Isiah kept saying last year that Jamal has the potential to be a 'great' scorer - I'm thinking he could be the next Ray Allen in a few years.

If anything, he can be the next rip hamilton.
I definitely see him in our near and far future.
He has the ability to play both the 1 and the 2.
He has shown an ability to hit the three, and with Q in the starting lineup, it'll only be when Q is cold when he won't see the light, but if scoring is necessay, we move Q to the 3 and we use Craw at the 1 or 2 with marbs filling the other position.

I defintely see him improving his game over time, but being an outside threat is not as important with Q on the team...Q has proven he can be a straight bomber.

I think these Knicks were built like the Pistons championship team...I think Shaq has this dream team image of hte best team in the league, but it's really about a player for every situation.

It's been said time and time again that marbs and billups are basically twins. Our front line rotation of Curry, Lee, James and Frye is basically a poor man's rotation of Wallace, Wallace, McDysse and Campbell...I say poor man's only because they are young and lack the experience of the this group. But I'm sure we can all see the potential (sorry for using the dreaded P word)

At the wing, there can be no denying that at 20 Reezy is ready to become a better teyshawn prince.

So, thta leaves Arroyo and Hunter as the remaining wild cards...While we have Nate, I have yet to mention Q which I would rather have when we have the ability to use Craw at the point.

So, what exactly am I saying?

Because Q is on the team and is a bonafide SG, bringing crawford off the bench is like bringing in Hamilton or Hunter or Arroyo...A true combo guard.

if we wanted to copy Detroit to a T, we'd be starting Crawford [hamilton] and bringing Q off the bench as the deep threat (ala houston), but Q feels more seasoned to start at this point in his career, so it's basically going to be Q/Reezy at the 3 and we should just start Craw at the 2 and help him learn better defense.

Brown was able to do it for Miller and Hamilton, I see no reason he is unable to do it for Crawford.

JMHO

No Doubt

[Edited by - rvhoss on 10-20-2005 11:06]

no doubt...I agree, no need for anybody to be the Man in NYC anymore...with LB, everyone can be the best for their roles, whichever LB decides them to be.

Crawford and Marbs were the only two players that got me out of my seat last year.

Bad shots are part of the game. I'm sure throwing the ball off the backboard was not a play run in practice. What makes players special is their ability to improvise when necessary.

Dr. Jay around the backboard, Jordan v. the lakers, Jordan v. [insert Team], etc.

No Doubt.

[Edited by - rvhoss on 10-20-2005 11:09]

CRawff has some potentials, but he is lacking intelligence as a ball player. Craw will never be like Hamilton nor Ray Allen, but he can be a similar player to Larry Hughes. They both have great handles and are very athletic...Craw just has to restrict himself from taking bad shots, but all of that come with knowledge of the game. If you are given 10 shots per game, you should not waist all of them from shooting 3s...

Crawford needs to watch film of Mike Bibby to open up his offense. Catching the ball in motion is best for him be it a hand-off where he can hide behind a screen and set his feet or moving backdoor or curling downing the lane versus him trying to run of multiple screns for jumpers. He isn't Reggie Ray or Rip he doesn't have the shot those guys have so why ask him to be.

Hey Silver -

Seems like Craw is making a concerted effort to tone down the shooting - at least in the games where Larry's on the bench looking over his shoulder! I think one of the questions then is he taking enough deliberate actions on any given possession to lead to a score? His regular game seems to involve a lot of wasted energy and effort that doesn't contribute to a score, just to him freeing himself up off his fancy dribbling for a shot - and like you said, often a bad shot at that. So if he's cooling that stuff, what is he instead? He has to become much more economical and goal-directed in his movements with and without the ball. I know we work the Rip comparisons to death, but I think they're valid. Rip's actions with and without the ball are economical and geared toward contributing to a high-percentag shot - either his own or a teammate's. That's what Craw has to keep developing.

I know it's a nutty thing but I liked it last year when he threw the ball off the glass to himself and jammed in the rebound. Why? Because he was thinking, planning, being deliberate, setting up an easy shot - and he executed it perfectly each time. I know it's showboatng and you're not supposed to really do it, but it's the kind of thinking on the court and moving deliberately that he has to do more of.

I still think the guy can be a very good 2. I don't think he's a 1. He's a unique 2, he lacks somae things but he could so make up for them with that speed, handle, the herky-jerky off-speed nature of his gaem. So yeah, I definitely think he can and should show significant signs of improvement in his game this season. It's time, and he should have excellent coaching toward it as well.

Rip's actions with and without the ball are economical and geared toward contributing to a high-percentag shot - either his own or a teammate's.

Thought the idea is to open up Crawford to shots he has the highest chance percentage-wise of making. Rip comes off screens and shoots because that is a shot he can make and has been making since UCONN. Crawford is horrible shooting while moving. His cross-over move into a step-back or fall away rim rattler is a testament. If he doesn't have time to catch and square he is hoisting a brick. Every Knick fan has acknowledged he isn't even the gimpy Houston shooting the ball, how in the heck is he going to develop into Rip?

[Edited by - McK1 on 10-20-2005 09:34 AM]

Posted by McK1:

Rip's actions with and without the ball are economical and geared toward contributing to a high-percentag shot - either his own or a teammate's.

Thought the idea is to open up Crawford to shots he has the highest chance percentage-wise of making. Rip comes off screens and shoots because that is a shot he can make and has been making since UCONN. Crawford is horrible shooting while moving. His cross-over move into a step-back or fall away rim rattler is a testament. If he doesn't have time to catch and square he is hoisting a brick. Every Knick fan has acknowledged he isn't even the gimpy Houston shooting the ball, how in the heck is he going to develop into Rip?

[Edited by - McK1 on 10-20-2005 09:34 AM]

Great question. When Craw's hoisting he's usually out of his range. When I watch Rip play I see his movements designed to getting him within his range - and he's very disciplined about shooting within that area. You raise a good point about Rip's ability off screens that Craw may lack - I was referring more to the deliberate actions to open room for yourself for a shot within your higher-percentage range.

What Crawford needs to learn is how to play physical basketball. Rip is a very physical player. Same thing with the original(Reggie Miller). Jamal needs to get a backbone and not shy away from contact. Running around screens is a very demanding way to play. Hopefully, he can develop this skill.