This is what Jamal Crawford had to say about Don Nelson's insistence he leave the Warriors after this season.
I told Crawford before the game Nelson said he wants Crawford off the team. After the game Nelson praised the way Crawford played point guard in the 4th quarter. Does Crawford find this confusing?
Crawford: Coach is a genius. I can't really question whatever's going on in his mind. I just have to be ready when my number's called. I really have enjoyed being here. I can tell you that from the bottom of my heart. I love playing here. I think they wanted me because they traded for me. I want to finish out the year strong but I really enjoyed being here.
Cohn: That's a really diplomatic answer and I appreciate it.
Crawford: No, I really mean it.
Cohn: Do you expect to be here next year?
Crawford: I don't know. I know a lot can happen in the summer and I just have to be professional and try to end the season strong.
Cohn: When you say Nelson might be a genius, do you mean his thought pattern may be beyond what a normal person could understand?
Crawford: Yeah. You hit it on head. I can't get inside his head. He usually sees things before I do. I told him when I first got here he would call plays and he would know they were going to be open before any of the players knew. I told him I'll steal some of his stuff when I start coaching. I'm not going to question the coach. I just want to be the best I can be while I'm here.
This seems strange to say the least ...
Nelson claimed that Crawford's people leaked Nelson's ultimatum to Crawford that he needs to opt out or be traded. If that's the case, why did it appear in such a negative light unless it wasn't true or whoever first wrote that was trying to spin it in a way to make it seem like Crawford was disgruntled. Or Crawford's people didn't leak the story at all, which means you can't believe Nelson......
I dunno, maybe I'm misinterpreting this, but it makes me want to believe Kawakami and little less, that's too bad because he was somebody I had respected.
Wake me up once Nelson, the entire front office and the ownership have been replaced. This franchise is so dysfunctional it makes the Yorks and the Niners look good.
Hard to know when someone is being genuine anymore. I would assume that Jamal is doing just that, but then again, there are things in his own head that Nelson can't read either (lol).
Jamal is such a stand up guy. I followed his career when he was in N.Y.. He was the only player to stand before the media and address the Isiah Thomas issue. Jamal never once brushed the media aside. He never ran from adversity instead he ran to it. I appreciate Jamal for the person he is. Even though his play on the court doesn't show it, Jamal is actually a good player and I hope he stays. He has such a good work ethic; I hope the younger players are influenced by him.
Norm,
That's just not believable. If his work ethic was so great, he wouldn't play defense like the statue of liberty. It's these kinds of weak-minded beliefs that lead to terrible teams based on false ideologies. You want him on the team because he's a nice guy? What a joke.
Regime change!!!!~ Chris Cohan must sell the team for any meaningful change to happen all the rest of this is just self mutilation. All I want is an NBA team to watch not a D league drama.
I don't find this inconsistent with what Nelson said. If you listened to him say it on Tim Roye's show, he didn't place any emphasis on "Crawford's guys" to make it sound like he was pointing the finger at Crawford. Rather, I think he was being honest. He says he didn't leak the story, but that he's willing to talk about it now that it's out there. He had previously refused, and he explained it was out of courtesy to the other party because it was a private conversation.
My feeling, given how irate Aaron Goodwin has been over this situation, is that it was Goodwin who leaked the info. Goodwin, who previously was not happy when the Warriors didn't offer Matt Barnes (another client of his) a long-term contract after his big 2007 season and even less so when they let him go after last year, has a history of stirring the pot when his players aren't getting PT. He sounded off when Shareef was being played less in Sacramento, even though it was clear SAR had no knees left. He sounded off on Gary Payton's behalf when Payton was clearly past his prime. Naturally, when the talk of Crawford being sat down came up, he sounded off, too.
Goodwin's no dummy. He knows that Crawford won't get $20 million on the open market over the next two years. But Nelson has made his decision that if Crawford stays, he's going to be a backup.. and if Jackson moves the the SG spot and Ellis is back to full strength, that means Crawford is not going to get much more than 20 mpg. If I'm looking at a team, fiscally, I'm going to be uncomfortable with a $10 million backup playing 20 mpg, so I might be looking to move him, too.
I think Nellie went about this the wrong way, but that doesn't mean he's not being honest. I think that when he says he told Crawford that his minutes would be significantly reduced next year and that if he wants to start or play more, he might want to opt out, he's simply being forthright. Nelson's thinking about his and the team's best interest (from his perspective), ditto with Goodwin.
Why is that so hard for people to grasp? This is why I hate guys like Kawakami and Marcus Thompson II, because they assume way too much and decide to color everything based on their own biases. Crappy journalism, imo. Just report the facts, and if you want to voice an opinion in your blog, then make it clear it's your opinion. The blurring of these lines is why sports journalism has gone down the tubes.
Thanks, Lowell, for trying to be a more honest voice in all of this.