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When Jamal Crawford signed with the Portland Trail Blazers last offseason, he was expecting to join one of the top teams in the Western Conference. The Blazers were coming off of a 48-win season and Crawford turned down larger offers from other teams because he wanted to join a contender.
This season, things haven’t gone quite as planned in Portland. The Blazers hold the fifth-worst record in the conference and have started to rebuild. They fired head coach Nate McMillan and traded away veterans such as Gerald Wallace and Marcus Camby. Portland currently sits at 27-31 with little hope of making the playoffs.
“It’s frustrating, especially after the way we started the season,” Crawford told HOOPSWORLD. “We started 7-2 and we were one of the top seeds in the West a few weeks into the season. When you have that kind of success early, every loss after that is pretty dramatic. If we came into the season playing.500 basketball, it wouldn’t have been talked about as much. People would have said, ‘Oh, they lost Brandon [Roy], Greg [Oden] is hurt and they have a lot of new guys.’ But, with the way we started out, expectations were high. Playing .500 since then has been frustrating and that’s why all of the changes happened. Whenever you lose and fail to live up to expectations, anything can happen. We saw that at the trade deadline with a lot of players being dealt and then with Coach McMillan getting fired.”
This isn’t what Crawford expected when he signed with the Blazers four months ago. This summer, he’s expected to opt-out and become an unrestricted free agent, according to sources close to the situation.
“If I opt-out, I think it’ll be really cool to have a traditional free agency,” Crawford said. “Last year, everything was so rushed. A lot of people didn’t even think we’d have a season and then, all of sudden, everything was thrown together. It happened so fast. If I choose to opt-out, this year will be much different and more traditional.”
At the trade deadline, Crawford thought he was going to be dealt. He was mentioned in many different trade rumors and was shocked when the Blazers didn’t move him.
“I was surprised,” Crawford said. “It was weird, seeing my name in so many trade rumors. I was thinking, ‘Okay, I’m sure I’ll be traded.’ My name was just out there too much. I was talking to my agent and there were so many rumors. Then, I talked to our general manager, Chad Buchanan, when the deadline approached. He said, ‘You’re not going anywhere. We really like you. It was never a personal thing.’ My name was out there in discussions, but a lot of it had to do with the opt-out. If I opt-out, I could walk away and they wouldn’t get anything in return. That had a lot to do with the rumors.”
One team that expressed interest in Crawford last offseason and at the trade deadline is the Minnesota Timberwolves. They would love to start Crawford at shooting guard and they believe he’d thrive in Rick Adelman’s system. If Crawford decides to opt-out, expect the Timberwolves to pursue him this summer.
“Anything is possible in the future,” Crawford said. “Minnesota was a team that I almost signed with before I decided to come to Portland. I’m sure the interest is still there. I’ve always been a fan of Coach Adelman and how he goes about things. That’s a little ways away though. We’ll see what happens this summer. Right now, I’m just focused on Portland and trying to get as many wins as possible before the season is over.”
This season, Crawford has experienced success despite playing fewer minutes than in recent years. He is averaging 13.3 points in 26.6 minutes. In six games as a starter, Crawford averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds. He is also leading the NBA in free-throw percentage, making 92.8 percent of his attempts. While Crawford has proven that he can be an effective sixth man in the NBA, he’ll likely look for a starting job if he tests free agency this summer.
“One thing I’ve noticed in the last few years is that it’s a lot easier to start than it is to come off of the bench,” Crawford said. “When you start, you have a lot more control. I can settle down and play my game. Off the bench, I come in and feel like I have to make something happen. When you’re coming off the bench, you’re a hired gun who has to come in and score. When you start, you can pick and choose your spots and take your time. Going into the summer, that’s definitely something I’m going to consider. I’m not saying that I’m not willing to come off the bench, but my preference is to start.”
Despite the Blazers’ struggles this season, Crawford has shown his versatility by playing multiple positions and roles. This summer, he’ll likely test free agency and be one of the top scorers on the market.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-pm-crawford-expected-to-opt-out
This season, things haven’t gone quite as planned in Portland. The Blazers hold the fifth-worst record in the conference and have started to rebuild. They fired head coach Nate McMillan and traded away veterans such as Gerald Wallace and Marcus Camby. Portland currently sits at 27-31 with little hope of making the playoffs.
“It’s frustrating, especially after the way we started the season,” Crawford told HOOPSWORLD. “We started 7-2 and we were one of the top seeds in the West a few weeks into the season. When you have that kind of success early, every loss after that is pretty dramatic. If we came into the season playing.500 basketball, it wouldn’t have been talked about as much. People would have said, ‘Oh, they lost Brandon [Roy], Greg [Oden] is hurt and they have a lot of new guys.’ But, with the way we started out, expectations were high. Playing .500 since then has been frustrating and that’s why all of the changes happened. Whenever you lose and fail to live up to expectations, anything can happen. We saw that at the trade deadline with a lot of players being dealt and then with Coach McMillan getting fired.”
This isn’t what Crawford expected when he signed with the Blazers four months ago. This summer, he’s expected to opt-out and become an unrestricted free agent, according to sources close to the situation.
“If I opt-out, I think it’ll be really cool to have a traditional free agency,” Crawford said. “Last year, everything was so rushed. A lot of people didn’t even think we’d have a season and then, all of sudden, everything was thrown together. It happened so fast. If I choose to opt-out, this year will be much different and more traditional.”
At the trade deadline, Crawford thought he was going to be dealt. He was mentioned in many different trade rumors and was shocked when the Blazers didn’t move him.
“I was surprised,” Crawford said. “It was weird, seeing my name in so many trade rumors. I was thinking, ‘Okay, I’m sure I’ll be traded.’ My name was just out there too much. I was talking to my agent and there were so many rumors. Then, I talked to our general manager, Chad Buchanan, when the deadline approached. He said, ‘You’re not going anywhere. We really like you. It was never a personal thing.’ My name was out there in discussions, but a lot of it had to do with the opt-out. If I opt-out, I could walk away and they wouldn’t get anything in return. That had a lot to do with the rumors.”
One team that expressed interest in Crawford last offseason and at the trade deadline is the Minnesota Timberwolves. They would love to start Crawford at shooting guard and they believe he’d thrive in Rick Adelman’s system. If Crawford decides to opt-out, expect the Timberwolves to pursue him this summer.
“Anything is possible in the future,” Crawford said. “Minnesota was a team that I almost signed with before I decided to come to Portland. I’m sure the interest is still there. I’ve always been a fan of Coach Adelman and how he goes about things. That’s a little ways away though. We’ll see what happens this summer. Right now, I’m just focused on Portland and trying to get as many wins as possible before the season is over.”
This season, Crawford has experienced success despite playing fewer minutes than in recent years. He is averaging 13.3 points in 26.6 minutes. In six games as a starter, Crawford averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds. He is also leading the NBA in free-throw percentage, making 92.8 percent of his attempts. While Crawford has proven that he can be an effective sixth man in the NBA, he’ll likely look for a starting job if he tests free agency this summer.
“One thing I’ve noticed in the last few years is that it’s a lot easier to start than it is to come off of the bench,” Crawford said. “When you start, you have a lot more control. I can settle down and play my game. Off the bench, I come in and feel like I have to make something happen. When you’re coming off the bench, you’re a hired gun who has to come in and score. When you start, you can pick and choose your spots and take your time. Going into the summer, that’s definitely something I’m going to consider. I’m not saying that I’m not willing to come off the bench, but my preference is to start.”
Despite the Blazers’ struggles this season, Crawford has shown his versatility by playing multiple positions and roles. This summer, he’ll likely test free agency and be one of the top scorers on the market.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-pm-crawford-expected-to-opt-out
