Jordan Crawford Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans Notes: Cousins, Davis, Crawford

March 9th, 2017 at 8:52pm CST by Milo Taibi

The Pelicans‘ “new-look” roster is struggling, Justin Verrier of ESPN writes. While the blockbuster trade for DeMarcus Cousins brought peak national interest, the Pels currently sit 4.5 games behind Denver for the eighth seed. Anthony Davis had no answers for the team’s recent shortcomings.

“I don’t know the reason. We’re just not making shots,” Davis said. “Guys are in the gym every day practicing those shots and making those shots. But it’s not disrupting everything else we’re doing. Of course, it helps when we make them. Whoever’s shooting, if they’re open, we tell them to keep shooting. That’s the only way it’s going to help our offense.”

The team’s period of adjustment with Boogie and AD has been “jarring,” despite the modest resources the team gave up to acquire Cousins.

Pelicans Sign Jordan Crawford To 10-Day Deal

March 6th, 2017 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

3:03pm CST: The Pelicans have made their deal official, announcing they’ve signed Jordan Crawford to a 10-day contract (Twitter link). According to a team press release, Crawford will wear #4, and is available for tonight’s game against the Jazz.

12:48pm CST: The Pelicans have a newly-opened spot on their roster, and they have a specific player in mind to fill it. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter), New Orleans is eyeing D-League guard Jordan Crawford as a candidate for a 10-day contract.

While Stein’s report suggests that an agreement hasn’t necessarily been finalized yet, the Pelicans are in action tonight, with a game in Utah. If New Orleans wants Crawford to play in that game, the team will have to move quickly to officially get something done. Otherwise, Crawford could perhaps make his Pelicans debut at home on Wednesday. A deal is expected to be made official “early” this week, per Stein (Twitter link).

A former first-round pick, Crawford has appeared in 257 total NBA games for the Wizards, Celtics, Warriors, and Hawks, but hasn’t played in a regular season contest since the 2013/14 season. The 28-year-old guard has been a top scoring threat for the Grand Rapids Drive, Detroit’s D-League affiliate, this season, averaging 23.5 PPG with a .473/.355/.870 shooting line.

In the wake of the DeMarcus Cousins trade, which sent three guards to Sacramento, the Pelicans replenished their backcourt by signing Hollis Thompson, Jarrett Jack, and Reggie Williams to 10-day contracts. Thompson has since been signed to a second 10-day deal, but Jack suffered a meniscus tear and won’t be re-signed, opening up a spot for another guard. Williams’ 10-day deal expires after tonight’s game, so it remains to be seen whether he’ll stick with the franchise.

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.