Jordan Crawford

Jamal's namesake started last year with the Pelicans and ended last year with the Pelicans, despite being out of the NBA for the majority of the year. In the short time he managed on the court, he proved as ever that he can score the ball at the NBA level, doing so via a ball-dominant style reminiscent of a slightly overzealous Jamal. In his eight professional seasons, Crawford has recorded NBA career averages of 12.2 points and 3.1 assists per game; the scoring is inefficiently, the play often wild, the rhythm never really there, the defence similarly short, but that has to count for something. In the half court, Crawford can score with almost anyone.

Jordan Crawford
SG, 6’4, 195lbs, 28 years old, 5 years of experience

After a Chinese career, Crawford came back and finally gave the Pelicans the wing scoring option they had shuffled through about 54 players trying to find. Although it was in a short stint, Crawford played the best ball of his NBA career and was extremely effective, scoring 21.7 points per 36 minutes on a .582% true shooting percentage, when before he had never surpassed a lowly .516%. The confidence is unrelenting as ever, and the shot selection not all that much better, but when they go in, he goes through brief spurts of unguardability. The usage rate is massive, the need to dominate the ball eternal, and the defence somewhere between negligible and poor. But that’s a lot of points on a minimum salary, and a combination of 38.9% three-point shooting and 52-78 shooting from within 16 feet along with an ability to create both looks for himself is quite rare.

Player Plan: One year of unguaranteed minimum salary contract remaining. Has likely earned his way onto the team next year with his late-season flurry; after all, if it was easy to find a player who could do that, the team wouldn’t have cycled through so many options beforehand.

Washington certainly needs more shooting. John Wall is the foundation, and John Wall can't shoot, but neither can those around him. Of the accompanying pieces, Jordan Crawford might be the best shooter, and his career high three point percentage is all of 28.9%. If Beal brings his high school jumpshot, he'll be an instant help in this regard. And if he does, we can start calling him the BB Gunner. (Thus creates the first terrible nickname of this diary. Beal's own choice for a nickname sames to be Real Deal Beal, but frankly, I'm not listening.)

(A non-tax paying team got damn close to becoming one. Atlanta's trade for Kirk Hinrich did not push them into luxury tax territory, but it did push them really, really close to it. Specifically, their tax number now stands at $70,140,069, a mere $166,932 below the luxury tax. They also have little depth on the wings now, and they have only a 14 man roster, one of whom is the unsuitable Pape Sy. So if one or two players get injured, and they need to bring in some reinforcements, they will now struggle to do so. Indeed, if they want to sign someone to a minimum salary contract for the remainder of the season, they must wait until March 12th until they can do so without becoming luxury tax payers. But then, this is the team with the third highest committed salary in the whole league. They are not fiscally responsible. Oh and additionally, how do they justifiy giving up both Crawford AND a pick?)

Jordan Crawford

After his trade from New Jersey, Jordan Crawford now gets to (or has to) battle Jamal Crawford for backup guard minutes. The two are really quite similar; 6'4, athletic and with tons of flair, extremely capable of creating their own shot with the dribble and able to hit extremely tough ones, occasionally forgetful of where thae cutoff point between a good and a bad shot is. The difference is that Jordan hasn't had to spend a few years pretending to be a point guard. And that Jamal is better.

Joe Crawford fact: Joe Crawford is Hawks draft pick Jordan Crawford's brother. That is all.

Pick 27: Alongside a caption that optimistically calls Josh Boone a "key reserve," and fresh off of Keith Van Horn's second shoutout of the night, the Nets draft Jordan Crawford out of Xavier. This gives David Stern yet another way to pronounce Xavier, apparently under the belief that there's a silent E at the front. Big night for the word Xavier.

However, Andy Katz is immediately brought in to announce that Jordan is not staying. He is being traded to Atlanta, along with the 31st pick, for the rights to Damion James. This unites Jordan and Jamal Crawford, on a team still reeling from from the Josh Smith/Joe Smith dichotomy of last season, but it's good value for Atlanta, who get a young and cheap replication of Jamal with a highly useful #31 pick to book. It's a bit strange for the Nets, however, who need as much outside shooting, halfcourt creating and backcourt scoring as they can get. And while they are also in dire need of halfway decent forward play, James isn't entirely dissimilar to Terrence Williams, not in playing style nor overall talent. I rate James, but this isn't the best place for him.