Do you guys miss Jamal?

[NomarFachix]

Fellow Knickerbocker fans, do you guys miss Jamal Crawford as much as I do? The man literally never saw a shot he didn't like, and he had his cold moments... But he absolutely had to be my favorite player of the 00's. So many game winners, so many highlight reel moves/crossovers/ankle breakers, so capable of carrying the offense for weeks at a time. [expletive] Marbury, he was probably the reason to tune into this team during the 2000's. Ice water through his veins and capable of creating space for himself, he was the man with the ball as time ran down every single time... And we wanted it that way.

 

Jamal, from the bottom of our hearts, we miss you. Well, I do anyway.

 

[Nitro]

Not a Knicks fan, but I miss getting to watch all his games on MSG. He's always been really, really underrated ('till last year anyway), and he was the only reason I would ever watch Knick games. That double crossover move he would use on fastbreaks was SICK...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0-FS8ZcDmg&feature=fvst

[The Lone Granger]

He was ridiculous with the Knicks. I remember one game against the Pacers he was hitting everything. It was exciting to watch him hit the fadeaway threes with people in his face, and similar to what he's doing now in Atlanta with the and-one's from behind the arc. Also, I miss Nate Robinson in New York. I think that if they had kept both of those guys, and had them today they'd be a very exciting team to watch. As it is, they are still decent to watch now with Amare, but if your not a Knicks fan it's not going to grab and hold your attention for too long.

[NomarFachix]

Yeah that double cross used to break ankles. His ability to create space with the ball is really awesome, I remember him breaking down Hinrich, Wade, Ray, a bunch of others. He was so, so much fun to watch.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf52QvqAKQ8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBDAKWM26dw&feature=related

[The Next Knick]

I

[Guru]

He has always been one of my favorite players in the NBA.

[The Next Knick]

Jamal was the ish in New York from around 2005 till he got traded. His crossover was lethal, his jumper was wet, and I think we all remember the steal and shot to take down the Nuggets where Gus Johnson yelled "Holy Macrol". Ah, what a playmaker he was.

[Dr. Feelgood]

That double crossover is freaking beautiful. He was pretty underrated in New York. I was happy to see him finally move to a decent team in Atlanta.

[Smitty]

Was always a fan of Crawford. Dude is a sniper on that court.

 

He should've never been traded from NY imo. He would probably be killing it now.

[fish7718]

I love Jamal, not only is he an awesome player on the court, but a nice genuine class act off the court. The complete package. I remember he was leading us to the playoffs one year and he broke his ankle I think that was 07. Anyway def one of my fav Knicks of all time. That sick behind the back crossover is one of the prettiest things I've ever seen in basketball. I'd love to get him back through FA or a trade if we could...

[N.1.A.K.]

one of the best highlight packages ive seen in a long time.

[Oliver P]

Yes... and no.

 

Well I've always liked Jamal Crawford, even in his Bulls days, I've always loved that player, so I kinda miss him in a way but no more than that... I mean Jamal was way too inconsistent with us. One day he could score 44 and the other day 0 point... He's never been starting material. That's why I was sure that he would have an immediate impact on the Hawks when he arrived in Atlanta, Jamal's made to be a sixth man. Just like the Jet, a pure 6th man. So he's definitely better in his new role with Atlanta and I'm happy for him.

 

Besides the Jamal Crawford years were the worst years that we have, so I don't really miss that time... I prefer the team that we have now and by far. We definitely have a strong chance to make the playoffs this year and that's the only thing I think about.

 

No in fact the only players I truly miss are Ewing, Starks, Oak, Mase, X Man, Harper, etc... And the huge D that we had in the 90's, when we were succesful. I don't think that I'll ever like a team more than that one...

 

But anyway it's the past, let's hope that we'll be at least as succesful in the 2010's as we were in the 90's, we gotta get back in business now.

[NomarFachix]

No in fact the only players I truly miss are Ewing, Starks, Oak, Mase, X Man, Harper, etc... And the huge D that we had in the 90's, when we were succesful. I don't think that I'll ever like a team more than that one...

 

Don't forget Herb and Buck Williams, Buck was my boy

[JYD]

He was inconsistent a lot of the time but tbh i do miss his ability to shoot from the outside. he'd be very valuable on today's team.

[sas45champs]

Meh, I don't see why you guys miss him. Anyone can make an incredible highlight film and average some decent stats and still be a cancer to their team.

 

I give him credit for being an explosive offensive player, but streaky and inefficient. Why would you want someone that can score 20 points in 20 shots when instead you can get quality shots from an entire team sharing the ball and getting 20 points in 10-15 shots? He's doing so well on the Hawks because he's coming off the bench and that humbles and motivates him to perform better than when New York looked to him as a #1 scorer. And he was a SG that tried to be a PG when he was playing in New York.

 

Actually, he's not even a cancer on offense. Plenty of players in the league take their share of bad shots and make a few poor decisions. He's a cancer on defense. How can someone so athletic and so quick be only an average defender? He doesn't give his full effort on defense, which is half of the entire game.

 

Crawford was the Larry Hughes of New York during his tenure there. Whenever Hughes wasn't looking to be a #1 guy, he was a solid next option to any real star, which the Knicks didn't have until now. They were both really streaky and both able to get the crowd excited, but in the end it didn't translate to wins. Both were mediocre on-ball defenders. I might even go as far to say that he resembled a poor man Allen Iverson, trying to do too much for a team he thought didn't have enough talent, when he was in New York. There are so many players in the league that have the talent but don't play hard enough or up to their best and smartest ability to push their teams to win.

[Nitro]

Meh, I don't see why you guys miss him. Anyone can make an incredible highlight film and average some decent stats and still be a cancer to their team.

 

I give him credit for being an explosive offensive player, but streaky and inefficient. Why would you want someone that can score 20 points in 20 shots when instead you can get quality shots from an entire team sharing the ball and getting 20 points in 10-15 shots? He's doing so well on the Hawks because he's coming off the bench and that humbles and motivates him to perform better than when New York looked to him as a #1 scorer. And he was a SG that tried to be a PG when he was playing in New York.

 

Actually, he's not even a cancer on offense. Plenty of players in the league take their share of bad shots and make a few poor decisions. He's a cancer on defense. How can someone so athletic and so quick be only an average defender? He doesn't give his full effort on defense, which is half of the entire game.

 

Crawford was the Larry Hughes of New York during his tenure there. Whenever Hughes wasn't looking to be a #1 guy, he was a solid next option to any real star, which the Knicks didn't have until now. They were both really streaky and both able to get the crowd excited, but in the end it didn't translate to wins. Both were mediocre on-ball defenders. I might even go as far to say that he resembled a poor man Allen Iverson, trying to do too much for a team he thought didn't have enough talent, when he was in New York. There are so many players in the league that have the talent but don't play hard enough or up to their best and smartest ability to push their teams to win.

 

They miss him because...

 

1) He was exciting to watch.

 

2) He played hard.

 

3) Even if he was inefficient and forced into a role his style of play is not suited for, he still was the best player on those Knick teams and gave the fans the only memorable moments of that era.

 

You're looking at it from an NBA analyst POV as opposed to a fan. Crawford is extremely fun to watch, period.

 

Also, Crawford coming off the bench in Atlanta doesn't humble him. If anything, it enables him to have even more freedom to pull the trigger on any shot he likes. Last season, per 36min he averaged more shot attempts than in ANY season with NY. It just so happens he has more help to take some defensive pressure off him, and he doesn't have to do as much heavy lifting in the passing/playmaking department. And he is not a cancer on either end...just because he isn't a great defensive player doesn't mean he's a cancer. I would agree that it is one of the primary reasons that his game is best suited for the bench, though, along with the nature of his offensive game (which is instant offense).

[sas45champs]

They miss him because...

 

1) He was exciting to watch.

 

2) He played hard.

 

3) Even if he was inefficient and forced into a role his style of play is not suited for, he still was the best player on those Knick teams and gave the fans the only memorable moments of that era.

 

You're looking at it from an NBA analyst POV as opposed to a fan. Crawford is extremely fun to watch, period.

 

Also, Crawford coming off the bench in Atlanta doesn't humble him. If anything, it enables him to have even more freedom to pull the trigger on any shot he likes. Last season, per 36min he averaged more shot attempts than in ANY season with NY. It just so happens he has more help to take some defensive pressure off him, and he doesn't have to do as much heavy lifting in the passing/playmaking department. And he is not a cancer on either end...just because he isn't a great defensive player doesn't mean he's a cancer. I would agree that it is one of the primary reasons that his game is best suited for the bench, though, along with the nature of his offensive game (which is instant offense).

 

Maybe I am, cause I'm not a Knicks fan. And I said that he was talented, I'm not denying how exciting he was to watch. But I personally was never a fan of his style of play. To me, he played like he was increasing his status for other teams to look for him.

 

Actually, I liked how he played, but I didn't like how he played. Does that make sense? I mean he had a good style of play in terms of what he could do when he wanted to score, but he was either hot or cold all the time, and he never showed me he was a true #1 option.

 

Crawford actually took smart shots when he was playing in Atlanta though. Humbling doesn't mean he took less shots, humbling means he didn't think of himself as a god even when he was on fire. Looks he would have taken in NY he passed up. And yes, he is a cancer on defense. The thing about Crawford as a defender...you can hardly call him a defender. The only thing you can call him is a ballhawk.

 

Alright, I can see why Knicks fans would miss him. If he was in New York right now he'd be in a much better situation than years ago, because he would actually have some teammates. But based on his performance...well Jordan said his(Jordan) game was fire, not flash. Crawford had the fire, he had the flash, but when he had one, he didn't always have the other. And most of the time that was flash, not fire.

[Nitro]

and he never showed me he was a true #1 option.

 

That's the thing though...he's not, and never has been a true #1 option. It was something that was forced on him in NY. He was the best/most capable #1 option on those teams, so naturally he had to take on that burden. I don't think it's something you can necessarily fault him for.

 

Crawford actually took smart shots when he was playing in Atlanta though. Humbling doesn't mean he took less shots, humbling means he didn't think of himself as a god even when he was on fire. Looks he would have taken in NY he passed up.

 

I think that goes along with his new role. When you're not the #1 guy, things don't have to be as forced. And when you have more talent and weapons, defenses are generally going to give you some shots that you wouldn't have as that #1 guy. But generally speaking, I don't think being on the bench has humbled him on Atlanta. He still plays with the same style, and is still taking pretty much any shot he wants without fear of being in the doghouse.

 

And yes, he is a cancer on defense. The thing about Crawford as a defender...you can hardly call him a defender. The only thing you can call him is a ballhawk.

 

I agree he is a ballhawk, but I really don't think his defense is so bad that it will make or break a team. Their Drtg as a team actually remained the same from the year before they acquired him and last season, while their offensive rating went from being the 10th best in the league to 2nd, with Crawford being a huge reason for that. I'm of the belief that when you have as much talent and skill as Crawford has, you certainly have a place on a great, even championship level team. The issue is finding that certain niche, and I think the situation Crawford is in on the Hawks is the perfect situation for him.,

[Dr. Feelgood]

I remember a couple of years ago, I made this really sick Jamal Crawford sig with a .gif in it that had him jumping in the air, throwing it off the back board, getting his own rebound and dunking it in. I'll have to see if I can find it when I get home.

[Oliver P]

Don't forget Herb and Buck Williams, Buck was my boy

 

Haha yeah I liked Buck and Herb a lot as well. Though they were both clearly past their primes when they arrived in New York, Buck was not the same player that he was in his Nets and Blazers day and Herb never was even close to what he was in his Mavs and ESPECIALLY Pacers days... But yeah I still liked them both a lot.