Cavaliers Tab Oregon’s Luke Jackson
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But when the dust settled, the Cavaliers got their man at No. 10, 6-7 small forward Luke Jackson from the University of Oregon. Jackson led the Quack Attack in scoring rebounding and assists last year, averaging 21.2 points, 7.2 boards and 4.5 dimes per contest.
“I saw quite a few games last year. I’m a fan of the team,” Jackson said on Thursday night. “I’ve played with LeBron James before, and I’ve played against him in high school down in Santa Barbara.”
The Cavaliers now have a pair of new faces at the small forward following Wednesday’s trade with the Charlotte Bobcats that brought sophomore swingman Sasha Pavlovic to the North Coast and last night’s selection of the versatile Jackson.
Jackson – who consistently turned in stellar workouts around the league – had been skyrocketing up draft boards for the past couple weeks and teams were scrambling to get into place to pick the lefty. But it was Cleveland that was in the position to get him and Jim Paxson and Paul Silas knew the kid who once scored 28 straight points for the Ducks in the NIT Tourney was too good to pass up.
“He got better each year and he helped that program turn around,” said Paxson. “I think the workouts helped the coaches get a chance to see the player and get a feel for them, physically what they can do, and maybe what they can’t do. It wasn’t just his ability to shoot the ball. We think he’s a good basketball player.”
Jackson is one of only two players in PAC-10 history – along with Arizona’s Sean Elliott – to finish with 1,900 points, 700 rebounds and 400 assists. Another testament to his versatility is that the lithe swingman was the first player in the school’s history to lead Oregon in 10 categories. Along with prolific workouts, his ability to do it all was a major reason that Jackson made his late climb.
“I think teams didn’t realize how athletic I am. I went into these workouts trying to destroy guys, basically, and have a good work ethic. I’m a really competitive guy, and teams saw that. I felt really good about all my workouts and I really think it improved my stock in the draft.”
Jackson is the second “Luke” from Oregon in as many years to join the NBA ranks along with the Sonics Luke Ridenour. The Ducks have also produced Fred Jones, who made some noise this year for Indiana. But Jackson, chosen at No. 10, becomes the highest draft pick since the Washington Bullets took Greg Ballard at No. 4 back in 1977.
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Silas also got a taste of Jackson’s reported competitive drive. “When we first talked he said ‘you know coach I can play’ and I just like hearing that,” smiled Silas. “I saw him in Chicago and told him if we did get him, LeBron was going to have a chance to kick his butt. (Luke) said ‘bring him on.’”
Jackson was Oregon’s first consensus All-American since Ballard in 1977, and the two-time first team All-Pac-10 honoree was named a finalist for the Wooden and Naismith Awards during the 2003-04 season.
The 2004 NBA promised to be full of surprises, but it turned out to be a pretty pedestrian draft after all. The team that changed the complexion of Cleveland’s choice could have been Toronto, who shocked everyone by selecting BYU’s Rafael Araujo at No. 8.
At that point, either Arizona’s Andre Iguodala or Jackson were certain to fall to the Cavaliers, and odds are Paxson and Silas would have been happy with either one. Philly snatched up the equally versatile Iguodala, paving the way for Oregon native’s way to Cleveland.
“I think more than being selected at No. 10, I was just excited about going to Cleveland,” said Jackson. “I felt like that was probably the best fit for me. I just feel like they have a need for a guy at my position and I think it’s important that with guys like LeBron, you surround him with guys who work hard and and have a winning attitude and are team players. That’s what I am.”
