Former Oregon forward Luke Jackson stopped by the men’s basketball practice last Wednesday. He participated in practice in an effort to stay fit for a possible return to the NBA.
“I’m just trying to stay in shape and keep my wind,” Jackson said.
His last NBA stint with the Boston Celtics ended when the Celtics waived him on Thursday, Oct. 26.
“I like Boston. I was a huge fan of Larry Bird and I like Danny Ainge. He’s from Eugene,” Jackson said. “But it just didn’t work out there because they didn’t have any bigs and needed to sign (Michael) Olowokandi because Theo Ratliff was hurt.”
Jackson spent two injury plagued seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, never playing more than 36 games. He averaged 2.7 points and 1.1 rebounds in his last season there in 2005-06.
After the season, Jackson talked to general manager Danny Ferry and expressed his desire to leave the team that had drafted him with the 10th pick of the 2004 NBA Draft. Ferry complied and traded Jackson to Boston for Dwayne Jones and cash considerations.
As a free agent, Jackson returned to Eugene, where he gained his fame. Oregon’s current team gave Jackson a chance to hone his basketball skills and stay in shape.
“You need to play against somebody,” Jackson said. “I try to lift and workout but you need to be out on the floor and running a little bit so I try to get in a good workout with them.”
His current status is somewhat ironic, considering Jackson feels healthy and ready to play. The last two years he’s had a team with Cleveland and spent a large amount of time on the injured list.
“I feel really good,” Jackson said. “I’m ready to go. This is the best I’ve felt since I was drafted and it’s a shame because I haven’t really got a chance to play yet, but I feel great.”