He ranked Jamal on ESPN 18th among SGs, which sounds about right to me based on last year's performance.

Crawford has shot below 40 percent from the floor for two straight seasons, and it's not hard to see why. He takes at least two horrible shots every game -- I'm talking about awful, off-the-dribble, contested 20-foot heaves with 17 showing on the shot clock. I had always assumed this habit would go away as he got older, but it's proving quite stubborn.

Perhaps that explains why Crawford's game has shown zero development the past two seasons. His PER is stuck around 15, which makes him a questionable value at $8 million a year, and his defense is quite poor. Crawford has good quickness but lacks strength and doesn't show a great interest in staying close to his man, which is the main reason Chicago didn't mind letting him go. Between the shot selection and the defense, it will be very interesting to see how he coexists with Brown. Right now, Crawford could best be described as "playing the wrong way."

Additionally, Crawford appears to be falling in love with his jump shot. He took nearly half his shot attempts beyond the 3-point line, which is far too many for a player with his quickness and finishing skills. But Crawford prefers to cross opponents over on the perimeter and go up for his jumper. It looks awesome when it goes in, but over time it's a lower-percentage play than getting to the basket.

That's not to say he lacks positives. Few guards create shots as easily as he does, and he's among the best ballhandling off guards in the game. He's also capable of playing the point, although his shoot-first mentality can get in the way. If he can just harness those skills and get a little less trigger-happy, the Knicks' investment in Crawford could reap more commensurate rewards.

brown has his work cut out for him. if he can get crawford to do all that, we've got ourselves a hell of a player. if we don't see that kind of improvement this season, yikes.

Posted by Allanfan20:

Posted by Bonn1997:

He ranked Jamal on ESPN 18th among SGs, which sounds about right to me based on last year's performance.

Crawford has shot below 40 percent from the floor for two straight seasons, and it's not hard to see why. He takes at least two horrible shots every game -- I'm talking about awful, off-the-dribble, contested 20-foot heaves with 17 showing on the shot clock. I had always assumed this habit would go away as he got older, but it's proving quite stubborn.

Perhaps that explains why Crawford's game has shown zero development the past two seasons. His PER is stuck around 15, which makes him a questionable value at $8 million a year, and his defense is quite poor. Crawford has good quickness but lacks strength and doesn't show a great interest in staying close to his man, which is the main reason Chicago didn't mind letting him go. Between the shot selection and the defense, it will be very interesting to see how he coexists with Brown. Right now, Crawford could best be described as "playing the wrong way."

Additionally, Crawford appears to be falling in love with his jump shot. He took nearly half his shot attempts beyond the 3-point line, which is far too many for a player with his quickness and finishing skills. But Crawford prefers to cross opponents over on the perimeter and go up for his jumper. It looks awesome when it goes in, but over time it's a lower-percentage play than getting to the basket.

That's not to say he lacks positives. Few guards create shots as easily as he does, and he's among the best ballhandling off guards in the game. He's also capable of playing the point, although his shoot-first mentality can get in the way. If he can just harness those skills and get a little less trigger-happy, the Knicks' investment in Crawford could reap more commensurate rewards.

Hey man, just remember. It was you who led the "Lets get Crawford" bandwagon, while I was off it. Now, I like him, and it seems like you could care less lol.

Huh? I'm glad we got him. All we gave up were Harrington, Williams, and Trybanski! I like him for his skills and potential but I wouldn't call him *so far* anything more than an average to slightly below average starting SG or above average 6th man.


[Edited by - Bonn1997 on 10-13-2005 8:06 PM]

Great player but like most young players he needs to learn how to play the game. being able to break your guy down does not win games. Defense, hustle, and team ball wins games. I think he's listening hopefully it can translate on the court.

This assessment is spot on, imo -- especially the bit about how he uses his sick crossover to free himself for jumpers instead of to get to the hole. That is where I'd start were I working on his game w/ him. It could make a huge difference.

Interesting ... we always talk about how great our coaches (Aguire) are at working w/ the bigs. Do we even have a coach who works on wingman skills? Trevor could use some one-on-one skill coaching too.

I think we'll see a lot more from Craw on D this year. He's quick enough to be a beast in the passing lane and deny the ball to some of the tough 2's he goes up against. That part is just about attitude, and LB will demand it. And with some 1 on 1 coaching, I think he could get better at using his legs when defending guys trying to post up on him.

I think LB is the perfect coach for him. Larry hates Craw's weaknesses (shot selection, indifferent D). He'll make Craw work on the areas of his game that need the work.

You saying there's nothing to write about for Channing Frye Bip? Seriously, I did see some hustle from Crawford, but he just has to do it consistently. I really really like his game on both ends. He's one of those disruptive players. I just think, however, he's better suited to be a point guard, so he can mainly just worry about his quickness, which isn't something to worry about, and forget about being bulldozed over by Ricky Davis all the time.

Posted by Bonn1997:

Posted by Allanfan20:

Posted by Bonn1997:

He ranked Jamal on ESPN 18th among SGs, which sounds about right to me based on last year's performance.

Crawford has shot below 40 percent from the floor for two straight seasons, and it's not hard to see why. He takes at least two horrible shots every game -- I'm talking about awful, off-the-dribble, contested 20-foot heaves with 17 showing on the shot clock. I had always assumed this habit would go away as he got older, but it's proving quite stubborn.

Perhaps that explains why Crawford's game has shown zero development the past two seasons. His PER is stuck around 15, which makes him a questionable value at $8 million a year, and his defense is quite poor. Crawford has good quickness but lacks strength and doesn't show a great interest in staying close to his man, which is the main reason Chicago didn't mind letting him go. Between the shot selection and the defense, it will be very interesting to see how he coexists with Brown. Right now, Crawford could best be described as "playing the wrong way."

Additionally, Crawford appears to be falling in love with his jump shot. He took nearly half his shot attempts beyond the 3-point line, which is far too many for a player with his quickness and finishing skills. But Crawford prefers to cross opponents over on the perimeter and go up for his jumper. It looks awesome when it goes in, but over time it's a lower-percentage play than getting to the basket.

That's not to say he lacks positives. Few guards create shots as easily as he does, and he's among the best ballhandling off guards in the game. He's also capable of playing the point, although his shoot-first mentality can get in the way. If he can just harness those skills and get a little less trigger-happy, the Knicks' investment in Crawford could reap more commensurate rewards.

Hey man, just remember. It was you who led the "Lets get Crawford" bandwagon, while I was off it. Now, I like him, and it seems like you could care less lol.

Huh? I'm glad we got him. All we gave up were Harrington, Williams, and Trybanski! I like him for his skills and potential but I wouldn't call him *so far* anything more than an average to slightly below average starting SG or above average 6th man.


[Edited by - Bonn1997 on 10-13-2005 8:06 PM]

You forgot Dikembe Mutombo. Anyway, overall, I think Craw was a nice pickup for a relatively cheap cost.

Posted by Solace:

Posted by Bonn1997:

Posted by Allanfan20:

Posted by Bonn1997:

He ranked Jamal on ESPN 18th among SGs, which sounds about right to me based on last year's performance.

Crawford has shot below 40 percent from the floor for two straight seasons, and it's not hard to see why. He takes at least two horrible shots every game -- I'm talking about awful, off-the-dribble, contested 20-foot heaves with 17 showing on the shot clock. I had always assumed this habit would go away as he got older, but it's proving quite stubborn.

Perhaps that explains why Crawford's game has shown zero development the past two seasons. His PER is stuck around 15, which makes him a questionable value at $8 million a year, and his defense is quite poor. Crawford has good quickness but lacks strength and doesn't show a great interest in staying close to his man, which is the main reason Chicago didn't mind letting him go. Between the shot selection and the defense, it will be very interesting to see how he coexists with Brown. Right now, Crawford could best be described as "playing the wrong way."

Additionally, Crawford appears to be falling in love with his jump shot. He took nearly half his shot attempts beyond the 3-point line, which is far too many for a player with his quickness and finishing skills. But Crawford prefers to cross opponents over on the perimeter and go up for his jumper. It looks awesome when it goes in, but over time it's a lower-percentage play than getting to the basket.

That's not to say he lacks positives. Few guards create shots as easily as he does, and he's among the best ballhandling off guards in the game. He's also capable of playing the point, although his shoot-first mentality can get in the way. If he can just harness those skills and get a little less trigger-happy, the Knicks' investment in Crawford could reap more commensurate rewards.

Hey man, just remember. It was you who led the "Lets get Crawford" bandwagon, while I was off it. Now, I like him, and it seems like you could care less lol.

Huh? I'm glad we got him. All we gave up were Harrington, Williams, and Trybanski! I like him for his skills and potential but I wouldn't call him *so far* anything more than an average to slightly below average starting SG or above average 6th man.


[Edited by - Bonn1997 on 10-13-2005 8:06 PM]

You forgot Dikembe Mutombo. Anyway, overall, I think Craw was a nice pickup for a relatively cheap cost.

Yeah, I thought there was one more player; I just couldn't remember who. I think Crawford was a nice pickup because he has tremendous talent. It would be a mistake to trade him before seeing what Larry Brown can get out of him, but I'll be VERY disappointed if this season is anything close to his performance last season.