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Uptown
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10/19/2008  11:15 AM

Jake (New Haven, CT): Do you think Crawford will thrive in D'antoni's system? What kind of numbers do you expect him to put up? If not Crawford, who do you think will fare best in the new system (Nate Rob...)?

John Hollinger: I'm not sure why everyone is pointing to Crawford as a guy who'll blow up under D'Antoni. Isiah played him 40-plus minutes and let him do whatever he wanted; that's the ceiling folks, it's not getting any better than that for him. Playing fast doesn't mean guys with terrible shot selection automatically blossom. Actually, the guy I think will do best compared to last year is Randolph.

Before the season, many people and some media types predicted Craw would flourish in D'Antoni's open system. I think Hollinger makes some really good points about Craw's career year last year. With Marb injured, Isiah gave Craw the green light to do what he does best. One on One. This offense, however is a passing offense which leaves little room for one one one play.

Craw is a rhythm player who needs to bounce it a several times before he jacks it up. In other words, he will need to break the offense at times to get his. I know its early, but he looks lost out there. He's bricked most of the catch and shoot opportunites he's gotten in the passing offense, and the few times he did break the offense and go one one one, it looks totally out of place. It stands out more when he does it and comes off as a selfish. To watch the ball whip around to him, then watch him play around with the ball looks awkward.

D'Antoni may set aside some plays for him to do his one-on-one thing, but this wont help much because as Hollinger points out, and as many of us already know, Craw is a volume shooter. He'll need more than a few opportunities. What will benefit him, is to work exclusively on his catch and shooting tecniques. He might need to step/or bounce into his shot, as he sees the ball coming towards his side. Thie will get him in motion/rhythm as the ball his hands.

Again, I know its early, but Craw is being asked break bad/old habits on the fly.
AUTOADVERT
4949
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10/19/2008  11:28 AM
It's gonna come down to shooting % and what other talents you may have, if your not shooting well.

Right now, Q is the worst on offense. And if you don't have something in rebounding or D, if you don't steal balls or have key TO's, then that combined is gonna make the difference in who is gonna be effective or not.

If you can shoot and score points, then your safe. Zach, Nate, Chandler, Lee so far are safe bets for our offense. Zach and Lee are added bonuses in rebounding. Duhon is making a case as a good shooting point. Marbury seems to strive off the bench, now that he is no longer in charge of himself.

Others simply haven't had much chance to show what they have, or it's a no brainer that they have to go.

If Crawford isn't shooting well, and can't play D and is TO prone, then he may have to be benched, but well see. And then there's Gallinari? It gets better for us offensively, but bad for roster positioning. I personally think it's very, very healthy to have this much potential fighting for position for roster spots, then to be fighting on the front pages of the newspapers.
I'll never trust this' team again.
TMS
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10/19/2008  12:02 PM
is he supposed to flourish already before a regular season game is even played? do other guys on this roster get the same expectation or just Jamal? just curious... if by the Allstar break the guy is still playing the same style ball he played last year then i think it's fair to say the guy just will never get it... but until then i'm willing to give him some line... he already showed he can try to conform his game under Larry Brown if he's being coached... if i'm willing to give Zach of all people a chance to do it then i'm definitely gonna do the same for Jamal.

[Edited by - TMS on 10-19-2008 09:03 AM]
After 7 years & 40K+ posts, banned by martin for calling Nalod a 'moron'. Awesome.
4949
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10/19/2008  1:31 PM
I agree about giving all these players a chance to prove it.

Nate, Lee, Zach, Marbury and others have all gone through this question about flourishing. It's all in the numbers and if you don't have numbers that are contributing into wins, then you'll sit or be gone.

But here's the interesting thing about D'Antoni's system. No one player is going to be looked at, to have to carry this team. It is the TEAM' that is going to have to play well together to make us better.

And that was the problem. Marbury for one was allowed to spread his 'me first' attitude amongst the media, who gladly made it front page news and turned it all into a soap opera. WRONG WAY TO RUN A TEAM!

In D'Antoni's system, no one gets to grab the spotlight. For one, they will be either in great shape or just too tired to handle playing under a D'Antoni system and either way, will have any time to even think of having anymore attitude. The whole interview about D'Antoni being proud of what Marbury said, says it all. And it seems that's all Marbury really needed, was simple attention, without any opposition.

This is my perspective on the matter and is the only way we should look at it. It's nothing more or nothing less. Say your peace and then play basketball.

I think it all starts with the fans. Change our attitudes, and the franchise will react positively and concentrate exclusively what is needed, instead of worrying about what other people have to say. Walsh and D'Antoni are a great first step in that direction and I hope the fan understands what is happening and contributes to the cause.

We all got stuck a little. We just have to learn to see this thing through finally.
I'll never trust this' team again.
BlueSeats
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10/19/2008  1:40 PM
Posted by TMS:

is he supposed to flourish already before a regular season game is even played? do other guys on this roster get the same expectation or just Jamal? just curious... if by the Allstar break the guy is still playing the same style ball he played last year then i think it's fair to say the guy just will never get it... but until then i'm willing to give him some line... he already showed he can try to conform his game under Larry Brown if he's being coached... if i'm willing to give Zach of all people a chance to do it then i'm definitely gonna do the same for Jamal.

[Edited by - TMS on 10-19-2008 09:03 AM]


The thing to remember is, he didn't really play well under Brown, he simply showed future promise. But I wouldn't say that promise ever manifested itself in reality. I thought under Brown he was simply demonstrating himself to be a better PG alternative to Marbury. This was because he wasn't hated by his teammates and he could feed the rim when Curry was featured. But did he truly demonstrate himself to be confident, comfortable or consistent any either guard position? No. This was blamed on Brown's inconsistent roles, but be fair, when in Crawford's career was it otherwise? The man has never owned a position and played it right.

Jamal will do what he's always done: Infuriate us with swings between brilliance, mediocrity and confusion. When was it otherwise?
4949
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10/19/2008  1:45 PM
Hey BlueSeats. Haven't seen you in awhile.

I think with this particular bunch, the coaching system really does matter. A high tempo, energized D'Antoni system seems to work best for them. So isiah, Brown and the others basically would not of had a chance to make them into a success, coaching wise.

True, Crawford is up and down and you never know which one is going to show up on a given night.
I'll never trust this' team again.
BlueSeats
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10/19/2008  4:28 PM
Hi 4949,

Coaching will make a difference. I certainly expect more than 23 wins, and maybe a few more than 33. But with every iteration of new coach guys are expecting players to radically change their game, and it rarely, works out that way. Remember, Brown was supposed to be perfect because he'd make them play more disciplined, and when that didn't work out Isiah was supposed to be perfect because he'd set them free.

There are instances where a player "shows up" under a different coach but they are few and far between. Diaw is an example under MDA, but so what, he's reached his ceiling and will never better it. Baron Davis had a good year under Nelson, but he was all-star caliber already, that season was just a perfect storm of a lot of guys having something to prove and bringing it for themselves. I'm tired of our guys saying they have something to prove, no excuses, and falling on their faces and bringing excuses.

With guys with around three years in the league, and a couple of prior coaches, I'll buy it. You want to tell me guys like Lee and Chandler will shine in this system, I'll listen. But the guys like Marbury, Crawford, Curry,etc,with 7+ years and 7+former coaches, just don't buy the theory that all they need is the right coach to flourish. enough searching for the secret sauce to bring out their flavor. After 7+ systems a workable one should have been found already. There are only so many systems to be tried. Eventually one finds it more desirable to find guys who are diverse enough to flourish in any system. That's far more consistent, and far less problematic.
Uptown
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10/19/2008  6:25 PM
Posted by BlueSeats:
Posted by TMS:

is he supposed to flourish already before a regular season game is even played? do other guys on this roster get the same expectation or just Jamal? just curious... if by the Allstar break the guy is still playing the same style ball he played last year then i think it's fair to say the guy just will never get it... but until then i'm willing to give him some line... he already showed he can try to conform his game under Larry Brown if he's being coached... if i'm willing to give Zach of all people a chance to do it then i'm definitely gonna do the same for Jamal.

[Edited by - TMS on 10-19-2008 09:03 AM]


The thing to remember is, he didn't really play well under Brown, he simply showed future promise. But I wouldn't say that promise ever manifested itself in reality. I thought under Brown he was simply demonstrating himself to be a better PG alternative to Marbury. This was because he wasn't hated by his teammates and he could feed the rim when Curry was featured. But did he truly demonstrate himself to be confident, comfortable or consistent any either guard position? No. This was blamed on Brown's inconsistent roles, but be fair, when in Crawford's career was it otherwise? The man has never owned a position and played it right.

Jamal will do what he's always done: Infuriate us with swings between brilliance, mediocrity and confusion. When was it otherwise?

Great points here, Blue. This is essentially what I was getting at but articulated better with your post. Craw was, is and always will be inconsistant. But this offense is asking him to play the game a little different than he's used to. No more playing with the ball up top while his teamates stand around. It will interesting to see if he can find his spots and excell in this offense which stresses ball movement.
TMS
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10/19/2008  7:50 PM
Posted by BlueSeats:
Posted by TMS:

is he supposed to flourish already before a regular season game is even played? do other guys on this roster get the same expectation or just Jamal? just curious... if by the Allstar break the guy is still playing the same style ball he played last year then i think it's fair to say the guy just will never get it... but until then i'm willing to give him some line... he already showed he can try to conform his game under Larry Brown if he's being coached... if i'm willing to give Zach of all people a chance to do it then i'm definitely gonna do the same for Jamal.

[Edited by - TMS on 10-19-2008 09:03 AM]


The thing to remember is, he didn't really play well under Brown, he simply showed future promise. But I wouldn't say that promise ever manifested itself in reality. I thought under Brown he was simply demonstrating himself to be a better PG alternative to Marbury. This was because he wasn't hated by his teammates and he could feed the rim when Curry was featured. But did he truly demonstrate himself to be confident, comfortable or consistent any either guard position? No. This was blamed on Brown's inconsistent roles, but be fair, when in Crawford's career was it otherwise? The man has never owned a position and played it right.

Jamal will do what he's always done: Infuriate us with swings between brilliance, mediocrity and confusion. When was it otherwise?

i hear what ur saying but when was it otherwise for Zach or Marbury for that matter over their careers? they're both stat padders historically throughout their tenure in the NBA & have never been known as team first players but rather as selfish primadonna losers who don't help their teams win (in Marbury's case a little bit less so since he did actually play a big part in helping some of his teams make it into the playoffs)... in Marbury's case his overbearing ego is just not conducive to us having any hope whatsoever that he'll ever get it so he's a lost cause, but Zach at least seems like he's attempting to buy into the new system & i have no doubt that Jamal has the same desire in him as well.
After 7 years & 40K+ posts, banned by martin for calling Nalod a 'moron'. Awesome.
Bippity10
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10/20/2008  10:01 AM
Posted by BlueSeats:

Hi 4949,

Coaching will make a difference. I certainly expect more than 23 wins, and maybe a few more than 33. But with every iteration of new coach guys are expecting players to radically change their game, and it rarely, works out that way. Remember, Brown was supposed to be perfect because he'd make them play more disciplined, and when that didn't work out Isiah was supposed to be perfect because he'd set them free.

There are instances where a player "shows up" under a different coach but they are few and far between. Diaw is an example under MDA, but so what, he's reached his ceiling and will never better it. Baron Davis had a good year under Nelson, but he was all-star caliber already, that season was just a perfect storm of a lot of guys having something to prove and bringing it for themselves. I'm tired of our guys saying they have something to prove, no excuses, and falling on their faces and bringing excuses.

With guys with around three years in the league, and a couple of prior coaches, I'll buy it. You want to tell me guys like Lee and Chandler will shine in this system, I'll listen. But the guys like Marbury, Crawford, Curry,etc,with 7+ years and 7+former coaches, just don't buy the theory that all they need is the right coach to flourish. enough searching for the secret sauce to bring out their flavor. After 7+ systems a workable one should have been found already. There are only so many systems to be tried. Eventually one finds it more desirable to find guys who are diverse enough to flourish in any system. That's far more consistent, and far less problematic.

Good post Blue. I personally like Craw and am hoping against hope that he is one of the few that is able to turn it around after so long. But the odds aren't very good so I'm not going to kill myself if he doesn't achieve all that we dream. At this point in his career there is a 99% chance that he is what he is. And I'm being generous with those odds.

Personally after his talking during the offseason I thought he'd come out in the preseason not scoring a lot but really hustling on D and competing for boards. Then I thought he'd peter out a few months in to the season as he feel back on bad habits. But the reality is that thus far he has shown absolutely no improvement on D or on the boards. My guess is he will find his niche in the system and provide us with scoring(which isn't a bad thing) but he will not be able to do all the things we need him to do. He may be better suited in a line-up/role where the only thing you are looking for is scoring.
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djsunyc
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10/20/2008  10:05 AM
d'antoni on crawford's last game:
Jamal Crawford : When I mentioned he looked passive when playing in a lineup with three guards, D'Antoni remarked, "He took the night off. The other two guards (Marbury and Chris Duhon) really went after it, but Jamal put it on cruise control. Either that or he felt ignored. He can't just pick his spots. He needs to assert himself, be assertive. We need his scoring. I plan to talk to him to find out what happened."
BlueSeats
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10/20/2008  10:37 AM
Posted by djsunyc:

d'antoni on crawford's last game:
Jamal Crawford : When I mentioned he looked passive when playing in a lineup with three guards, D'Antoni remarked, "He took the night off. The other two guards (Marbury and Chris Duhon) really went after it, but Jamal put it on cruise control. Either that or he felt ignored. He can't just pick his spots. He needs to assert himself, be assertive. We need his scoring. I plan to talk to him to find out what happened."

Man, this D'Antoni guy is ruder than Larry Brown. He's trying to change the culture of Isiah's team - he must want to be GM. I say we fire him and let Isiah coach.
Bippity10
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10/20/2008  10:40 AM
Posted by BlueSeats:
Posted by djsunyc:

d'antoni on crawford's last game:
Jamal Crawford : When I mentioned he looked passive when playing in a lineup with three guards, D'Antoni remarked, "He took the night off. The other two guards (Marbury and Chris Duhon) really went after it, but Jamal put it on cruise control. Either that or he felt ignored. He can't just pick his spots. He needs to assert himself, be assertive. We need his scoring. I plan to talk to him to find out what happened."

Man, this D'Antoni guy is ruder than Larry Brown. He's trying to change the culture of Isiah's team - he must want to be GM. I say we fire him and let Isiah coach.

He's trying to steal their joy
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misterearl
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10/20/2008  10:53 AM
World B

The young man is simply in the process of trying to please his new coach and be a good student.

I don't see a problem with Jamal.

The issue is who will defend the paint?
once a knick always a knick
BlueSeats
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10/20/2008  10:59 AM
Posted by misterearl:

World B

The young man is simply in the process of trying to please his new coach and be a good student.

I don't see a problem with Jamal.

The issue is who will defend the paint?


Indeed. He's a "people pleaser". Demure, polite, well intentioned...but the lad hasn't a clue how to lead.

The issue is, who's going to lead the team?
franco12
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10/20/2008  12:07 PM
Posted by misterearl:

World B

The young man is simply in the process of trying to please his new coach and be a good student.

I don't see a problem with Jamal.

The issue is who will defend the paint?

and since Crawford will let his man by him with very little effort, we need someone to defend the paint and erase our guard's many defensive mistakes.
misterearl
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10/20/2008  12:24 PM
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franco - if Jamal does not provide the effort he will be sitting next to Herb Willaims faster than you can say Luther Rackley.

Mardy Collins, at 6'6, provides rebounding and some of the intangibles that could make him worthy of another long look in the pre season.

I miss Jared Jeffries and Marcus Camby
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K22
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10/20/2008  12:30 PM
Posted by misterearl:

I miss Jared Jeffries and Marcus Camby

Sadly, Camby's in Paper Clip Land. He's fragile but I liked him too. I guess he shouldn't have looked at Little Jimmy funny. Or something.

-- the preceding post was brought to you by the letter K and the number 22.
TMS
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10/20/2008  6:20 PM
Posted by franco12:
Posted by misterearl:

World B

The young man is simply in the process of trying to please his new coach and be a good student.

I don't see a problem with Jamal.

The issue is who will defend the paint?

and since Crawford will let his man by him with very little effort, we need someone to defend the paint and erase our guard's many defensive mistakes.

what? we need a shotblocker? you don't say.
After 7 years & 40K+ posts, banned by martin for calling Nalod a 'moron'. Awesome.
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