NBA Rumors: Renting Jamal Crawford Makes No Sense for T'Wolves

Coming from the unselfish play of Ricky Rubio, adding Jamal Crawford will be a downgrade. All of those opportunities Kevin Love was getting, he can expect to see those looks cut in half. 

Chris Haynes of csnnw.com tweeted:

Minnesota's urgency in this situation baffles me. This is a fringe playoff team at best, quite possibly not at all without Rubio. Currently, they are one game out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Why are they making deadline deals for a player like Crawford?

Crawford is a pure scorer that has never met a shot he didn't like. He's the type of player you acquire to push you over the hump as a role player/scorer. I don't see that as a positive for this team.

Bringing him in to play extended minutes at the point isn't smart.

The 336 assists Rubio delivered this season was more than Crawford has dished in all but two of his seasons. Considering Rubio only played in 41 games, that tells you about the two players' different approaches.

Crawford is making a reasonable $5 million per year, and he has a player option for next season. If anything, Crawford could be a sixth man in 2012-2013.

But what will it cost the Wolves?

The asking price is still unclear, but giving up too many assets to acquire Crawford isn't wise.

He is not on the incline. He has averaged 14 points per game this season, but he's shooting only 40 percent from the field. That is his lowest mark in seven seasons.

Crawford also doesn't seem to fit the T'Wolves' current personality or chemistry. This team is predicated on ball movement and unselfishness, neither of which has ever been attributed to Crawford.

I'm not totally bashing Crawford as a player. He's a solid scorer and has value in the right situation; this just isn't it.

The Wolves are better off playing this season out with JJ Barea and Luke Ridnour at the point. They can wait for Rubio to rehab for next season and add another lottery selection to their already-strong core.

This makes one of their established players even more movable.

Minnesota isn't in a bad place right now. It sucks to have lost Rubio, but they weren't title contenders anyway. Adding Crawford doesn't improve their prospects this year; with a player option for next season, Minny could end up stuck with him.

Sometimes, the best deadline moves are the ones you don't make.