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TrentTuckerFan
Posts: 20039
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Joined: 2/7/2007
Member: #1295
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This was from HOOPSWORLD last week. Thought it brought up some valid points. Also, in 2005-2006 Crawford was getting to the basket more often, but last season he started settling for jumpers again = "Last season, he averaged 5.5 three-point attempts versus only 4.6 free-throws attempts per game."
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=5721
No More Free Passes For Crawford
By: Tommy Beer Last Updated: 10/19/07
Jamal Crawford came to camp with confidence oozing out of him. At Media Day, he took offense to being asked if he would be a starter and then proceeded to make a number of bold statements and confident declarations.
"I don't know why I wouldn't be (the starter)," Crawford told the New York Post. "I've done everything that's been asked. I went back and forth, starting, coming off the bench.
"It's time to go to a new level of my career. Starting shouldn't even be a question," Crawford continued. "Did Kobe Bryant get traded here? No disrespect to my teammates, but is Dwyane Wade coming? I don't see anybody else."
Now the question is whether Jamal can walk the walk.
Since touching down in New York, Crawford has been a favorite among Knicks fans as well as the press corps. This is not an easy feat to accomplish, but it seems to come naturally to Jamal. He is intelligent and engaging when speaking with the media and is one of the few players who frequently and casually chat with reporters in the locker room before games. And his dynamic and flashy style of play has endeared himself to the Garden faithful, despite the flaws in his game and his hefty contract. All things considered, the guy is very easy to root for.
And the almost 20 pounds of muscle he has packed on this summer shows he has clearly dedicated himself and his commitment seems genuine.
However, facts are facts and some are harder to ignore than others. The 2007-08 season will be Crawford's 8th in the league and his career has been littered with losses. Maybe he should have incorporated this lifting program years ago. The only thing Crawford has proven over the past seven years is that he is fantastically inconsistent. I use the adjective fantastic because it has been amazing at times (i.e. multiple 50 point performances). However, these outbursts, as well as his defense and court vision, have been sporadic at best.
Jamal is now 27 years old, an age many professional athletes reach their athletic prime. In the past, Crawford's shortcomings seem to have been excused and glossed over. While other Knickerbockers, such as Stephon Marbury, Allan Houston, and Eddy Curry have all taken substantial heat from the fans and the media, Crawford has remained relatively untouched. Maybe the time has come increase the expectation level? He is not a kid anymore.
Consider this, in Jamal's seven NBA seasons, his teams have averaged an astoundingly low 25 wins per year. Those are seven 82-game seasons and Jamal's teams, admittedly with poor supporting casts, have averaged 25 wins! (In fact, last season's 33-win debacle actually tied his high-water mark for a single season). Crawford has played 452 career regular season games and has yet to even sniff the playoffs. Maybe this is the reason for Crawford's summertime makeover. Could it be that he is fed up with all the losing? He is certainly capable and has proven that playing on the big stage in New York does not rattle him.
Everyone talks a good game in early October. Can he back it up with a commitment to defense, fewer forced jumpers and a willingness to share the ball when the season tips off next month? It is time for him to show the league that he's a legit starting two-guard on both ends of the floor - night in, night out. If he doesn't make it happen this year, he'll be offending Knick fans at next year's Media Day if he thinks he will again be the team's starting two-guard.
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10/23/2007 12:41 PM
