[via instagram/jcs_stelo]
12/1/12 – 12/31/12 20 6 5
— Jordan Crawford (@jcraw55) February 17, 2013
So what gives? The question was posed to Wizards coach Randy Wittman before his team was set to face the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. What’s your read on Crawford’s mental state with him going from the team’s scoring crutch to bench-warmer, coach?
“That is always subject to change, and that’s the main thing about it. We got into playing a good style, a good way, and I’ve gone with that. But that doesn’t mean anything to any of those guys that are in and out of the lineup. We talked about Chris [Singleton] and he being ready and working, and that’s the main thing I always want to see in situations like that, ‘Are you going to dive in and work your way out of it, continue to work hard so when it’s time to come back on the floor, you’re ready?’ And that, as a coach, is what you’re looking for. You’re looking for those qualities in a player: How does he handle a tough situation? And that’s what I’m looking for.”
Crawford appeared to arrive at the Verizon Center around when I did, 5:15 pm or so, which seems a bit tardy for a player with a 7 pm tip-off. Or at least he was sliding around a corner in street clothes at that time. Later, immediately after Wittman’s pre-game session with media, which always runs from about 5:35 to 5:45 pm, Crawford was one of the few Wizards in the locker room—getting dressed, headphones on, loudly reciting rap lyrics, a sleepy look in his eye, and in his own little world.
With the game underway, Crawford symbolically took a seat in the very last chair on the bench, as far away from the coach as possible while still being ‘there’. His full warm-ups on, towel around his shoulders, and sporting the Jordan 11 Cool Greys, Crawford casually divides his attention between the course of play and whatever else might be going on in the arena that’s not on the hardwood.
Will Crawford be ready if the coach calls his name? Will the coach even call his name? Well, evidently that’s subject to change.
I feel for Jordan but the bottom line is in spite of 20-6-5, we won 3 games that month. Scoring 20 isn’t bad, but being the high scorer in the utter annihilation against Detroit and losing all but 3 games isn’t really much to be proud of.
If Jordan could put up those numbers without bringing the offense to a grinding halt (and play legitimate defense), the Wiz would be better than most teams in the east in my opinion. On paper he seems like the prototypical instant-offense first guard off the bench-type player, but when you watch him in game he really runs the team play into the ground. Is the answer just to indefinitely bench his Steez though? Hard to say. We could have used someone who wouldn’t just hand the ball over last night against Toronto
Good riddance to bad rubbish! He’s just as much of a “knucklehead” as Swaggy, Vale, and Blatche, but less talented!
Somewhere along the line, he has to be implemented into that bench rotation. He’s the only one who can create offense.
But Crawford was/is so much better than Nick Young (except for the height and the 3-point shooting ability)…. I think most had hoped that he was the knucklehead who would not be a knucklehead.
Crawford was never better than Nick Young. Just because you hated him (I see your posts and all the shots you take at Nick) doesn’t mean that he was better. Nick can actually shoot. Nick occasionally plays good D.
Heck if you want to talk this year, when Nick got played in the starting lineup, the team starting winning more because they had better starts (until Thad Young got hurt)
Ok so he can’t lead a team while playing out of position.
it’s like they judged him on that instead if as a 1.5 million 3rd guard behind two entrenched starters.
Here’s the thing – all these kind of guys bring the game to a halt when being depended on for too much – unless they happen to be on fire.
I don’t see what’s so nuts about playing Crawford off ball with Price. That’s why this is silly. It feels like a punishment, but now it’s a trade? Jesus. This team is all over the place.