Jordan Crawford Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Cavaliers, Pistons, Bucks

January 25th, 2017 at 12:24pm CST by Luke Adams

LeBron James‘ call this week for the Cavaliers to add a playmaker to their roster represented the latest development in his full-court press on the club’s front office, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Although he clarified that he doesn’t intend to criticize GM David Griffin or the job the club’s front office has done, James’ comments are meant to apply pressure to Cleveland’s decision-makers, as Windhorst details.

Cavaliers executives aren’t the only ones who took notice of James’ comments. As Emiliano Carchia of Sportando notes, multiple veteran free agents made an appeal to LeBron and the Cavs after the Finals MVP asked for another playmaker. Nate Robinson posted a message on Instagram imploring James to call him, while Jordan Crawford posted a similar message on Twitter. While Robinson and Crawford may be available, they probably won’t be the first players the Cavs pursue as the team looks to fortify its roster.

Here’s more from around the Central division:

The Cavaliers aren’t the only Central team whose point guard situation has been in the news. Reggie Jackson‘s name surfaced in a a trade rumor last week, but Rod Beard of The Detroit News makes the case that there just aren’t many point guards on the trade block that would be an upgrade over Jackson if the Pistons wanted to make a move.
With Kentavious Caldwell-Pope back in the lineup, the Pistons have a healthy roster for the first time in a while, creating some interesting decisions for Stan Van Gundy, Beard writes in a separate piece for The Detroit News.
The Oshkosh Common Council has approved plans for an arena that could serve as a home for the Bucks‘ D-League affiliate, according to a report from Fox 11 News. However, the Bucks have yet to commit to a specific city for a new D-League affiliate, and organizers say they won’t move forward and start building the $15MM arena until Milwaukee makes a decision. In addition to Oshkosh, the cities of Racine and Sheboygan are also believed to be in play for a D-League franchise.

And-Ones: Crawford, Gay, Jackson

November 21st, 2016 at 6:58pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Jordan Crawford is hoping to use the D-League, which he believes will provide the quickest return path to the NBA, as a means to jumpstart his career, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor writes. The guard is also looking at his time in the D-League as an opportunity to give back some of his hard-earned knowledge to the younger players, Reichert adds. “I really want to help these young guys, show ’em the ropes a little bit,” Crawford told the scribe. “It’s easy to lose confidence when things aren’t going your way and I think I can really help them out.”

Crawford is also trying to shake the perception that he is a selfish player who only cares about scoring, Reichert adds. “When I first got to the league I wanted to be the greatest player…ever,” Crawford said. “More than anything that’s what I wanted. But once you learn there’s more to life than basketball, it’s easier to simply play and enjoy what you’re capable of doing on the court. My journey has been humbling and this is just part of the change I’ve had.”

Here’s more from around the league:

The Thunder have shown interest in Kings forward Rudy Gay, who has indicated that he will opt out of his deal and head elsewhere after the season, but Sacramento isn’t ready to trade the player yet, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson, who has been sidelined for over a month because of tendinitis in his left knee and right thumb, has been cleared for limited contact drills, Keith Langlois of NBA.com reports (via Twitter).
Marcus Smart‘s agent, Josh Ketroser, has left the Wasserman Media Group, Liz Mullen of The Sports Business Journal reports (on Twitter). It is unclear how or if this will affect Smart’s relationship with Ketroser and Wasserman.

And-Ones: Rose, Crawford, Rudez

October 19th, 2016 at 10:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Derrick Rose‘s civil trial concluded today and the eight-member jury found Rose and his two friends not liable for damages stemming from an alleged sexual assault. The Knicks excused Rose from team activities during the trial and he will likely rejoin them later this week, A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast Sportsnet writes. However, there is no definite timetable for Rose to return to the lineup, as the team doesn’t want to rush him back and risk injury.

Here’s more from around the league:

The Grand Rapids Drive, the D-League affiliate of the Pistons, has acquired the rights to Jordan Crawford from the Mad Ants in exchange for the No. 6 overall pick in the D-League draft, Chris Reichert of Upside Motor reports (Twitter links). Reichert adds that Crawford will actually play for the Drive to begin the season.
Damjan Rudez is likely to make the Magic’s opening night roster, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel notes. Coach Frank Vogel, who coached Rudez during his time in Indiana, lobbied for the team to invite the big man to training camp. “There’s so many spread fours out there that are making big bucks,” Vogel said. “[We had] an opportunity maybe to get him without paying a huge contract, but you get the same value as some of these Channing Frye, Ryan Anderson types.” Orlando has 13 players with guaranteed deals and 16 total player under contract, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates.
The Wizards are impressed by Andrew Nicholson‘s game so far during the preseason, Candace Buckner of The Washington Post writes. “He gets buckets,” Thornton said of Nicholson. “You throw it down to him, 90 to 95 percent of the time it’s going to be a foul or a bucket. We joke around about that every day. We call him a ‘walking bucket.’” Coach Scott Brooks called Nicholson “very fundamental sound” and added that the big man simply isn’t going to make many mistakes. The 26-year-old power forward signed a four-year, $26MM deal with the team during the offseason.

And-Ones: VanVleet, Crawford, Lorbek

October 7th, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Fred VanVleet has a chance to make the Raptors’ opening night roster and the point guard is making the most out of his opportunity, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes. “When I’m out there, try to make it hard to notice who is the guy trying to make the team,” VanVleet said. “[I] try to be seamless in that regard, look like one of the starters, look like a bench player and look like you belong.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Jordan Crawford will return to the D-League and play for the Westchester Knicks, sources tell Chris Reichert of Upside Motor (Twitter link).
Center Wally Niang will play in the D-League this season, Reichert reports (Twitter link). Niang played in the Liga ACB League in Europe during the past two seasons.
Erazem Lorbek, whose rights right were traded to the Spurs in the Kawhi Leonard deal, has agreed to play for Barcelona’s farm team, Lassa II of LEB Gold, according to international jounralist David Pick (Twitter link).

Eastern Notes: Telfair, Pacers, Weaver

June 8th, 2016 at 5:33pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite possessing solid assets like Paul George and Myles Turner, the Pacers are a team in search of an identity entering the summer, Keith P. Smith of RealGM writes in his offseason primer for Indiana. Given the team’s stated desire to play at a faster speed on offense, the scribe questions the hiring of Nate McMillan as head coach since McMillan’s teams have consistently ranked near the bottom of the league in pace.

Smith also notes that Indiana would be better served to add a starting-caliber shooting guard this summer and shift Monta Ellis to a sixth man role, given his declining three-point shooting and diminishing trips to the foul line. Ellis, 30, still has three years and approximately $33.68MM remaining on his current deal.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Nets have hired Will Weaver, who served as a special assistant to Sixers coach Brett Brown the past two seasons, to work in the same capacity under new head coach Kenny Atkinson, NetsDaily relays.
The Raptors held workouts today for Daniel Hamilton (UConn), Kyle Collinsworth (BYU), Perry Ellis (Kansas), James Webb III (Boise State), Guerschon Yabusele (France) and Chinanu Onuaku (Louisville), the team announced.
The Pistons are holding free agent workouts this week and some notable attendees include Phil Pressey, Jordan Crawford, Greg Whittington and Chris Douglas-Roberts, Rod Beard of The Detroit News tweets.
The Nets brought in veteran point guard Sebastian Telfair for a workout on Tuesday, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (via Twitter). Telfair last played in the NBA during the 2014/15 campaign, appearing in 16 games for the Thunder.

Heat Eye Jordan Crawford, Jason Thompson, Others

February 24th, 2016 at 8:04am CST by Chuck Myron

The Heat have Jordan Crawford and Jason Thompson on a list of players they will consider next month when they’re eligible to sign someone for the rest of the season without crossing the luxury tax threshold, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Jackson also mentions Tony Wroten and Dorell Wright, whom the Heat have checked in on, as Jackson wrote last month. The list includes D-Leaguers and others likely to be available as well, Jackson adds.

Miami is down to 10 healthy players following the loss of Beno Udrih to season-ending foot surgery. Fellow backup point guard Tyler Johnson is already out at least two months with an injured shoulder and uncertainty surrounds Chris Bosh, who’s again dealing with a blood-clot problem. The Heat have two open roster spots, but they can’t add anyone to more than a 10-day contract before March 6th without leaping back into tax territory, which they escaped at the trade deadline. Any 10-day deal would push that date farther back into March. Heat GM Andy Elisburg said Miami had no strict mandate to escape the luxury tax before the deadline, but team president Pat Riley, speaking to Couper Moorhead for the Heat’s website, stressed that avoiding the tax, and the repeat-offender penalties the Heat would have been subject to, was a high priority.

Crawford, outside of a preseason stint with the Bulls this past fall, hasn’t played in the NBA since 2013/14, when he started 35 games at point guard for the Celtics. He averaged an eye-popping 43.1 points in 37.9 minutes per game against relatively weak competition in China this year. The 27-year-old has mostly played at shooting guard during his NBA career, but he’d make more sense for the Heat than would Thompson, a power forward. The 29-year-old Thompson, who’s also drawing overseas interest, is scheduled to clear waivers today in the wake of his release from the Warriors. He started 63 games for the Kings in 2014/15 but averaged only 6.4 minutes per game across 28 appearances for Golden State this season.

Jordan Crawford To Play In China

November 19th, 2015 at 12:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jordan Crawford is returning to play in the Chinese Basketball Association following his bid to return to the NBA with the Bulls earlier this fall, as the former first-round pick is joining the Tianjin Steel, tweets international journalist David Pick, who indicates that Crawford has already put pen to paper. The combo guard put up 29.4 points per game in five appearances during a stint with the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers last season.

Crawford, 27, played sparingly in the preseason for Chicago after he signed a non-guaranteed contract, averaging 3.2 points in 7.2 minutes a night over five contests. The Bulls waived him before opening night. He started 35 of the 39 games he played for the Celtics in 2013/14, the last season in which he saw regular season action in the NBA, but the Warriors reduced his role following a midseason trade, and an eye injury shelved him for much of last season. He played well for the D-League Fort Wayne Mad Ants in eight games to end 2014/15, averaging 22.6 points in 35.7 minutes per contest, but he only managed 10.2 points in 25.1 minutes per game during summer league play this year for the Mavs squad.

The four-year NBA veteran will again likely have a chance to try to return to the league as soon as February, when the Chinese regular season ends. Tianjin is 1-5 so far, so the team would have to turn its season around to make the playoffs and keep Crawford from re-entering the market by the NBA All-Star break.

Jordan Crawford

Bulls Waive Jordan Crawford, Marcus Simmons

October 22nd, 2015 at 1:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bulls have waived Jordan Crawford and Marcus Simmons, the team announced via press release. The release of Simmons, a shooting guard who went undrafted in 2011, comes as no surprise, but Crawford, a four-year NBA veteran, appeared to have a decent shot to stick for opening night. The moves reduce the Bulls roster to 15 players, including 13 full guarantees, though that doesn’t necessarily mean the team is through with preseason cuts, since Chicago usually starts the season with only 13 or 14 players. Both Crawford and Simmons signed non-guaranteed deals.

Crawford, 26, was trying to restart his NBA career after spending last season in China and the D-League. The combo guard made 35 starts in 39 appearances for the Celtics in 2013/14, but he spent the second half of that season buried on the bench with the Warriors following a trade, and he’s had trouble regaining his foothold in the NBA since. He averaged 3.2 points in 7.2 minutes per game across five preseason appearances this fall.

Simmons and Crawford were briefly teammates with the D-League Fort Wayne Mad Ants last season. The 27-year-old Simmons won 2010/11 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior at USC, but he’s struggled offensively, shooting just 28.8% on 52 three-point attempts in the D-League last year. He went scoreless in about three minutes of preseason action for the Bulls.

Cameron Bairstow and Cristiano Felicio remain as the only Bulls without full guarantees. Bairstow has a $425K partial guarantee, and while the Bulls are high on Felicio, he’s without any guaranteed money.

Central Notes: Rose, Ilyasova, Hammond, Crawford

September 30th, 2015 at 11:30am CST by Chuck Myron

It’s not yet clear how long Derrick Rose will be out with his latest injury, an orbital bone fracture suffered during practice, but it’s poor timing, given that new Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg must implement his system in camp without him, and Rose’s recent comments about free agency, opines Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. The point guard is well-known for his frequent injuries, but he also makes a habit of remarks that antagonize him to fans, Berger notes. The latest such slip of the tongue came Monday when he talked about all the money he could make when he hits free agency in 2017, the summer the cap is projected to hit $108MM. David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune takes Rose to task for coming across as “a tone-deaf millionaire,” though Rose insists he’s just making prudent plans for the future.

“I’m trying to prepare myself and my family,” Rose said, according to Haugh. “It’s all for my son, even though we’re comfortable. You talk about ‘X’ amount of dollars, it raised everybody’s eyebrows. There’s nothing wrong with being overprepared.”

See more on the Bulls and their Central Division rivals:

Ersan Ilyasova was discontented with the revolving door of coaches he had with the Bucks and has already taken to Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy, who traded for him this past summer, as the stretch four tells Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Van Gundy is entering the second season of a five-year deal. “Me and Stan had this conversation by phone,” Ilyasova said. “It’s a really good thing. I played for a lot of coaches; I never see a coach like this who really cares about you and when you see something like that, you want to give even more. On some level, coach and player, is going to be always issues. The communication is a key all the time and it’s really important. If you have a coach like this, Stan, who is going to explain to you, it helps.”
Bucks co-owner Wesley Edens said Monday that he felt it important to align the end of GM John Hammond‘s contract with that of coach Jason Kidd, notes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link). The deals for both Hammond and Kidd are set to expire in the summer of 2017 following the one-year extension the Bucks granted Hammond earlier this month.
The non-guaranteed contract that Jordan Crawford signed with the Bulls is for the minimum salary and covers only one season, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Camp invitees Jake Anderson and Marcus Simmons are also on one-year, non-guaranteed deals for the minimum salary, according to Pincus.
Cavaliers coach David Blatt bristled last season whenever someone mentioned that he was a rookie NBA head coach, but he admitted Monday that he didn’t realize how much he had to learn about coaching in the league, observes Chris Fedor of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Blatt survived apparent early-season doubts from Cavs brass about his performance before guiding the team to the Finals.

Bulls Sign Jordan Crawford To Camp Deal

September 28th, 2015 at 1:10pm CST by Chuck Myron

SEPTEMBER 28TH, 1:10pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release. Combined with the other two signings the team made today, Chicago has 18 players for training camp.

SEPTEMBER 17TH, 7:58am: The Bulls will sign four-year veteran Jordan Crawford to a non-guaranteed contract, giving the former first-round pick a chance to return to the NBA after an injury-riddled year split between China and the D-League, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. The Bulls have only 13 contracts that are known to be guaranteed, as our roster count shows, ostensibly giving the Wasserman Media Group client a strong chance to stick for opening night, but Chicago traditionally carries fewer than 15 players at the start of the regular season.

Crawford averaged 29.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 33.5 minutes per game across five appearances for Xinjiang Guanghui in China this past season before suffering an eye injury that lingered for months. He recovered in time to sign with the D-League in March, joining the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, then a shared affiliate, for whom he once more put up strong numbers in a small sample size, notching 22.6 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 4.5 APG in 35.7 MPG over eight contests. His production was more muted in summer league for the Mavs squad in July this year, though again, that was only a tiny sample size of six games.

The 26-year-old who turns 27 next month had his best moments with the Celtics in 2013/14, when he started 35 games for an injured Rajon Rondo and proved he could handle the point despite having traditionally played on the wing. He put up 13.7 PPG and 5.7 APG against 2.2 turnovers per game in 30.7 MPG, but a midseason trade sent him to the Warriors, who failed to give him much playing time.

Chicago has Cameron Bairstow on a partial guarantee of $425K and offseason signee Cristiano Felicio, both of whom will compete with Crawford in camp to try to win their way to the regular season roster. The Bulls have a crowded backcourt, with Crawford pitted against six guards on fully guaranteed contracts — Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose, Tony Snell, Aaron Brooks, Kirk Hinrich and E’Twaun Moore — as former Nets executive Bobby Marks points out (on Twitter). That would bode well for Bairstow and Felicio, both of whom are frontcourt players.

Do you think Crawford will stick with the Bulls for the regular season? Leave a comment to tell us.