Jamal Crawford News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/jamal-crawford/ Minnesota sports, but different Tue, 16 Apr 2024 08:45:24 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=32,height=32,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-cropped-MSF-favicon-1.jpg Jamal Crawford News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/jamal-crawford/ 32 32 Jamal Crawford Named NBA’s Best Teammate for 2017-18 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/jamal-crawford-named-nbas-best-teammate-for-2017-18/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/jamal-crawford-named-nbas-best-teammate-for-2017-18/#respond Tue, 26 Jun 2018 11:53:59 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=10174

On Monday evening, in fashionably late fashion, the National Basketball Association provided fans, players, and media with its second-annual NBA Awards Show.

As anticipated, the TNT-aired program was highlighted with James Harden of the Houston Rockets earning his first career MVP selection. While the artist known as ‘The Beard‘ grabbed the night’s top honor, a member of the 2017-18 Minnesota Timberwolves was able to leave the star-studded event with some fancy new hardware:

The well-deserved acknowledgement makes Jamal Crawford the sixth-ever recipient of what’s officially known as the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. Since 2013, the accolade, which is named after the tragic story of once teammates, Jack Twyman & Maurice Stokes, has been given to the individual considered the league’s most “ideal teammate.”

As you can see, Crawford now finds himself amongst a handful of other highly respected players:

Previous Teammate of the Year Award Winners:

  • Dirk Nowitzki (2017)
  • Vince Carter (2016)
  • Tim Duncan (2015)
  • Shane Battier (2014)
  • Chauncey Billups (2013)

Watch his reaction press conference here: Link

The 18-year NBA veteran, who isn’t new to league-wide praise (3x Sixth Man of the Year Winner) notched this season’s top-teammate title by beating out runner-up Manu Giniboli by 10 first place votes (80 points total).

In regards to Jamal Crawford’s Timberwolves career, all indications are that he’s going to go college superstar on that bit. One and done:

While he does have a family to feed, the 38 year-old’s decision to become a free agent doesn’t appear to be financially motivated. Speaking of putting food on the table, look who else showed up for the evening’s festivities:

Other Notable Awards:

MVP: James Harden

Rookie of the Year: Ben Simmons

Most Improved Player: Victor Oladipo

Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert

Sixth Man of the Year: Lou Williams

Coach of the Year: Dwayne Casey (Raptors. Casey will not return as Toronto’s HC as he was fired on May 11, 2018)

  • Other Finalists: Brad Stevens (Celtics), Quin Snyder (Jazz)

Executive of the Year: Daryl Morey (Rockets)

Sportsmanship Award: Kemba Walker (Hornets)

Lifetime Achievement Award: Oscar Robertson (Retired)

Community Cares Assist Award: Kevin Durant (Warriors)

Sager Strong Award: Dikembe Mutombo (Retired)

Best Style (fan vote): Russell Westbrook (Thunder)

From here, despite having both the draft and the Award Show in the rear view mirror, anyone suggesting that the NBA news is about to slow down is terribly confused.

via GIPHY

The league’s highly anticipated free agency period, which is sure to be beautifully chaotic, begins on July 1st.

Johnny Minnesota (@TheJohnnyMN)
MinnesotaSportsFan.com

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/jamal-crawford-named-nbas-best-teammate-for-2017-18/feed/ 0 Tue, 16 Apr 2024 03:45:24 +0000 Minnesota Timberwolves Jamal Crawford to Opt-Out of Contract and Jimmy Butler Wants Him Back https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/jamal-crawford-to-opt-out-of-contract-and-jimmy-butler-wants-him-back/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/jamal-crawford-to-opt-out-of-contract-and-jimmy-butler-wants-him-back/#respond Thu, 03 May 2018 01:55:29 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=9489

So there was some big time breaking Timberwolves news this evening:

In my personal opinion, Jamal Crawford makes this team better overall. He is a shining star in the locker room, from all accounts. And, when you need that guy to stop a run, quiet a road crowd, ignite a home crowd, hit an end-of-quarter dagger, or take someone one-on-one, you can always give the ball to Jamal.

However, Crawford comes with his downfalls. Well, one glaring one. His defense. He’s bad. His defensive rating is among the worst in the NBA. No, seriously. Like, 533rd out of 540 players recorded at NBA.com… His Defensive Win Share rating is even worse, landing in 537th place… So, some of the analytical minds out there aren’t asking for Jamal back.

Nonetheless, there is one person who reportedly wants Jamal Crawford back in a Timberwolves’ uniform.

That man’s name is Jimmy Butler. And what Jimmy Butler wants, I want.

Wow, well that made for something to talk about over the next couple of days, as we lead into the weekend. There was one thing that immediately came to mind with when I saw this curveball, following the Crawford news:

GIVE JIMMY BUTLER WHATEVER HE WANTS.

First, we need to remember that Butler has some options coming up with his contract. There are some decisions that will be made, before a 2018-19 shot is attempted, that will give us a VERY good idea of what is going through Jimmy’s head when it comes to his future. Butler’s contract isn’t due until after this next season (he still has a player option for 2019-20 but that doesn’t matter with this conversation) so he will likely be in a Wolves uniform next season no matter how things play out this summer.

However, he CAN sign his max-veteran extension with the team BEFORE the season begins. That’s what we saw from Andrew Wiggins last offseason and I would expect that from both KAT and Butler this offseason. Obviously, from the player’s prospective, you want to sign it before the season because if an injury occurs, all bets are off.

CBAFAQ.com (#24)

In other words, if Jimmy doesn’t sign an extension this summer, well…. that would be a HUGE risk on his part AND a HARD sign of his plans when his contract does eventually expire. If you know you want to be a Timberwolf, you guarantee your HUGE payday by signing on the dotted line of that 5-year max-extension AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

So if Jimmy Butler hasn’t signed his extension by season tipoff…

via GIPHY

If Jimmy wants Jamal back then get Jamal back. If Jimmy wants Thibs to be his coach then Thibs is currently my favorite coach in the league. If Jimmy wants Andrew Wiggins traded or retained then you do whatever he tells you. If Jimmy Butler wants a karaoke bar in the players lounge at Target Center then, YOU GET HIM A KARAOKE SET AT TARGET CENTER.

If Jimmy Butler jumps ship then we are left with Karl Towns and Andrew Wiggins with still VERY LITTLE additional dollars to spend in free agency after 2018-19. Because of Bird Rights, we are able to retain all three players even if it means going above the salary cap to make it happen. Glen Taylor will start paying a hefty luxury tax for them but that’s on him. Not for me to worry about.

Wiggins and Towns on huge contracts aren’t going to be enough to bring a title back to Minnesota. It won’t be enough to even get close.

So, we better do whatever we can to make Jimmy Butler happy (and that includes laying off of his coach). I’ll hear all arguments on how to improve after the season, if Thibs & Co. still can’t get it done. But, let’s wait until those guys are locked into long-term deals and buying houses on Lake Minnetonka.

Until then: unless you have something nice to say, do Minnesota a favor, and say nothing (or tweet nothing) at all.

Eric Strack (Founder)
MinnesotaSportsFan.com @RealMNSportsFan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/jamal-crawford-to-opt-out-of-contract-and-jimmy-butler-wants-him-back/feed/ 0 Wed, 02 May 2018 20:55:29 +0000 Minnesota Timberwolves Where Oh Where is Shabazz Muhammad? https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/oh-shabazz-muhammad/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/oh-shabazz-muhammad/#respond Fri, 22 Dec 2017 20:56:52 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=5598

The Minnesota Timberwolves had an impressive comeback victory on Wednesday night in Denver. It was a real “team-win” as Butler, Towns, and Crawford all scored at least 20 points.

A “team-win” isn’t the same as an “entire-team-win.” For that to take place, Shabazz Muhammad would have had to enter the contest. Wednesday marked the 9th consecutive game in which he hasn’t left the bench.

What a difference a few months can make! If you don’t believe me, ask Bazz. If he isn’t available, try to get ahold of Sam Bradford.

After a drawn out roller coaster free agency ride, the UCLA product eventually re-signed with MN in September. All of the twists and turns actually started prior to free agency. During last season, Minnesota proposed a 4 year/$40 million extension to Muhammad. He declined that offer.

Three months ago, the ride stopped where it started. Shabazz agreed to a deal to remain here. As for the money aspect, he will make just under $1.7M this season.

OUCH! That sucks. I’m pissed at myself for not investing in Bitcoin (maybe not anymore). The feeling in my stomach has to be somewhat similar to what Muhammad is currently experiencing.

The reason Bazz declined the extension was simple. NBA contracts are increasing at an extremely rapid rate. With that in mind, he wanted to test the waters. When you see players like Timofey Mozgov getting deals worth $16M per year, the prospect of exploring the market has to be intriguing.

Hell, Tyler Johnson couldn’t even stomach his new deal:

Muhammad’s logic made sense at that time. I get what he was thinking, but wow. Talk about one of your all-time backfires.

Unfortunately, the 6’6″ SG/SF won’t be getting Mozgov money anytime soon. I’d say it’s impossible he ever will, but KG taught me better than that:

There is no isolated incident (at least that we know of) to explain why the 25-year-old is in Coach Thibodeau’s dog-house. Everyone just knows he’s in there. That was especially evident during last Thursday’s blowout win over Sacramento. Even though 11 different Wolves entered the game, the Wizard of Bazz wasn’t one of them.

These stats from Aaron Gleeman of @Baseballpro caught my attention:

That’s not a good look for Shabazz. Minnesota is currently averaging 99.5 possessions per game. The above plus/minuses are per 100 possessions. You do the math.

By comparing Muhammad’s previous NBA seasons to this year, it’s clear that he’s struggling. Bazz currently has career low percentages in every major shooting category, besides free throws.

Shabazz Muhammad’s biggest asset is scoring. It has been his whole basketball career. There’s a reason he was once regarded as THE BEST player in the Nation coming out of high school. There’s also a reason he once scored 35 points in a NBA game.

Let’s hope Thibodeau gives him an opportunity to break out of this shooting slump soon. Nothing against Marcus Georges-Hunt, but I’d like to see number 15 get a few of his minutes. In my opinion, Bazz just has much more potential:

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/oh-shabazz-muhammad/feed/ 0 Fri, 22 Dec 2017 15:07:08 +0000 Minnesota Timberwolves Monday’s Timberwolves Game: “The Jimmy and Jamal Show” https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/mondays-timberwolves-game-jimmy-jamal-show/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/mondays-timberwolves-game-jimmy-jamal-show/#respond Tue, 19 Dec 2017 12:33:51 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=5471 Jimmy Butler was questionable (back) for Monday’s contest vs. Portland. The 3x All-Star ultimately ended up playing during the Timberwolves 108-107 victory. You have to appreciate Butler registering 35 minutes while battling through injury. That is a real “State of Hockey” type move. He appears to be all about the Minnesota culture.

This past weekend, Seattle Seahawk LB, Bobby Wagner, fought through a hamstring issue. His teammate, Earl Thomas, ridiculed him for playing. The All-Pro safety said “the backups would have done just as good.” Wagner didn’t exactly appreciate that:

Well, that sucks for Pete Carroll (#Skol).

We don’t have those type of inner roster meltdowns over here. Butler’s teammates have to be worshiping his performance.

37 POINTS! That’s one for every year of Jamal Crawford’s life! Speaking of Crawford, we’ll get to him soon.

In addition to filling up the stat sheet, Jimmy Butler converted a clutch pair of late free throws. Did anyone even question whether or not he’d make those? I sure as hell didn’t. That is one confident human being. His two points from the charity stripe gave the Wolves a one point lead with 2.5 seconds remaining.

After calling timeout, Portland was set to inbound the ball with a chance to win. I started sweating as this Damian Lillard dagger was replaying itself in my mind:

As someone who considers himself a glass half full guy, sweating it was my bad. There was no need to worry. Lillard did get the ball, but there was no walk-off for the notoriously clutch PG. Wait, nevermind. Technically, it was a walk-off miss.

Now, onto the previously mentioned Jamal Crawford:

That’s correct. Jimmy Butler’s sidekick came in the version of the 3x Sixth Man of the Year. Crawford finished with 23 points in only 23 minutes (10-16 FG). 16 of those points came during the 4th quarter. That included an, 8-0 run-sparking, DEEP 3 with MN down 10:

Even with Butler’s performance, without Crawford, there’s no chance the Wolves win that one.

Monday’s victory moved Tom Thibodeau’s team to 18-13 overall. They now travel to Denver for a Wednesday night matchup against the Nuggets. Make sure to plan accordingly for the Mountain Time tip-off (8 PM CST).

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-timberwolves/mondays-timberwolves-game-jimmy-jamal-show/feed/ 0 Tue, 19 Dec 2017 06:33:51 +0000 Minnesota Timberwolves