March 20, 2008

Hornets.com caught up with Houston guard Bobby Jackson, who was traded to the Rockets by New Orleans at the Feb. 21 trading deadline:

Hornets.com: How does it feel coming back to the New Orleans Arena and suiting up as a Rocket rather than a Hornet?
Jackson: It hasn’t really sunk it yet, but I am on a great team right now and things happen for a reason and I feel like this is a great situation for me. I am on a great team with a bunch of great guys and we are just trying to come out and make a playoff push and come out and play the best basketball as possible.

Hornets.com: Is it strange coming back to play in this building?
Jackson: I wouldn’t say it’s strange. I didn’t get to play here the first time they played here, actually the day after the trade and I really wanted to play in that game. But it’s not strange. I think it’s more fun to come back and see people and play against my old teammates and come in here and play extremely well and try to get a win.

Hornets.com: The NBA is a business first, but how do you deal with a situation like moving away from friends, moving your wife and kids and all the things that come into play when dealing with a trade?
Jackson: It’s the NBA, you’ve just got to deal with it. You’ve got to be strong. Sometimes you meet guys that you form a great bond with, and for the most part I formed great bonds with a lot of my teammates I played with and that is always going to be there. But the hardest part is uprooting your family and moving, that’s the hard part. But you know, that’s what we live for and that’s what we want (playing in the NBA) and I wouldn’t ask for anything else.

Hornets.com: When you were traded, you were placed into and contributed to a historical winning streak, what was that experience like?
Jackson: It’s unbelievable man. Only two teams have won over 20 games in a row, and we are a part of it, a part of NBA history. You know it’s always going to be a trivia question and something that people are always going to ask, ‘who’s the other team that won over 20 games?’ It was fantastic during that run, and now we’ve got to try to start another one tonight.

Hornets.com: What’s it like getting to play for your old coach Rick Adelman again who you spent many years with in Sacramento?
Jackson: It’s great man. I know what he expects out of me and that made my transition here smoother, but the guys in this locker room made my transition a little smoother too. Not having to come in and do much and just come in and be me. Now I am starting to find myself, they are starting to rely on me a little more and I am being a little more assertive and a little bit more aggressive and bring that energy that I did when I was here.

Hornets.com: Lastly, how are your wife and kids handling the move and the trade?
Jackson: Everybody’s doing well, you know. My wife is busy today, she’s moving and she’s kind of stressing out because she’s packing up everything today, but you know, somebody has to do it and she’s got to be the one to do it.