Anthony Fucilli
Isiah says Crawford is part of the Knicks' committment to winning


Aug 06, 2004

One day after completing a sign-and-trade deal with the Bulls that brought Jamal Crawford and Jerome Williams to the Knicks, New York General Manager Isiah Thomas talked with our own Anthony "Fooch" Fucilli about Crawford and Williams' potential as well as the Knicks' continued commitment to winning.

Fooch: I’m sure you’re satisfied that Jamal Crawford is part of the Knicks.

Thomas: Most definitely. We have been working very hard to try to get him. He was one of our primary focuses coming out of the season. We wanted to make sure we got help in the backcourt and not only did we get help but we got a tremendous talent and player. He can play both positions, he can give Stephon (Marbury) and Allan Houston some relief and those three could possibly play together. It gives us some flexibility and it also makes us younger, he is only 24. We signed (Trevor) Ariza this year, he is 19. We continue to get younger in this whole process. One guy I think our fans are really going to like and enjoy watching play alone in this transaction is Jerome Williams. He brings a lot of energy to the table, he’s all over the place. His nickname is the Junkyard Dog so we are very pleased with the two acquisitions we made today.

Fooch: Did you start to wonder if this was going to happen and how did you remain so patient to get this done?

Thomas: Anytime you try to do a sign-and-trade in this league, I think it is one of the most complicated things to do with a team. When you try to acquire a valuable asset from another team, a player that they like, we got their leading scorer, it is a difficult thing to do. Persistence and patience on both sides paid off and anytime you try to do a deal this complicated, it really takes time but you have to be persistent.

Fooch: It appears Jamal is starting to reach is potential. Seventeen points last year, ten points the year before. He’s got a lot of upside ahead of him.



Jamal Crawford during a game with the Bulls last season. (AP)
Thomas: I think we caught him at the right time. I really think he’s ready to blossom and he blossomed last year. I know how difficult it is to score in this league and he’s a guy who almost scored 60 points one time. He’s had some 50 point games, a lot of 30 point games and it is not easy to do in this league but he is that explosive and we are very happy and pleased to get him.
Fooch: I’m sure he has asked about his role and if there are enough basketballs between himself, Marbury and Houston.

Thomas: The misconception is that you need to have role players to win. But when you look at Detroit, everyone takes about their role players but they had superstar players. Ben Wallace is the top at his position, one of the top five in his position, Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups – those are superstar players. You need good players to win championships and we want to win the championship here. The more good players you can get, the better team you will have and it is also a team that I know our fans will love to come out and watch play.

Fooch: You gave away some valuable pieces in this deal. Can you still make the deal of Erick Dampier?

Thomas: Again, it is a sign-and-trade and those things are extremely complicated to do. Dampier has been here, he wants to play here, and he enjoys our situation. And what we are trying to do is make it palpable for Golden State in some type of trade scenario, something they would accept to make it possible for Damp to come here. We’ve talked about the mid-level exception with him but he is a guy who wants to win and he wants to be in a winning situation and wants to be compensated. At the same time, he has five or six years left in the NBA, good years, and quality of life means also a chance to play in the world’s greatest city and hopefully we will be the world’s greatest team.

Fooch: I would think with today’s deal, he looks at this team as more attractive with Crawford coming here.

Thomas: It’s like everyday I wake up and read the newspaper, somebody else wants to come to New York. It is a good thing because seven months ago Eddie Griffin was turning us down and going across the water to play so I’m glad players in this league recognize the hard work we’re putting in and the seriousness and diligence that we have towards winning.

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