By Greg Pearson
You can see how valuable Cedric Jackson can be on a basketball court just by looking at his hands and the championship rings on his fingers.
The announcement yesterday from the Breakers that they won't be bringing the American back to Auckland was expected but still disappointing. 'Action' Jackson has been popular since he first arrived back in 2011, largely because it usually ended with an NBL title. Jackson is an Australian NBL champ three times over, and came within a game of making it four in four seasons.
(Photosport)
Add to that his two Grand Finals MVP awards and a league MVP gong. He's the only player to score a triple-double in Breakers history, and he's done it three times.
But the biggest sign of how valuable Jackson is was when he wasn't around. After the 2013 championship, Jackson took off for greener pastures in Europe and the Breakers went from champs to a long off-season after missing the playoffs. Jackson's replacement on the roster, Kerron Johnson, was constantly compared to the departed import and didn't measure up.
So how will the Breakers survive in the second post-Jackson era? The good news is the club's back court looks in good shape with Corey Webster and Shea Ili on deck plus the return of Kirk Penney. Yes this is likely to be the swansong of Penney's long career, but if last year's numbers with the Hawks are anything to go by, there's plenty of life left in his 35-year-old legs. Plus the Breakers still have four rosters spots open plus two import slots, meaning there's room to add to an already decent line up.
The bad news is Jackson isn't going that far away. Which NBL team has snared the American's signature is yet to be revealed but regardless of what singlet he pulls on, that team will be a contender, making the Breakers job of getting back to the top just that little bit harder.
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