In Brown's dog house? Jamal Crawford and Maurice Taylor speak out.
By Alex Labidou
Oct 5, 2005, 10:00

http://www.hoopsworld.com/printer_14443.shtml

All throughout the Knicks off-season, Jamal Crawford and Maurice Taylor have walked around with giant bull-eyes on their chests. With the hiring of Larry Brown as the Knicks head coach, a return to the style that the Knicks were famous for during the Riley and Van Gundy days is expected. All three coaches have an emphasis on maximizing each possession and finding "smart" shots. With that being said, at times both Maurice Taylor and Jamal Crawford were criticized last season by both coaches and the media for their shot selection and unwillingness to spread the offense. However at the Knick's media day event, both Jamal Crawford and Maurice Taylor spoke about their willingness to adapt to Brown's system.

When asked about what the transition from last season disappointing record to this year, Knicks forward Maurice Taylor responded, "We have a lot of talent, a lot of young guys. We have a great coach...probably the best coach out there. So I think there is a lot of optimism this year. I think last year is still in the back of a lot of people's minds. We're still embarrassed about what happened (in terms of wins and loses). " Taylor continued to elaborate about the difficult transition from being traded from a rising team in Houston to a lottery bound team in New York. "It's always hard being traded...I was in Houston for five and a half years so I had roots there. Off the court, I think it was harder than dealing with it on the court. You go from being on a team like Houston which was basically on its way to the Playoffs and you come here where we struggled this season." Maurice also talked about how being on the Knicks for essentially six weeks didn't allow him to establish his game like he had in Houston. However as mentioned before, Maurice is definitely excited about the talent that is on the Knicks. "I think that here (New York), we're kind of in the same situation that I was in when signing with Houston. Its the same (type of) team, we were a team with a lot of talent that was right on the brink of making the playoffs but it never happened till the last couple of years (with the changes making to the Rockets' coaching staff)."

Similar to the recent acquisition of Eddy Curry, the Knicks made a huge splash signing Jamal Crawford last season. The expectations were for Jamal were extremely high as his impressive performances in the pre-season were impressive; many were proclaiming him as a future All-Star. To a certain extent, the initial praise was warranted. He proved to be better than advertised from the arc and had a couple of impressive performances which included some game winning shots and a 41 point performance against Charlotte. However his shot selection was questioned as he took up to seven threes a game and his defense was between porous and non-existent. Willing to put last season's inconsistent performance behind him, Jamal Crawford reflected about last year's disappointing record and optimistically about this upcoming season. "I was very excited (to come to New York), coming to a team with great veterans and a Hall of Fame coach in coach Wilkens. You know playing with Stephon, Allan and Penny...Hey we started out good. We were first in our division, Chicago's 0-9....Hey we're in it for the long haul. We made some key acquisitions this year. We've obviously got the talent this year."

Asked about whether or not he regretted leaving Chicago especially considering the Bulls resurgence, Jamal said, "Not once, never have because I knew that it wasn't going to be something that could be changed overnight." When the Eddy Curry move was still a rumor, Jamal spoke glowingly about his good friend arriving in NY despite losing some teammates in the trade. "I've played with Eddy for 3 years, so I am a little biased but he's a great big man." When the deal was finalized last night, Jamal Crawford had this to say to the Chicago Sun. " "With the deals he has done this summer, Isiah's the front-runner for Executive of the Year in my opinion,'' Crawford said. ''He brought in one of the best coaches of all time [in Larry Brown], who does nothing but win. He brought in a talented center in Jerome James, and now he brings in Eddy, one of the best centers in the game. And Antonio Davis is a tremendous leader and talented forward."

Even before the trade to acquire Eddy Curry, the Knicks had a lot to be optimistic about going into this season. Even if Brown's plans for his offense seem a bit vague, especially since other than Marbury no one of the team knows their role starting or not. Both Jamal and Maurice, despite not knowing there roles yet, are very optimistic about Larry Brown's game plan; something that many experts had predicted otherwise. Maurice Taylor spoke about how he is looking forward to being a part of turning things around.

"You know playing for six weeks in New York, I didn't have full experience as others did (playing the entire season on the Knicks) but last season left a nasty taste in our mouth. So we definitely keep that in the back of our minds because we don't want to have the feeling that we had at the end of the season." Contemplating his role on the Knicks this season under Brown's system, Taylor said " He (Larry Brown) just wants me to play my game. He knows my strengths, he knows my weaknesses, he knows what he has to get out of me and what I can bring to the table. That's what I am focusing on, I am focusing on doing the things I am capable of to make this team better." Neither Jamal Crawford nor Maurice Taylor knew for certain whether or not Brown would place them on the starting lineup, however both believe they can make an impact no matter what role Brown gives them. Trying to give a glimpse into this upcoming season, Maurice continued to talk about his possible role on the Knicks. "Obviously everyone wants to start. I see myself going into camp and competing for a job. You know I've had two of my best years in the league as a sixth man, had some of my best years as a starter so I think I can fulfill any role. "

Unable to specifically elaborate what his role would be this season after starting all of last season, Jamal Crawford shared his teammates optimism about whatever role Brown decides for him. While Crawford and Brown haven't any specific conversations about his role this season, Jamal talked about the versatility that the Knicks have no matter what lineup Brown decides to use. "We're so deep in every position. Whoever starts, when you go to the bench you don't lose anything. There wouldn't be a drop off or anything because everyone is talented." He continued talking about the Knicks talent by analyzing the Knicks' new additions in Quentin Richardson, Channing Frye, Jerome James, Nate Robinson and David Lee. "I think David Lee is very underrated, I think our fans are going to love him because he plays so hard and is energetic. I think Channing Frye is a great low post presence, he can shoot out there or bang with the big guys. Then you got a guy like Jerome James, whose a huge body to rebound and he takes up so much space out there. Then you got Q Richardson who is a low post threat. He's going to go back to banging it like he did before arriving at Phoenix. Plus he can take it out and shoot. Then you got Nate Robinson who just brings excitement and he plays so hard. So I think all additions are really good (for the Knicks)." Finally when asked if he agreed with the criticisms that many are saying about his supposed inability to mesh with Brown, Jamal Crawford spoke out. " I am just going to try to play as hard as I can when I am out there. Of course I am going to make mistakes: I am human but I think I am going to try to bring the effort, try to keep guys competing. You know coach Brown and I hit it off great (in their conversations) and I see a great connection between us."

Ultimately the Knicks will be a very interesting team to watch this season. Despite taking a lot of criticism for almost all of his moves, Isiah Thomas has put together a team that features both young and veteran talent, perimeter and interior scoring along with Hall of Fame coaching. Not many GMs in this league can boost that in their resumes. Getting everyone on the same page will be difficult at times for Larry Brown. However if Jamal Crawford and Maurice Taylor are genuine towards being willing to accept whatever role Larry Brown gives them: they might earn Brown's respect and display what being model teammates are all about. That would go a long in way in proving the so called experts wrong.

The title of the article had me a little concerned, but after reading it, I'm encouraged that both have the right frame of mind to adapt to Brown's coaching.

The headline definitely drew enough attemtion for alot of us to read it. Glad it was a false alarm.

I wonder what will Larry Brown do now with this team. He certainly can go MANY ways in the starting lineup. We are so deep! Now, there is a lot of optimism and unlike last seasons, we really have reasons to believe this team is for real:

1. We finally have a talented real center in Eddy Curry, as well as a capable backup in James.

2. We have a great coach and teacher in Larry Brown, who will make these players play hard, especially on defense.

3. We are young everywhere! We drafted many talented players and have a possible very young lineup of Nate, Ariza, David, Frye and Curry, all in the early 20's.

4. We have young players like Craw and Quentin who are still young and bring many different things to the Knicks. Craw is a combo guard that can still become an all-star if he gets everything Larry is teaching him. Quentin is a strong player that will be a threat both inside and outside.

5. We have veterans that if all are healthy or willing to stay, they would help us SO much! Allan has been practicing, and if he can play, his jump shooting will be huge. Davis would be a great presence if he stays and is happy, we'll see if that happens. Penny can also help sometimes.

6. Last but not least, we have Marbury finally having a coach to teach him how to be a great point guard. A coach that will bring the best out of him. Marbury wants to win in New York, so he should be up to the challenge. And also, Marbury now has a great cast of talented players to pass and lead to victories. No excuses, Marb.