Knicks Rumors: Competition for Jamal Crawford Will Save NY from Disastrous Move
The New York Knicks were linked to Jamal Crawford for the second time in his career last week. Reports indicate that the guard was sought-after because Mike D'Antoni wanted another veteran in the backcourt without Chauncey Billups and they believe Crawford is the ideal fit.
New York has already surprised many by giving up on the Chris Paul trade sweepstakes in favor of working a sign-and-trade for Tyson Chandler and we shouldn't be surprised by anything anymore.
But the Chandler surprise is actually a welcomed surprise considering the Knicks have desperately needed a center for a number of years now. Not only does he bring rebounding and toughness to the middle of what is now one of the best frontcourts in basketball, but he actually plays defense.
Defense is something the Knicks know little about and something Jamal Crawford wouldn't help with much either.
Fortunately for New York, they have competition for Crawford's services.
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Indiana Pacers want to add the guard:
And Stein also added that the Minnesota Timberwolves want to get involved as well:
This means that the bidding for Crawford should force the Knicks out and that is a very good thing for Knicks fans.
In fact, the Pacers' deal makes the most sense for Crawford as it offers the most money and still allows for him to possibly opt out into free agency this summer when teams have more money. The Knicks can't match that offer and were already having trouble carving out cap space for the money he wanted in the first place.
The guard starred for the Knicks from 2004-2008 before being traded to the Golden State Warriors and averaged 18 points per game.
Crawford has often been criticized as a ball hog for much of his career (I've even heard the words "black hole" when describing him), although he has gotten better in recent years.
His "ball hog" tendencies aren't as bad as advertised, but he does have a propensity to take a lot of bad shots.
The Knicks already have two guys who need the ball to succeed in Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. If 'Melo and STAT aren't scoring or taking shots, what are they actually doing on the court? Not much at all.
Like the signing of Chandler, the Knicks need themselves key players that fit into roles—not a trigger-happy guard who could undermine the alpha dogs already on the court.
One could optimistically believe that Crawford would defer to STAT and 'Melo, but it is a lot easier said than done.
The Knicks will ultimately be thankful that Jamal Crawford has interest from other teams because he isn't what they need right now.
