Remember when Jordan Crawford said, “I feel like I can be better than Michael Jordan.”? Well, that didn’t happen this year.

He’s everybody’s (least) favorite gunner. He’s Jordan Crawford. And here are James Straton, Ben Mehic, and Christopher Cook with the Jordan Crawford “Player Profile”.

—

James Straton

If you follow the Wizards, you knew something was going to be peculiar about the team, and specifically, about Jordan Crawford. On a team constructed with no legitimate scoring threats, the shots had to come from somewhere. You bet your behind that those shots were going to come from Crawford. And they did. They had to.

Jordan Crawford’s 2012 campaign was historic and it all started with an innocent desire for greatness when Crawford explained his bio on twitter, which says he is “On A Mission to become the GREATEST!!!!!!” Crawford told inquisitive reporters, “I don’t tell nobody, but I feel like I can be better than Michael Jordan.” Some wondered if he was referring to the Wizards’ version of MJ, which many NBA fans pretend never happened. Does Crawford want to pretend this season never happened? Maybe.

In order to be better than MJ, you have to start breaking records, winning titles, and putting your name amongst the greats. Crawford certainly did some of that, but not in the way that would make him the best. In February, while John Wall was seemingly hitting his stride as a pro, Crawford was only hitting rims. He was on pace to have one of the worst shooting seasons in NBA history. In 2012, Crawford became the first player since 1972, and the only player since the advent of the three-pointer, to shoot the ball over 13 times a game in less than 28 minutes, and hit less than 40.5%. On the bright side, the list of players to also accomplish this feat includes all-timers such as Bob Cousy and Dolph Schayes. Crawford was just putting his name amongst the greats. He was chasing MJ. This is step one. Only Crawford knows what step two is.

Source: basketball-reference.com

Of course, a lot of Crawford’s weak shooting can be attributed to the fact that the Wizards’ offense often broke down, forcing him to chuck up a Kobe-esque attempt. This season was a strong learning experience for every Wizard, but I worry that Crawford’s shooting habits will not dissipate when more capable players come along. If Crawford’s desire is to be MJ, he likely won’t take a minimized role well. Unfortunately, for this team to be successful, he will have to.

I’ve yet to mention Crawford’s best asset, his lack of self-awareness. There is value in a guy who can get white hot off the bench and thinks he is going to make every shot he takes. Blissful ignorance is in high demand. There is a reason the Clippers saw value in Nick Young. Young thinks he’s a lot better than he really is, and that makes the possibility of three straight three-pointers to start a gargantuan comeback in the playoffs a possibility. In the playoffs, Young has logged minute totals of 24, 24, 18, 18, 12, and 16. Vinny Del Negro knows very quickly whether or not Nick Young is going to be good Nick Young or bad Nick Young. That is how the Wizards want to treat Crawford, especially since second team playmaking is (hopefully) taken care of by Shelvin Mack.

It’s hard not to consider this season a disappointment for Crawford. For every game he shot over 50%, there were five more in which he shot under. You can’t brand a 39.4% career shooter as a hibachi-lite, off the bench menace when he showed little improvement from year to year. Due to Crawford’s favorable rookie contract, it is certain he will have at least another year to prove whether or not he can be the force off the bench an NBA team could use. Based upon his first two seasons, he’s not yet that type of guy.

Grade: C-

—

Ben Mehic

While finishing the 210-2011 NBA season, Jordan Crawford appeared to show flashes of his subtle brilliance. During his rookie campaign, Crawford scored a career high 39 points against Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. In the following game, Crawford had his first career triple-double against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Crawford’s second year in the league wasn’t been great, but definitely could have been better. Washington lacks players that can create their own shot, and as of right now, Crawford is virtually the only player on the team that can do just that. His shot selection at the beginning of the season was absolutely atrocious. Dribbling until the shot clock expired while finally shooting the basketball from way beyond his range was a common occurrence for Crawford. As time went on, Crawford appeared to improve his shot selection. Attacking the basket and not settling for jump shots was the key for him. Crawford went on to score 20 points in seven consecutive games, which is something no Wizard had accomplished since Antawan Jamison.

If Crawford continues to improve playing within the offense, he can become a true piece to Washington’s puzzle. Even though Crawford has gained some notoriety for his scoring ability, he does possess the talent to make the occasional flashy pass too, and he is a lot more versatile than given credit for.

But is Crawford a starting shooting guard, or is he just another spark off the bench? Those are questions Crawford needs to address with his play on the court next season. Cutting his high volume of ill-advised shots can help him answer some of the questions.

And if the Wizards do indeed intend on drafting Bradley Beal in next month’s draft of Florida, Crawford is in serious danger of losing his starting role. I liked the way Crawford finished out the season by showing some his versatility and more of that is needed for next season.

Grade: C

—

Christopher Cook

Jordan Crawford is a bit of an enigma for me. There are times when I love him as he drills three-pointer after three-pointer and is throwing flashy passes. Then there are times when I scratch my head at some of the decisions he makes. As I noted in my post about the Wizards’ season in numbers, Jordan Crawford was the only player to attempt over 800 field goals while playing less than 28 minutes per game. Depending on how you look at it, you could say that Crawford’s shooting percentage makes him one of the worst jump-shooters in the league. Crawford takes too many shots that don’t come in the flow of the offense and if he makes two shots in a row, everyone in the building knows he is going to shoot on the next trip down the court. All that being said, Crawford’s 40% from the field this year is better than the 38% he shot last year. His three-point percentage increased by three-percent as well.

However, when Crawford isn’t scoring there isn’t a whole lot else that he contributes. He runs the floor okay and he gives a good effort every night, but I don’t think he can be a starter on a playoff team if the Wizards get to that point. I’d like to see him come off the bench next year and play with the same fire that he did this year, and give the Wizards’ second unit the scoring they need. Of course, if the Wizards can’t find a more consistent player to start at shooting guard, we’ll likely see Crawford as a starter again.

My grade for Crawford in 2011-2012: C

He didn’t make the progress that I expected this year and still take a lot of bad shots. He needs to be more selfless on the court so the Wizards can grow as a team. If he figures that out, he will be a key component to the Wizards’ rebuilding plan.

Player Profile: Jordan Crawford - Wiz of Awes - Wiz of Awes - A Washington Wizards Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

How could we forget about Brian Cook?

While many Wizards fans have already deleted him from their memories, we here at Wiz of Awes have not.

Tommy Glasgow took the time to re-live the “Brian Cook experience” one more time with me.

—

Kevin Hine

Oh, Brian Cook.

I never thought Brian Cook was a good NBA player and I never thought he would help the Wizards when he was acquired at the trade deadline. In fact, I thought there was a really good chance that he would receive a buyout upon his arrival to D.C.

Make no mistake about it, he was not productive for the Wizards, but for some reason, Brian Cook became one of my favorite terrible players in professional sports.

Whether he was going coast-to-coast in a real NBA game or shooting line-drive shots from behind the three-point line that closely resembled a dart being thrown, he was entertaining. And for those few productive moments — as well the funny moments — I have to give Brian Cook a C- grade for his 16 game stint with the Wizards.

Cook wasn’t in Ernie Grunfeld’s long-term “plan” when he acquired him from the Clippers at the deadline; he was merely a throw-in to match salaries. And as a free agent this summer, Cook will try to find an NBA home elsewhere — because it won’t come in Washington. Whether or not he signs somewhere, I don’t know. But I hope we haven’t seen the last of the experience that is Brian Cook.

—

Tommy Glasgow

A complete afterthought in the Nene deal, Brian Cook wasn’t asked to do much this year for the Wizards. The ideal scenario would be if Cook were to come in, stretch the floor a little bit with his three-ball, grab some rebounds and not be too much of a liability with his post defense. Perhaps in his excitement over getting minutes with the Wiz, Brian Cook was a little too trigger-happy with his line drive shot when he got here. That and he often got abused out of position in the paint when he tried to post up. But it’s hard to hate on Brian. This is a veteran guy who had played most of his career on the other side of the country and had the option of taking a buy out to hopefully play elsewhere. Instead he opted to embrace the opportunity to get some playing time on a bottom dweller and hang out with his pal Mo Evans a lot.

Speaking of Evans, he’s a good representation of perhaps what Ernie Grunfeld thought he was getting in Brian Cook. Maybe he’d be a “veteran presence” or “finesse player” or hopefully just a “glue guy.” Cook was just kind of… there. He was like 50% of what vets like Mason, Evans and Singleton were. Brian Cook would hit timely shots (like the win over the Bulls), but never the sort of back-breakers Roger Mason was capable of making. On the other side of the spectrum: Brian Cook would get beat on defense, but never in the irreversibly terrible way that McGee did. Off the court, Cook was never praised for his mentoring work with the young guys the way James Singleton was, but he wasn’t a locker room cancer either. When four Wizards big-men were out with injuries, Cook helped out the best way he knew how: volume shooting no-arc jumpers. That’s his game and he’s sticking to it. We just needed a little bit more from him.

And since he was slightly below my already poor expectations, Brian Cook gets a D+ for his half season with the Wizards.

Player Profile: Brian Cook - Wiz of Awes - Wiz of Awes - A Washington Wizards Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Next up in our Player Profiles is fan favorite, Trevor Booker.

William Stokes and Tom Glasgow joined me to analyze “Cook Book”.

—

Kevin Hine

Let me to start off by saying that I’m hardly objective when it comes to Trevor Booker; I love him. But I’ll try my best to be unbiased.

This season Trevor Booker’s minutes, points, and rebounds per game all improved, and we saw “Cook Book” improve his mid-range jumper. It was a very good season for the lovable Trevor Booker. However, he missed the final month of the season for the second time in as many years, this time due to plantar fasciitis. But I won’t hold any “injury-prone” concerns against him. I just don’t think they’re legitimate.  The only thing keeping me from giving him an “A” grade is his free-throw percentage. So I’ll give him a B+.

As a second-year player his free-throw percentage dropped from 67.3% as a rookie to 60.2% this season. Given his improvements in his mid-range game, you’d have to think improvements from the free-throw line are right around the corner for Trevor. That low percentage from the line is a concern, but I’m confident it will improve.

Going forward I’m extremely excited about Booker. Back in March, James Straton wrote a great piece on Trevor Booker and what his ceiling is. One comparison he made — and one that I agree with — is Udonis Haslem.

Whether or not Booker is a long-term starter, I don’t know, but to be honest, it doesn’t matter to me.

With the development of Kevin Seraphin and Jan Vesely, and the acquisition of Nene, there’s no pressure on Booker to be a starter. And to be honest I think his best fit is as a high-energy forward off the bench right now anyway.

Either way he’s a vital piece on this roster and he’s a player that can be a contributor on a contending Wizards team in the future.

—

William Stokes

Trevor Booker was one of the few bright spots during the Wizards’ season. He was one of the most consistent players throughout the season and showed a huge improvement from last year. Out of Wizards that played at least 50 games, Booker led the team in defensive efficiency and was in the top three in both blocks and steals, and anyone watching Wizards games could see the effectiveness of his defense.

The decrease of his shooting percentage by 1.8-percent is a bit of a red herring because it was clearly a result of the diversification of his offensive game. He remains a fantastic finisher, converting 72% around the rim. He improved his jumper tremendously. He went from converting on 18% of his shots from 16 to 23 feet away from the basket to converting on 34% this year. On a Wizards team sorely lacking for shooters, Booker provided the mid-range support that they needed.

But the most important thing Booker brings to the team is his constant motor. He never stopped playing hard, even when the losing culture and lack of discipline would have given him every excuse to mentally check out. When the Wizards came back from down 21 to beat the Lakers in one of their signature wins of the year, Booker was the driving factor with the second highest plus-minus on the team and easily the most well-rounded stat sheet of the game with 18 points and 17 rebounds.

Booker’s improvement this year has some comparing him to Udonis Haslem. I really hope this is true and Booker develops into a player of his caliber, but he definitely has weaknesses in his second year that Haslem did not. Booker regressed from his rookie year totals in FT% and TOV%. The decrease in FT% is particularly troubling because his focus on an inside game means he goes to the line a lot. Booker went to the line the third most of all Wizards, but was 15th in FT% on the team. If Booker improves his FT% this offseason, he will become much more dangerous. Also, while Booker improved his jump shot this season, it still hasn’t reached Haslem levels of effectiveness. He needs to improve his jump shot a bit more while taking more of them away from the hoop to open up space.

Next year is a critical year for Booker. He definitely greatly improved this year, but next year will be key to see whether he can be a starter. If he can markedly improve his jump shot this off-season, the Wizards could find themselves with a frontcourt of Nene and Booker who can space the floor with a mid-range shot to make up for a lack of outside shooting at the guard positions. If he only shows marginal improvement, the Wizards should look to either the Seraphin or Vesely as their long term starter at the power forward spot. That said, Booker’s improved jumper and constant energy overwhelms most of his negatives this season. When the Wizards become competitive again, they will need someone who thrives in crunch time and never stops playing no matter the deficit. And regardless of whether he starts or not, someone with Booker’s energy and intensity will be an important part of this team going forward.

Grade for this season: B+

—

Tommy Glasgow

There’s a reason why Trevor Booker cemented himself as a fan favorite this year. His non-stop motor, intensity and physicality are just infectious whenever he’s on the floor. I mean how could you not love a guy who put up 18 points and 17 rebounds in a victory over the Lakers and then gives an interview with blood running down his face? Fans were clamoring for him to be put into the starting lineup early on because his attitude is in such stark contrast to the soft and jovial demeanor of Blatche, Young, and McGee.

When “Cook Book” was eventually named a starter, he didn’t disappoint. He showcased a sweet mid-range jumper that was honed all summer and made him a great pick-and-pop compliment to Wall. Plus, with increased minutes we got to see nearly twice as many hard picks and left-handed slams from our favorite undersized power forward. In many ways Trevor embodies the type of team the Wizards seem to be developing: a team-first group of young men who will hustle on defense and kill you in transition offensively.

Unfortunately, Booker must have come down a little too hard on that left foot following some put-back slams. It’s a shame that his plantar fascitis hit when it did because it prevented us from really evaluating how he performs next to Nene. The two played just four games together all season; which left some unanswered questions. Can two undersized guys coexist on the front line for Washington? Where does Seraphin fit in? Who’s going to snag the rebounds?

Whether his role next year is coming off the bench or imposing his will from the game’s onset, Booker will continue to bring the same toughness every game. I want to give Cook Book higher marks but I cant look past the big chunk of games he missed to conclude the season. Trevor gets a solid “B” for Booker.

Player Profile: Trevor Booker - Wiz of Awes - Wiz of Awes - A Washington Wizards Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More