Getty Spencer Dinwiddie laid out his plan if he were general manager of the Chicago Bulls.
News out of Brooklyn is that Nets guard, Spencer Dinwiddie has a torn ACL.
What will the Nets do?
Forbes’ Landon Buford suggests Jamal Crawford. “Could be a nice replacement to slide into Spencer Dinwiddie’s role off the bench for the Brooklyn Nets,” he tweeted.
“He can also add veteran leadership to the locker room and someone 7-11 can count on!”
Lakers Champion, Metta World Peace tells me he thinks Jamal Crawford would me a good fit with the Nets. “Defintiely, absolutely,” World Peace told me by phone.
“I think Jamal would be a good fit because he’s really good. He’s a hell of a professional. Isaiah Thomas, Jamal Crawford, Brandon Jennings would all be good fits for the Nets.”
A three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year award recipient, Jamal Crawford played for the Nets in the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida last season under Nets lead assistant coach, Jacque Vaughn who is now a lead assistant coach under head coach, Steve Nash.
“I’m just happy to be here,” Crawford told me on the Scoop B Radio Podcast after signing with the Nets last season.
“I’m happy to have the opportunity and what they see fit for me, I’m all for it.”
Prior to his stint with the Nets, Crawford played for the Phoenix Suns in April of 2019 and i n his last game as a Sun, Crawford scored 51 points.
Crawford and Kyrie Irving also have a solid bond. Irving and Crawford spent a ton of time together in Crawford’s hometown of Seattle, Washington a couple of summers ago where Irving participated in Crawford’s Pro-Am.
Crawford and Irving wanted to become Boston Celtics teammates during Irving’s last season with the team, I’m told. While it didn’t happen that way, the two remain close. Crawford is also close with Kevin Durant.
A Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and a two-time NBA Champion with the Detroit Pistons, Isiah Thomas tells me that the advantage Crawford has is in knowing the New York market. A member of the New York Knicks earlier in his career, Crawford know the lay of the land. “Some of his greatest performances have come in New York,” Thomas told me by phone.
“He’s already played for Mike D’Antoni and he’s already comfortable in that system. As a scorer, Jamal would fit in right away in D’Antoni’s catch and shoot system. One of Jamal’s greatest perfomances that I watched was against Miami Heat where he made 15 or 16 straight jumpshots.”
For those tardy to the party: In a January 26, 2007 game against the Miami Heat, Crawford, then a Knick connected on 16 straight shots from the field and scored a career-high 52 points, leading the New York Knicks to a 116-96 victory over the Heat.
Crawford is a locker room presence and with his wealth of experience, he’d be an asset to a Nets team that is a legitimate contender in the NBA’s Eastern Conferece. “Not only is he respected league-wise and player wise but he’s respected in establishments,” says Isiah Thomas.
“He’s also respected in his hometown of Seattle.”
Appearing on the Heavy Live With Scoop B Show, retired NBA Champion and current ESPN analyst, Kendrick Perkins thinks Crawford should be playing in the league. “I do,” Perkins told me.
“At some point JC deserves a chance. What he looked like before he got hurt in the bubble was phenomenal. He was getting buckets, still facilitating… but he’s a leader man. He’s a leader in the locker room that can help guide those younger guys. I think the NBA as whole has taken these veteran guys for granted. Especially the good ones. That’s why the Lakers — Nah. Jared Dudley, we’re gonna get you out the way. You’re coming back. You can’t take those types of guys for granted. Guys that’s just going to sit on the bench for 5 or 6 games but being ready to play on the 7th game and stay professional, who’s going to be clapping it up and giving advice to these young guys about how to be professional on and off the court. You gotta think about this… guys in the NBA are so cheap that they don’t want to pay 2.1 million dollars to a great vet to come in. Why not?”