask me if you don’t want me to get fined.

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By Geoff Lepper
48minutes.net

I’ve been wondering for a few months now when I should emerge from my hiatus and kick off the 2009-10 season of 48minutes.net.

Stephen Jackson and Monta Ellis made it clear for me on Monday afternoon.

How could one not post about the Warriors’ Media Day truth-telling, where Golden State’s two best players came out and basically trashed the franchise’s biggest moves, both past and future?

Not only did Jackson refuse to back down from his trade demand of last month, but he also lambasted the team for slipping backwards with every move they’ve made since the “We Believe” crew made it to the Western Conference semifinals in 2007. Jackson ticked off the list of departed players from that team — Baron Davis, Jason Richardson, Al Harrington, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus — and admitted at one point that, “It felt like I’m next.”

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