Getty Jamal Crawford, NBA free agent
Jamal Crawford has been a staple in the NBA. The eighth pick in the 2000 NBA Draft out of Michigan, Crawford is a multiple winner of the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award.
Crawford is still an NBA free agent. Naturally teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers could be a fit for the Seattle native.
The Toronto Raptors and Milwaukeee Bucks have shown some interest in him at points during the season.
On this week’s episode of the Scoop B Radio Podcast, Crawford who is well respected by peers like the Brooklyn Nets’ Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant as well as by the Portland Trail Blazers’ Carmelo Anthony discussed the issude of defense.
Some believe that he doesn’t play it.
Check our discussion below:
Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Three time Sixth Man of the Year Award winner Jamal Crawford talking everything hoops…Jamal, you talk to some people around the League, they discuss defense as something you’re not playing. You talk to some people around the League they talk about your age? You talk around the League and people have something to say. I tweet about the Lakers. I tweet about the Sixers and the comments that people always make comments about your age and your defense. For those who make those statements, how do you dissect that as a gamer such as yourself?
Jamal Crawford: Well to honest with you, defense was never my strong suit. And it’s nothing to hide or lie about. I never claimed to be Tony Allen, I never did. The thing that I guess gets my attention is that they’re acting like that I’m the only person being scored on, you know? I mean look now. Scoring is — The game is geared toward offensive players. That’s why you can’t touch them. That’s why scoring is easy. I see scores now like 130, 145, 140… that’s a lot of scoring right? That’s a lot of scoring going on. And I think in this day and age, you’re really not allowed to be a lockdown defender. I mean you have about five or ten guys that can really strap up every single time but good offense is going to beat good defense anyway. It comes down to your scheme and how things are going. And the age thing I can’t really stop. I can’t fight my age [laughs]. If you think about it, Scoop since I met you, we both have grown at the same pace. We both aged at the same pace. We both are getting a day older. I can’t fight that. I can’t say age is really an issue but it still comes up. He can’t say that he averages eight points but his age is a factor. My role and my situation didn’t say to score. That’s the whole thing with the 50 point game. I understand it’s one game. I understand that. But you can’t tell me somebody scored 50 points on any team that didn’t average double figures. Get it right. That opportunity is given. It’s not. That opportunity absolutely has to be given. And if I feel that’s it’s not given and I don’t feel like that, don’t hold that against me if I’m being asked about it though…