Tag: Jamal Crawford

Jamal Crawford: Caris LeVert ‘could be one of the greats in the game for a long time’

Caris LeVert is excited to play with fellow Michigan product Jamal Crawford. The veteran feels the same way about the young talent.

Now that the Nets have signed Jamal Crawford, Brooklyn’s roster features a pair of Michigan University guards, Caris LeVert being the other. But the two didn’t exactly come close to crossing paths while attending the Big Ten university.

A few months after Crawford was drafted No. 8 overall out of Michigan in the 2000 NBA Draft, LeVert was celebrating his sixth birthday. Sixteen years later, LeVert was the 20th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Levert got to watch Crawford develop in the NBA as he put together his own impressive resume. Along the way, the Ohio native grew to appreciate Crawford’s game immensely, as LeVert expressed on a Zoom call with reporters on Thursday, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post:

When I was kid, [Crawford] was my favorite player. When I went to Michigan, he reached out and we’ve been big brother/little brother ever since. I can’t wait to get him here.

Crawford told Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson on the Scoop B Radio podcast he’s excited to go to work with LeVert, as well. He likes the idea of the young guy being the face of the Nets in the bubble.

But Crawford doesn’t expect LeVert to stop thriving after the Disney restart. He has high expectations for the fellow former Michigan guard:

Love his game, always have loved his game. I thought that he would’ve been an All-Star the year he got hurt, to be honest with you. But he was playing lights out. He’s so humble, he has so much ability. He loves the game, a student of the game, he always wants to get better. But that humility and that love and that drive he has for the game, he could be one of the greats in the game for a long time.

Jamal Crawford: Nets are ‘going to be fun’

Jamal Crawford is ready to get to work with his new team, the Brooklyn Nets.

The NBA’s restart at Disney World is going to have a much different vibe than anything the league’s ever done before. Whether it’s the long layoff, the lack of other U.S. professional sports being played, the schedule or the bubble itself, this experience will be unique for players, as well as the fans watching at home.

On top of all that, the Brooklyn Nets are walking into the bubble with a much different team, having lost seven players — which led to them adding two individuals to their roster that NBA fans are quite familiar with: Michael Beasley and Jamal Crawford.

This provides the veterans not only a chance to play NBA basketball again, but also an opportunity to prove they might be able to help a team next season. Crawford’s only is on the here and now, not what this opportunity could lead to, which he expressed to Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson on the Scoop B Radio podcast. Given his signing with Brooklyn was a rapid development, he can’t fixate on to much on what-if when he has so much on his plate at the moment.

Things happened kind of fast. I mean, we had, had dialogue with them just like we had other teams throughout the course of the year, but nothing translated at that time. Maybe it wasn’t the right time. But then, with everything happening now, things kinda happened fast. … It accelerated really, really fast and it worked out. Very thankful for it.

It’s imperative Crawford maintains that focus throughout the bubble. He’s about to play alongside a lot of young guys who are trying to avoid a possible play-in round before the postseason — which the guard thinks Brooklyn is more than capable of doing:

Keep pushing toward the playoffs. I feel like, I like our chances; a young healthy group full of energy. Obviously, people on the outside aren’t expecting too much from us, and that’s cool. The game still has to be played. I’ll make sure to keep that in our minds and we’ll take it one game at a time. In this situation, it really works to our favor, it’s not an 82-game season. We really a chance get to lock-in to these eight games and take it one at a time.

[The Nets are] young, they’re exciting, they’re a team that has vets, obviously, but their vets, not all of them are playing down here in Orlando. But, they’re intriguing from the standpoint [that] they’re gonna be fun now — we’re going to be fun. I’m part of the team; we’re going to be fun now. Obviously, everybody’s pumped for next year, the future, the groundwork is already in place.

Robinson did ask Crawford if he has spoken to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving about joining the Nets. He has not, but he expects that will happen at some point:

Both of those guys are brothers, so I’m sure we will talk in time, no doubt about it.

Jamal Crawford inks deal with Nets

Hours after Michael Beasley officially became a member of the Nets, Jamal Crawford signed a deal with Brooklyn.

Jamal Crawford is officially back in the NBA.

Hours after Brooklyn signed Michael Beasley as a replacement player for the resumption of the 2019-20 season, the Nets announced Jamal Crawford will be on the roster for the Disney bubble, as well.

With Kyrie Irving (right shoulder) and Spencer Dinwiddie (team decision after he tested positive COVID-19 a second time) out for the season’s restart, Crawford provides the Nets with another ball-handler and scoring option. Not to mention he’s a seasoned veteran — something Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn alluded to when addressing the signing while on a Zoom call with reporters, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post:

What Jamal brings to this team is the ability to make shots, leadership, as we advance here has played in high-level games and is really comfortable playing on the floor.

The Nets have also been linked to Donta Hall, but there has been no announcement from the team regarding the 22-year-old power forward.

RELATED: Michael Beasley, Jamal Crawford could earn spot on Nets’ 2020-21 roster

Report: Nets signing forward Donta Hall

After signing Michael Beasley, and reportedly agreeing to a deal with Jamal Crawford — two veterans — the Nets are adding 22-year-old.

After the Nets were linked to Jamal Crawford and Michael Beasley — the latter of which officially signed with the organization on Thursday — Brooklyn still had a need to address for the Disney bubble.

They didn’t have a second big.

With Nic Claxton out after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder and DeAndre Jordan opting out of the resumption of the 2019-20 season once he tested positive for COVID-19, Jarrett Allen became the lone big left on the roster.

While Beasley (6-foot-9) brings some size to the forward position, Allen was still the lone center on the team.

According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Nets have found another player to add to their Disney bubble roster, but it’s not a center.

Stein is reporting the Nets are signing 6-foot-9 power forward Donta Hall to “rest-of-the-season” deal, after considering Amir Johnson as an option earlier in the week.

Hall was named Second Team All-NBA G League this season, averaging 15.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game for the Grand Rapids Drive, the Detroit Pistons’ G League affiliate.

The 22-year-old also appeared in four NBA games for the Pistons in 2019-20. He averaged 2.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while playing 12 minutes a night.

 

Report: Michael Beasley, Jamal Crawford could earn spot on Nets’ 2020-21 roster

Michael Beasley and Jamal Crawford’s time with the Brooklyn Nets may not be limited to the Disney World bubble.

Brooklyn acquiring Michael Beasley and Jamal Crawford may look like a move to help the Nets’ depleted Disney bubble roster, but there may be more to their signings.

When the league went on hiatus, one topic surrounding the Nets’ future has been the possible addition of a third star. Now, Beasley and Crawford don’t fit that role, but Kyrie Irving did say earlier in the season the team needed one or two more pieces. So change is likely to come in some form.

Perhaps one or both of these veterans could be part of the equation in 2020-21. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, this opportunity at Disney will, in fact, serve as a sort of tryout for Besley and Crawford:

As much of an opportunity as it is for Beasley and Crawford to step in, with the depleted roster with Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan, Taurean Prince [and] Wilson Chandler not playing in Orlando, I’m told this will also be a great opportunity for Crawford and Beasley to make an impression for the 20-21 roster with a healthy Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

This will essentially be a tremendous trial run for two accomplished veterans to potentially be on the roster a year from now when the Nets are expected to be championship contenders with KD and Kyrie.

Brooklyn Nets close to signing former Laker Michael Beasley for restart

The Brooklyn Nets have agreed to bring on the former Laker as they look to fill out their roster due to illnesses.

While it seems there’s not a whole lot going right these days, order has been restored in the NBA world, with Jamal Crawford and Michael Beasley reportedly both back in the league with the Brooklyn Nets, who have been decimated by both injury and illness in the lead up to the NBA Restart at Disney World.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania broke the news yesterday that the Nets had come to terms with Crawford and were close to signing the former Laker Beasley, who was traded by the Lakers last year at the trade deadline to the Clippers, along with Ivica Zubac, for Mike Muscala. Beasley was then waived by the Clippers and has been out of the league since.

The Nets were without several players already due to injury, but positive coronavirus tests from Spencer Dinwiddie and Taurean Prince have decimated their roster even further, pushing them to sign substitute players for them.

As far as Beasley is concerned, however, he won’t be immediately available to play, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Beasley still has to serve a 5-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy, even though the league has currently suspended testing for recreational drugs.

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Chris Paul welcomes Jamal Crawford back to NBA

NBA Twitter was more than pleased to see Jamal Crawford sign with the Nets. Some players had similar excitement.

NBA Twitter was abuzz when it was reported the Brooklyn Nets had reached an agreement with Jamal Crawford, signing him to a deal as a replacement player for the Disney bubble.

But the fans and reporters weren’t the only ones weighing in on the signing. Some players were glad to see Crawford back in the league after having not played in an NBA game since he was last with the Phoenix Suns for the 2018-19 season.

Among the first to congratulate Crawford on his deal with Brooklyn was Isaiah Thomas, who tweeted:

Happy for my Bro @JCrossover I already know what he about to do with this

Crawford’s old Los Angeles Clippers teammate Chris Paul also congratulated the newest Nets guard, along with JR Smith, who recently became a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

RELATED: Jamal Crawford agrees to terms with Brooklyn Nets for Orlando bubble

RELATED: Nets moving toward deal with Michael Beasley

Chris Paul congratulates J.R. Smith and Jamal Crawford on NBA returns

NBA fans weren’t the only ones happy to learn that J.R. Smith and Jamal Crawford found their ways back into the NBA. Chris Paul was, too.

It’s taken quite some time, but both J.R. Smith and Jamal Crawford have each found their way back onto an NBA roster.

On July 1, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that it had signed Smith as a replacement player for the conclusion of the 2019-20 season while Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the news of Crawford’s coming to terms with the Brooklyn Nets.

The Nets’ roster has been decimated. Aside from Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving being out due to injury, the team is also heading to Orlando without the services of Spencer Dinwiddie, Taurean Prince, DeAndre Jordan and Wilson Chandler.

Crawford gives them an experienced veteran who can play both backcourt positions.

Meanwhile, Smith will join the Lakers as a roster replacement for Avery Bradley, where he’ll join LeBron James in an attempt to win another championship together — Smith was a key player on the Cavaliers’ 2016 championship team

After Charania broke the news of Crawford’s signing, Thunder point guard and NBPA President Chris Paul tweeted out a congratulatory message to the two veterans.

“Maaan.. WELCOME BACK fellas @TheRealJRSmith @JCrossover love y’all boyz!! #Family,” Paul tweeted on Wednesday night.

Now on his fourth NBA team, Paul has had a lot of teammates over the course of what has been a productive 15-year career.

He and Smith were teammates for Paul’s rookie season as a member of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Pelicans, while he and Crawford spent five seasons together as members of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Both players were on rosters last season, but Smith last played in a game in November 2018. Crawford, on the other hand, finished the season as a member of the Phoenix Suns. Although impressive in his role, Phoenix decided to not re-sign him.

Now, with Paul’s blessing, they’ll each have an opportunity to prove they’ve got something left in their respective tanks.

Report: Nets moving toward deal with Michael Beasley

After reportedly agreeing to a deal with Jamal Crawford, the Brooklyn Nets have added another ex-New York Knicks player.

For however long they remain in the Disney bubble, the Brooklyn Nets plan to put on a show.

After reportedly agreeing to a deal with Jamal Crawford, the Nets are “moving toward a deal” with another former New York Knicks player, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Michael Beasley.

The 6-foot-9 forward hasn’t played in an NBA game since last season, when he was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

After going No. 2 overall to the Miami Heat in the 2008 NBA Draft, Beasley spent 11 years in the league, playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks, in addition to the Heat, Knicks and Lakers.

Beasley has primarily come off the bench during his NBA career. Throughout the 609 games he played in, Beasley averaged 12.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while logging 22.8 minutes a night.

But Beasley won’t be able to play for the Nets right away.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out Beasley needs to sit out five games to serve a suspension for violating the league’s Anti-Drug policy.

 

Report: Jamal Crawford agrees to terms with Brooklyn Nets for Orlando bubble

Jamal Crawford has found a home in the NBA. After four players were ruled out for Orlando, the Brooklyn Nets signed the shooting guard.

Jamal Crawford has found a home in the NBA.

The shooting guard agreed to sign with the Brooklyn Nets to play in the Orlando bubble, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

This comes after four Nets rotation players have declared they will not play in the tournament. Taurean Prince, DeAndre Jordan, Spencer Dinwiddie and Wilson Chandler will all miss out on Orlando, which creates extra strain on a team saddled with injuries to Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Nic Claxton.

Crawford is one replacement player who will step into a role with the team.

A longtime explosive offensive option in the NBA, Crawford found a niche this past decade as a sixth man off the bench. Since 2010, he has averaged more than 14 points per game and only started 40 of 729 contests.

While fans throughout the league have clamored for a team to sign him, the Nets aren’t getting that version of the star role player; over the past three seasons, Crawford’s production has dwindled.

Last year, with the Phoenix Suns, Crawford averaged 7.9 points on 39.7% shooting and 33.2% from deep. He wasn’t a productive player on the 19-win Phoenix team, and has remained unsigned since.

But there is still some juice in him: Crawford finished his Suns tenure with a 51-point outburst. Over the final three games, in which he played 34 minutes, 27 minutes and 38 minutes, respectively, he scored 28, 27 and 51 points on 52.9% shooting from the field and 50% from 3.

The Nets hope some of that productivity remains as they try to keep their hold on the seventh seed.

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