Nor was Scottie Pippen. Magic Johnson wasn’t really a point guard either, more of a point forward. Brandon Roy isn’t really a point guard either, neither is Jerry Bayless, no. Even though Dwayne Wade handles the ball all the time, he isn’t really a point guard, Monta Ellis really isn’t a point guard….

I think that allowing your mind to be controlled by such stringent definitions on things like positional definitions that naturally have loose characteristics, in a game that is constantly evolving with players who are consistently more versatile than ever before….

Taking a chance on a riskier player like bad-contract Jamal Crawford but who has that chemistry with Roy could be an incredible move.

He has played well as a starter in golden state , I don’t see him being a bad option for playing behind LaMarcus for 10 min. a game.

First Move: Portland uses $3.3M Trade Exception plus PG Sergio Rodriguez $1.1M to Golden State for PF Ronny Turiaf ($4.5M)

Second Move: Portland uses its cap space $5.8M in a lop-sided trade, $5.6M in Cap Space, PG Steve Blake ($4.2M) plus 2009 Picks #38, #55 to Golden State for PG Jamal Crawford ($8.6M), SG Marco Belinelli ($1.4M) and Future 1st Round Pick.

no stampsies or take backs.

he-he.

So Portland would have:

2009:
#32:
#37
#38
#56
2010
1st-Por
1st-SA
2nd-Por
2nd-NYK
2nd-???

To me, I just see a lot of picks and that is not what Direction I think this team is going. All we have heard about is adding experience and getting better from within. In order to fill the need for “experience” and “playoff toughness” I foresee Portland leveraging their picks in trades for guys who are established veterans.

Okay, so we can’t use our trade exceptions… Portland will. I just got the order of the deals wrong. J.Crawford goes first which whipes out almost all of Portland’s cap (plus Blake, Sergio, picks), then Portland signs any league minimum player to exceed the salary cap. Then Portland uses the Trade Exception and Cash to Ronny Turiaf (if that doesn’t work, then the player who Portland signs to exceed the salary cap actually needs to be a player that GS wants and is signed for $$$ that would fit with +Sergio’s 1.8 for Turiaf’s 4.5). Then uses the MLE to sign Ron Artest.

I totally get the knocks on Jamal Crawford, I understand that it is risky…. but that is why I like it so much.

Because of the role change into Portland, but his offensive numbers should be better than Blakes…

Artest definitely would cut into the looks that LMA and ODen would need, but who knows just how Nate would play him. I would guess that those depth issues are good ones to have…. Who knows what injury ups and downs we will have to deal with next year and beyond.

Jamal Crawford is more of a PG than Brandon Roy, Monta Ellis, Jason Terry, Nate Robinson, Eddie House, or Rudy Fernandez. Would there be enough ball handling and passing with Roy and Crawford in the back-court together? I have no idea, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

As far as him being friends with Roy I do think it actually matters a little. The main reason he’s so undesirable is because of his contract, but Portland is one of the few places it sounds like he would be willing to take a pay cut to play for. Jamal Crawford for less than 6 million a year would be a steal.

I watch the Blazers more then any other team in the league (because of my friendship with Brandon Roy). They have expectations on them now, but they’ll be fine.-Jamal Crawford

Brandon Roy talks about Jamal Crawford as if he’s the Godfather of Seattle basketball. Last year’s Rookie of the Year, who was named to his first All-Star Game earlier this week, talks in reverence of the Knicks shooting guard. Roy and Crawford are close friends. Their offseason homes in the Seattle area are minutes apart and they follow each other closely. “It’s tough . . . I mean, he really wants to win,” Roy said. “He sees the way we’re playing and having fun and he wants to experience that.”-Newsday

"Brandon Roy is one of my best friends and when he went to the playoffs (with Portland) I was just as excited as if I was playing. I told him ’I’m playing through you’ and I was up there supporting him and going to games. And this is the closest I’ve been now it’s time to win. You can do all the individual stuff but until you win you won’t get the credit you deserve."-NBA Fanhouse

Crawford deserves a chance. He has never ripped his teammates or coaches, never tried to pout his way into being traded, never embarrassed his organization with off-the-court scandals. Attending postseason games as a spectator is, understandably, not Crawford’s favorite pastime; until last Saturday he hadn’t been to one since his rookie season. That day he drove three hours from his home in Seattle to Portland to see Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy, a protégé, make his playoff debut.- sports illustrated

The fact that he hasn’t made the playoffs ever is worrisome but as Wages of Wins points out, Crawford has been on terrible teams his whole career and if you go back and evaluate the numbers there isn’t anything he could have done about it.

Crawford’s productivity would have had to come close to Kobe and Roy for his team to make the playoffs during his career.-Wages of Wins

What really concerns me is Crawford’s ability to adapt his game to the Balzer’s offense. If only he was willing to calm down a bit and focus on better shot selection….

“This (shot selection) is the biggest area that I HAVE to improve on and where I’m criticized the most…and for good reason. I HONESTLY feel like I can make every shot that I take. You have to understand that’s how I feel when I play. Some nights it happens but a lot of times it doesn’t. And I believe this along with WINNING is the difference in me being a good player and a great player. I’m going to continue to get better at it…I know you’re probably thinking, ’he’s in his ninth year, if it hasn’t happened already, it won’t.’ There’s some truth to that, but to me, I don’t believe it. Like I said I’m going on my ninth coach in nine years and each had a different philosophy on how they wanted to use me.”-Jamal Crawford

If only he cared about defense…

“This is one of the biggest knocks on my game and this is an area that I want to and have to get better at. That’s why when I play ball in the summer I always try to guard all the best offensive players that I can find because that, along with watching tape, is the only way I will get better at it. It helps to have a scheme or set way that you play defense, as well. Bruce Bowen is such a good defender, not because he’s the best one-on-one, but for the simple fact that he knows where to push you to on the court…. But, again, this is something I WANT to be good at and, with the work I’m putting in, I WILL get better at!”-Jamal Crawford

He might not be the best option for the Blazers, but people make him out to be something he’s not. Stick him in the right system as a sixth man off the bench and I think he could thrive.

the pieces that are available of 5.8M capspace, Blake, Sergio, cash, picks, exceptions… I am certain someone who actually gets paid to throw deals together can make it work. I do “get” the criticism from bloggers here when they comment things like “Nope, doesn’t work, can’t do it…” but we are all amatuers. Bottom line, Is a deal realistic? Which this one is. Is a deal doable? I missed a few rules, but I am certain someone can do it.

If you know this does it work, are you smart enough to figure out how it could work?

I think Crawford might actually be a better option than Blake in a weird way.

Defensively I think it’s pretty much a draw. Offensively it’s not even close. Blake is a better distributor, but not into the post where Crawford actually excelled at consistently getting the ball to Eddie Curry. People forget that there was a time when Eddie was averaging 19.5 points a game on 57% shooting. A lot of that had to do with Jamal feeding him the ball when he was in good position to score, which is no small feat.

People complain about Crawford being a chucker (which he is), but he’s actually not terrible when it comes to passing. The PG purity rankings look like this.

Ranked By PG “Purity”.
Jason Kidd
Jose Calderon
Steve Nash
Sergio Rodriguez
Steve Blake
Jameer Nelson
T.J Ford
Kirk Hinrich
Ramon Sessions
Rajon Rondo
Chauncey Billups
Mike Conley
Devin Harris
Andre Miller
Mo William
Tony Parker
Russle Westbrook
Jerryd Bayless
Jordan Farmar
Damon Jones
Allen Iverson
Jamal Crawford
Louis Williams
Brandon Roy
Nate Robinson
Jason Terry
Monta Ellis
Rudy Fernandez
Leandro Barbosa

It all depends on how comfortable the Blazers are having Roy run the offense. Even if they don’t want Roy to be the primary distributor, Crawford is actually a better option as a passing guard then guys like Nate Robinson, Rudy Fernandez, Jason Terry, Leandro Barbosa, or Monta Ellis. All of which who have been talked about as a permanent back-court mate for Roy.

Is Crawford a product of the system he plays in? Can he be tamed? I think Roy probably already knows the answers to those questions as he trains with him every summer. I read a rumor somewhere that didn’t seem super credible, but it talked about Crawford possibly wanting to opt out and so he could sign with Portland for less money and a longer term deal. It certainly seems possible.

I could see that happening, especially since Jameer is so much more expensive than Rafer Alston.

The thing about Jameer Nelson is that I think Jerryd Bayless is going to give you the same stuff. Only Bayless is younger, ready for Nate to groom, and he is bigger. I would think that Bayless has better defensive prospects than Nelson too. I do like nelson a lot, but I like Jerryd Bayless more. I think Jerryd is gonna be back up all season but is one year away from taking the helm. In the mean time, I would like to see a veteran who would work great to start now, then bring off the bench in the future. Kirk Hinrich, Jamal Crawford, Raymond Felton, Andre Miller… I could see those guys working well later on in that bench role. But with Nelson (fast penetrating guard) it duplicates what Bayless (fast penetrating guard) is too much for my liking. Id like a big defender (Hinrich) or a big scoring point (Crawford) to play with Roy.

Brandon Roy – 6’6" Playmaking Scoring Guard
Jerryd Bayless – 6’3" Fast Penetrating Guard
Rudy Fernandez – 6’5" Deep Shooting Guard

Who goes best with those three guys? Jameer would be alright or better than alright, and he sure is a “big” name. But I think Portland team chemistry and Nate’s matchup scenario’s would be better with Hinrich or Crawford or Conley on this team. And there should be a way Portland can keep Travis and only sacrifice Blake and Sergio of our roster for this upgrade.

Is this a case of us seeing everything from our viewpoint?

Yes.

He’s a combo guard the same as Ellis, Robinson, Terry, etc.

At any rate, he certainly should NOT be a starter on the Blazers and really only works if a bunch of stuff happens this summer. Someone like Outlaw, Rudy, or Bayless would have to be traded and Crawford would have to opt out of his contract and play for less money. In that specific situation you wouldn’t take Jamal Crawford coming off the bench for 5.5 million a year? I’m not sure you could find a better option for a sixth man this summer unless you really wanted to overpay Ben Gordon.

but it doesn’t seem like management cares for him much after Randolph’s rookie year. What would you consider a reasonable deal for him?