Getty Stephon Marbury in Beijing
Stephon Marbury would like to see the Brooklyn Nets give Jamal Crawford an NBA workout for their open roster spot.
“I think if Jamal is in the physical shape to play 15-20 minutes at a high level, why not give him a chance,” Marbury told me this morning.
“He’s perfect for the system in how they play. Run him through a high level NBA workout for 3-5 days to see how his body recovers and let that be the tester.”
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.
“He keeps his body in shape and he loves basketball,” Stephon Marbury tells me.
“Plus he played in the bubble with them not too long ago. Just because he’s older doesn’t mean he can’t get hurt.”
The Nets’ open roster spot became available when Spencer Dinwiddie was diagnosed with a partially torn right ACL. Dinwiddie is scheduled to have surgery next week.
“Let me walk y’all down memory lane for a second,” Dinwiddie wrote in an Instagram caption earlier today.
“January 12th 2014 against UW I suffered an injury. Massive amounts of pain and shock in A non contact full tear of my ACL. The MRI would later reveal a completely torn lateral meniscus, MCL and partial tearing to the medial meniscus along with bruising in my bones. Surgery took 4hrs, mostly to stitch my lateral meniscus back together. Post op prognosis, “will not play for a full year, may not ever return to the same level. Should definitely go back to school and get his degree”. I had to spend 7 weeks non weight bearing, essentially losing all muscle in my left leg. As many of you know I declared for the draft 3 months later, was fully cleared by the 7 month mark and participated in both training camp (Stan Van Gundy two a days) and pre season that year. I’ve spent the last 6.5 years making sure this would never happen to me again, being meticulous in diet, lifting and recovery from the beginning of my career. Those trials built the focus and fortitude to go from a second round pick to a g league cast off to the 20ppg leader of a playoff team, earning the respect of my peers along the way. So now we’re here… a contact based partial ACL tear. No other structural damage, minimal swelling and cartilage in tact proving the years of work did their job and protected me. Pre op prognosis “this surgery should be very simple and straightforward. Virtually no non weight bearing period post op either. Honestly Spence, your knee looks a lot younger than most 27yr olds. So in summary If anything I’m excited because I’ve made a living off beating the odds. And these odds say AT WORST I’ll be more than 100% by next season. Next question: Will I miss the road to a @brooklynnets 2021 championship? My response: As we’ve seen before. Crazier things have happened.”
If Jamal Crawford were to sign with the Brooklyn Nets, there would be tons of familiarity aside from having played for the team in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida.
Crawford and Nets point guard, Kyrie Irving 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. Crawford is also close with the Nets’ other big name star in Kevin Durant.
Just yesterday retired Los Angeles Lakers Champion, Metta World Peace shared with me that he thought Crawford would be 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.”
Retired NBA Hall of Famer, Isiah Thomas shared with me that the familiarity with the Nets is an added bonus for Crawford. “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.”
“He’s a leader man,” ESPN analyst, Kendrick Perkins told me on the Heavy Live With Scoop B Show.
“He’s a leader in the locker room that can help guide those younger guys.”