Over the first 2 1/2 months of 2006-07, Marc Jackson’s season has been greatly impacted by health. After missing the first three weeks of the regular season due to injuries to both hamstrings, he moved from the second unit to the Hornets’ starting lineup when David West and Peja Stojakovic were forced to the sidelines.

Since returning to action on Nov. 18, the Temple University product and Philadelphia native readily admits that he has not played up to his own standards. Jackson has struggled to find his shooting touch, entering Friday’s game against Washington at 40.5 percent from the field, his lowest rate since the 2001-02 campaign. He was averaging 9.4 points and 3.6 rebounds.

Still, Jackson serves an important role in Byron Scott’s frontcourt rotation. In Friday’s game, the Hornets did not use a center or power forward off the bench, leading to Jackson playing 31 minutes and scoring 11 points (the sixth time in the past eight games that the 31-year-old has posted double digits). Scott also frequently credits Jackson for his vocal leadership and veteran presence on a relatively young team.

Hornets.com’s Jim Eichenhofer chatted with Jackson in the Hornets’ locker room following the 104-97 victory over the Washington Wizards on ESPN. The 6-foot-10, seven-year veteran gave an evaluation of his play this season and discussed several other interesting topics.

Jackson

Eichenhofer: After sustaining a hamstring injury that kept you out of the first nine games, how do you feel physically? Would you say you are back to 100 percent?
Jackson: No. I’m not 100 percent yet. A few things resulted from the hamstring injury, because I tore both hamstrings. I tore one hamstring, then I came back and tore the other one. It was a freak accident. That affected my groin, and I kind of tweaked my groin. So I’m still not 100 percent. I still have scar tissue in one hammy, but it’s slowly going away.

Eichenhofer: Byron Scott said in early December that you told him you were disappointed with the way you were playing. Are you more satisfied now and do you feel like you’ve played closer to your own personal expectations?
Jackson: No. I’m going to be perfectly honest with you – no, I’m not (satisfied). I came into the season with a new focus. I’m a player like Charles Barkley, who always found something new to get himself going every season. This season, my newborn son was a big incentive for me.
But Coach Scott also gave me an extra incentive when he said something about me to the fans in New Orleans (during training camp). So I don’t want to just want to have a great season for myself. I want to have a great season for Coach Scott. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Because he’s a great man, a great coach, and I’m really happy playing for him.

Eichenhofer: So what was it that Scott said to the fans about you?
Jackson: When we had the fans come to our (open) practice in New Orleans, (Scott) introduced each of the players (individually) and we all stood up. When he came to me, he said, ‘This gentleman is a veteran who we really need, and we are looking for big things out of him.’
When Coach said that… I haven’t had a coach say anything like that about me since I played for Jim O’Brien in Philadelphia (in 2004-05). That let me know that I wasn’t just another guy on the team. I was someone he really wanted on his team. That made me feel really good. I just hope we can turn this season around, just for Coach, because he really deserves it.

Eichenhofer: Chris Paul has mentioned that you call yourself ‘The March of Dimes’ due to your passing ability…
Jackson: Yeah, ‘The March of Dimes.’ Because I am a heck of a passer. [laughs] And I give plenty of donations!

Eichenhofer: Do you have a favorite pass from this season?
Jackson: I don’t remember who we were playing, but we were on a fast break and I ran down to the post. Jannero (Pargo) threw me the ball down low and I knew Cedric Simmons was (trailing the play). I flipped the ball over my shoulder to Cedric for a dunk. That was my best pass so far this season, and Ced finished it off with a great dunk.

Eichenhofer: Someone pointed out to me that you wore a headband for the first time this season in the Chicago game when Ben Wallace was in town Dec. 1. That Hornets-Bulls game was only a few days after Wallace and Scott Skiles had their well-publicized controversy over Wallace breaking a team rule by wearing a headband. Was that a coincidence that you picked that game to break out a headband?
Jackson: You know, that was actually a complete coincidence. I didn’t even realize what was going on until (Chicago guard) Ben Gordon came up to me and said something about it. Some of (the Bulls’ players) were like, ‘Are you trying to make our coach mad?’ Then they told me what was going on, and I didn’t even know about it. I thought that was so funny.
It was really, really ironic. And I hope that Coach Skiles didn’t think I was doing it to be a jerk. I hope after that game he didn’t say, ‘You know? That Jackson is really a jerk!’ [laughs]

Eichenhofer: How do you decide which games to wear a headband?
Jackson: I wear one every game now, ever since that game. I normally try to change something up during the season, whether it’s going to high socks or a headband. I picked the headbands this year.

Eichenhofer: Have you ever had a coach who banned headbands, wristbands or any other accessory?
Jackson: Yes. In college. When I played for Coach (John) Chaney at Temple, we couldn’t have tattoos. We couldn’t have braids, and we couldn’t wear a headband. But you know what? As soon as I left there, he started letting his players do all of that stuff! [laughs]

Eichenhofer: You told me in preseason that people call you ‘The Producer,’ because when you get playing time, you produce. Do you feel like you’ve done that this season?
Jackson: No. It all started this summer, about a month before camp. I was having a great workout, but then I tore my hamstring. I had to take off a whole month before camp due to tearing my hamstring. Then four days into camp, I tear the other hamstring. I’m not 100 percent, but I’m hoping by the end of this month, I will be 100 percent. I’m doing everything I can right now to get there.

Eichenhofer: This victory over Washington was the second straight win for the Hornets, the first time the team has had back-to-back wins since the key injuries began in November. What is your opinion of the way the team has played in the last week, which also included defeats to the Pacers and Clippers when the outcome wasn’t decided until the fourth quarter?
Jackson: Everybody is picking it up right now and getting the job done. That’s what you need. We just need wins. The W’s are what count. We’ve just got to keep getting them.