Thomas Goes to Chicago for Crawford S & T
Thomas Goes to Chicago for Crawford S & T
Knicks' president Isiah Thomas and Bulls' general manager John Paxson are expected to meet Tuesday or Wednesday in Chicago to revive or end sign-and-trade talks for restricted free-agent Jamal Crawford.
The stall appears caused by the Bulls' refusal to take back Moochie Norris in the deal.
Crawford is a talent, the Bulls' front office realizes, but he doesn't appear to fit with the future of the team, or Paxson's philosophy for it.
Thomas' trip to Chicago has piqued optimism that he may be willing to meet the Bulls' demands.
Dampier-to-NY Dead; Pursuit of Crawford Heats Up
Dampier-to-NY Dead; Pursuit of Crawford Heats Up
The Warriors and Blazers agreed to a deal on Tuesday which sent Nick Van Exel to Portland and Dale Davis to Golden State. Because of this deal, which came out of nowhere, the trade which would've sent Erick Dampier to the Knicks fell through.
Though the Knicks and Dampier are trying to revive talks, it appears Dampier will either be a Hawk or another team next season, but not on the Knicks.
Because of this, Isiah Thomas has refocused his efforts on Jamal Crawford. It appears now that Crawford has been viewed as the backup plan this entire offseason, and once Isiah put together a deal which would've netted him Crawford, he went out and tried to see what else he could get for those pieces. Vince Carter, Antoine Walker, Zydrunas Ilgauskas were all rumored, Dampier was close, but in the end, it looks like the Knicks will acquire the 24-year old guard.
This might be the best-case scenario. They will be acquiring a player who actually wants to play for the Knicks, not for the money. Crawford is 24, his best years are ahead of him, and he still hasn't reached the ceiling on his potential. Crawford has yet to fulfill his upside, but keep in mind this is a player who in his 4 year NBA career has played 2 different positions for 4 different coaches. Put him in a stable environment, give him a concrete position and place on a team, and have Isiah Thomas whispering in his ear, and who knows what could happen. What is for sure, is that a Stephon Marbury/Crawford backcourt would no doubt be the quickest backcourt in the NBA.
Another positive of the Crawford trade is it gives the Knicks two very good role players in return: Eddie Robinson and Jerome Williams. Both might have talent that pale in comparison to their contracts, but they are players who could help the Knicks.
Williams, nicknamed the Junk Yard Dog for his willingness to dive for loose balls, chase rebounds into the stands, play hardnose defense, and just be a pest all around, was buried on the bench in Chicago. He's a veteran who's well-liked and just two years ago averaged 10 points and 9 rebounds with the Raptors. He had 19 double-digit rebounding games last year through mid-January until his minutes with the Bulls were drastically reduced. Playing as a backup forward in the frontcourt would greatly strengthen the Knicks frontline.
Robinson is a 6'9" frequent flyer who would be a nice spark off the bench for the athletically-challenged Knicks. He was once regarded as one of the most graceful players in the NBA, a 6th man who would pour in the points when he came into the game. Once he arrived in Chicago, things went downhill. He could easily turn things around.
The point of all of this is the Knicks could get three good to very good players for a bunch of expiring contracts, and it might be the best deal of all. Crawford's agent Aaron Goodwin thinks a deal will get done within the next week, so check back at Knicks.RealGm.Com for the latest information.