He said he was confident he would get a contract last summer but that it never materialized, forcing him to come to grips with the possibility his career might be over. “To be honest with you I went through a range of emotions,” Crawford said. “I was frustrated at the beginning. I didn’t understand. I didn’t know what happened. I was like, ‘Well, character-wise I just won teammate of the year,’ so I think that part’s solid as far as being in the locker room. Obviously, I had a different role as far as leadership last year, but when the time came like, ‘Hey, go play,’ I was able to still show I can play at a high level, so I didn’t understand it. But at that point I just took it the other way. I was like, ‘If God said your last game is a 51-point game off the bench, then that’s a heck of a exit.’ So I try to find the peace within that, and I got a chance to spend time with my family. But I’m so happy to be back.”