Does Jamal Crawford to the Warriors make sense?
The Golden State Warriors have reportedly expressed interest in Jamal Crawford. They need to stay away as he doesn’t fit into their system.
In 54 games in the 2008-09 season, Jamal Crawford averaged 19.7 points and 4.4 assists after being traded away from the New York Knicks.
He was sent to Golden State, traded to the Warriors for the disgruntled Al Harrington. The 28 year old Crawford played 38 minutes per game, starting all 54 contests he played in. He scored an incredible 50 points on 14/26 shooting, missing just one free throw out of his 18 attempts in 45 minutes. The Warriors beat the Charlotte Bobcats that night. Golden State was second in the NBA in points.
They finished 29-53 that season.
Since free agency officially started, the NBA has been, for lack of a better word, crazy. Players are agreeing to huge, unprecedented deals. Average (at best) players will earn what was once considered to be star money. Seriously, the amount of players that will earn more than Stephen Curry is alarming. But this is the NBA in the year 2016.
Jamal Crawford hasn't agreed to a deal with the Golden State Warriors but there is mutual interest, per a source.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) July 3, 2016
Pieces are moving around like a sped up version of chess and even turning on Adrian Wojnarwoski’s notifications on Twitter probably isn’t enough. Fringe teams are trying to sign players that will them playoff bound and the teams that are regulars in the postseason are trying to become contenders. And contenders are trying to tweak so that winning a title is almost a guarantee.
The Warriors came within five points of repeating as NBA champions. Instead, they now have to re-tool to keep their championship window open. General manager Bob Myers has to turn to the pool of free agents to find viable solutions to surround his All-NBA talent with.
The Warriors have a legitimate shot at signing Kevin Durant. And, if not, they’ll be forced to match the Dallas Mavericks’ maximum offer to Harrison Barnes. This is the reality Golden State lives with because, in their chase for KD, they’ve let nearly every other free agent go by. The holes they need to address are starting to look like they’re going to be harder and harder to fill with every day that passes. Free agents are being swooped up left and right like there’s no tomorrow.
One of the Warriors’ biggest flaws during the NBA Finals was their inability to capitalize off their “Strength in Numbers” motto. Their bench failed them when Curry and Klay Thompson needed them most. The bench that was being praised as having the potential to be a playoff team disappeared, for the most part. They couldn’t put the ball in the basket.
Few guys have been able to put the ball in the basket off the bench more than Jamal Crawford.
Crawford is a scorer. He has averaged 15.5 over the course of his long career. At age 35, he is coming off a season with the Los Angeles Clippers where he won his third Sixth Man of the Year award. He provides a scoring punch off the bench and, as a free agent entering his sixteenth season, can provide some productivity for various teams looking to add that.
The Warriors need to stay as far away from him as possible.
Golden State has, reportedly, been linked to the veteran guard. Of course, they’re waiting for Kevin Durant’s decision. As soon as that’s over, the Warriors will surely turn their attention to whatever other spots they need to address.
Most of the Warriors’ bench has entered free agency. Leandro Barbosa and Marreese Speights oftentimes provided the scoring once the starters sat. It’s not likely that those two will be back so Golden State has to put together a new bench to complement their stars, Andre Iguodala, and Shaun Livingston.
Crawford is not that guy.
He just doesn’t fit into what Golden State wants or needs. Crawford is a poor defender and an unwilling passer. Sure, he can score, but he’s extremely inefficient. He shot 34 percent from three last season and while he’d probably get more good looks than he did with the Los Angeles Clippers, he hasn’t shot over 40 percent from beyond the arc since his second year in the league.
Crawford is the type of guy who needs the ball in his hands a lot. As a member of the Clippers, he’s had to isolate a lot, leading some really poor bench units. It’s fit his style. But every Crawford isolation in Golden State would mean less touches for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Defensively, he can’t provide the versatility or ability to fit into Golden State’s switching. Going small with him on the floor would really cause a lot of problems for the Warriors, forcing Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green to cover for him.
Crawford won Sixth Man of the Year because he scored the most points. He didn’t deserve it over Iguodala or, even, Enes Kanter. He’s a volume shooter that doesn’t belong on a team that prides itself on being one of the most efficient to ever step on a basketball court.
The Warriors definitely need to find someone who can create his own shot, especially when Curry sits. Jamal Crawford is not that guy.