The Lakers select Joe Crawford
Not Joey Crawford the ref (although that could be hella advantageous), but a guard out of the University of Kentucky, who sported 17.9/3.6/2.1 numbers during his senior season. I'm not much on lying to our loyal readers, meaning I won't pretend to know a ton about Crawford. If anyone can put me in touch with Ashley Judd, that would be a huge help. But in the meantime, as I try to learn more of the lad's game, I can provide y'all with a few scouting/pundit takes.
DraftExpress.com
NBA.com
ESPN's Chad Ford
The official statement from the Lakers is below.
AK
LAKERS SELECT KENTUCKY GUARD JOE CRAWFORD WITH 58TH PICK IN 2008 NBA DRAFT EL SEGUNDO – The Lakers selected 6’5” guard Joe Crawford with the 58th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, it was announced today. Crawford, a 22- year-old native of Detroit, Michigan, played four seasons at the University of Kentucky, averaging 11.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 127 games (76 starts). As a senior, Crawford ranked fourth in the SEC in scoring with a team-high 17.9 points per game, scoring 20-plus points 13 times while topping 30 points on three occasions. Earning Second Team All-SEC honors from league coaches as a senior, Crawford finished his collegiate career as Kentucky’s 19th all-time leading scorer with 1,438 points while ranking seventh all-time in three-point field goals made (186).
Fairweather Fatty,
>>>From the LA Times. Speaking about Sun Yue
>>>
>>>"We're very optimistic that we can get him on the
>>>roster next year," Kupchak said.
Excellent news. For those who didn't see him in summer
league last year, I think he has a TON of potential. I think
he's a reasonably good defender. He's got excellent size
for guarding the 1 or 2, and he was fast enough to chase
down Mike Conley from behind and block his shot. If
he works on his shooting, he could be an excellent player.
>>>They are particularly interested in re-signing
>>>Sasha Vujacic, a restricted free agent.
>>>
>>>"I intend to contact him at 9:01 on Monday night,"
>>>Kupchak said.
That's good to hear. I'm guessing they offer him something
like Luke's contract - starting in the neighborhood of 4 million
per and going for 5 years. I hope he accepts it. Sasha has
improved as a player each year. If he improves as much
this year as he did last year, the machine will tear up the league.
>>>The Lakers are also interested in re-signing Turiaf,
>>>a restricted free agent.
It sounds like they interpreted Ronny's exit interview the
same way I did and expect him to want to stay. I hope they
don't lowball him on their offer. I'd like to see the Lakers
keep BOTH Braveheart AND The Machine
Go Lakers!
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | June 27, 2008 at 09:55 AM
Charles,
>>>Memphis sends Miller Draft Beer, Some Chunky Love,
>>>a Priest and a Player.
>>>
>>>Minnesota sends Orange Juice - Mayonnaise, Some
>>>Chunky Walker, 6' 7" Fido Dido and a Player.
ROTFL.
Nice.
When I did the original post, I was going to say something like
"Mayo is nice to spread on bread, but Mayo ain't the best thing
since sliced bread... if ya know what I mean."
But It didn't come out sounding as funny as I wanted. You
did a much better take on the whole thing.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | June 27, 2008 at 09:59 AM
So let me see. Where does that put the Lakers hypothetical
roster for next season:
C - Bynum, Mihm, [MBenga?]
PF - Gasol, Odom, [Turiaf]
SF - Ariza, Walton, Radmanovic
SG - Bryant, [Vujacic], Karl ?, Crawford
PG - Fisher, Farmar, [Yue]
Note that I put Odom as a sixth man PF, since I think Ariza
will be a better defender and a better outside shooter than
Lamar, and will eventually be the starting SF. If Odom
starts at SF, then move Rad over to the list of backup PFs.
I think they'll have no problem bringing Yue to the Association.
He's more potential than performance so far so he doesn't
have some huge contract that will be hard to buy out of.
I think they had a second year on Coby's contract, but I
could be wrong.
If the Lakers do sign/re-sign Sasha, Ronny, Coby, and Sun,
then that only leaves one spot open. If the Lakers can
persuade someone like Artest or Posey to sign on, that
might fill it up. If not, then maybe a big with some experience
(MBenga? Kwame? PJ Brown?) or maybe leave the roster
spot open.
I think Joe Crawford only makes the squad if they lose
Sasha or if they don't have Coby Karl for another season
and he signs with another team.
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | June 27, 2008 at 10:11 AM
BTW, the situation is perfect for Sun Yue. He's a bit like
Bynum was when he came into the league - young with a
lot of potential, but probably needs a year or two (or three) to
develop. It's possible that he could turn out to be a bust, but
it's also possible that he could be verrrrrry impressive in a
couple of years.
The good thing is, there's nothing expected of Sun in the
short term. He's in the same situation Critter was in last
season. He can learn from a solid veteran PG in Fish, play
a few minutes here and there and work on his game. As
his skills improve next season he'll get more minutes.
And every time Fisher misses a shot or Farmar turns the
ball over, five bloggers here will be screaming that they
should put in Sun Yue. :-)
Posted by: Long Time Laker Fan | June 27, 2008 at 10:29 AM
Fairweather Fatty,
"The NBA, "Where no talented, non-gifted athletes can get amazing contracts"
That's a great line, put me as a driver seat on this new bandwagon motto for all aspiring GM's out there.
I suspect being a player, it is a job where there is employer and employee relationship. In an office setting where u lack talents, u lack production but u have the highest IQ among ur peers. What is the best strategy in getting to the top of the hierarchy without really trying? A**Kissing.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | June 27, 2008 at 10:54 AM
TRUST ME ON THIS ONE....THIS IS AN AMAZING PICK IF THEY LET HIM DEVELOPE. I'LL EQUIVOCATE THIS 2 MANU GINOBILI WHO WAS ALSO THE 58TH PICK IN THE DRAFT. TRUST ME ON THIS, I TALKED WITH JORDAN FARMAR (college buddy) AND HE SAID THAT THE STAFF DIDNT CARE ABOUT THIS PICK SO THEY WERE AIMING TO GET A MANU GINOBILI TYPE TALENT
Posted by: guru | June 27, 2008 at 06:23 PM
joe crawford at best could end up being a chris duhon bench type of player but odds are he'll be out of the league in a year or two...jamont gordon, bryce taylor or devon jefferson each could've played a good role in our future for the same cash, not a 'huge' mistake thats going to scar us but a mistake nonetheless...
Posted by: cid | June 27, 2008 at 09:40 PM
sun yue isnt packed with potential!! dude is about to be 23 years old and averaged around 13 ppg in the aba!! not the pac 10, not the acc but the aba...yes that aba!! he did average around 10 apg but also over 3.5 tpg!! over 3 turnovers in the aba!! come on Mitch, i cant understand why the lakers wouldnt take Jamont Gordon, can you imagine him and Farmar runnin the break for your bench!! Gordon is 6'4 230 and he averaged 17 ppg, 5apg plus 6.6 rpg!! ask the number 1 pick in the 08 draft about Gordon, he'll tell you that Jamont dropped 21 points, 11 boards and 5 assist on him in the second round!! the lakers and the rest of the NBA passed up on a super steal!!
Posted by: cid | June 27, 2008 at 09:54 PM
We need more homegrown talent so I hope Joe(y) Crawford works out, even if he has to sit on the pine a lot. Sun Yue, I hope I'm wrong on this but adding him would just make us more "skilled" but not the toughness we need for the playoffs and beyond.
I hate to say it but sometimes this Laker team reminds me of the '02 Sacto Kings -- a bunch of Euros who wilted under pressure.
Don't get me wrong, I love the Lakers no matter who plays for them. I think that this current team's defining moment will come next season when they prove me and the whole league wrong they're not just a bunch of soft Euros surrounding the best player in the NBA in Kobe Bryant.
The good thing is that if the bench stays intact, i.e. Sasha and Ronny are resigned, then another year of playing together makes them that much better. Then we get Bynum back at full-strength and Ariza at full-speed, this should be enough to put the Lakers back in contention next year. I was kinda hoping they would deal for Richard Jefferson, though, but I guess that's another story. I hear James Posey's a free agent, I wonder if he'll resign with the Celtics although the Lakers could really use him with the mid-level.
Posted by: PurpleMagic | June 28, 2008 at 09:33 AM
A few things I thought I would add about Joe Crawford:
1. While he did stay in school for 4 years, during his freshman season at UK he left the team for a very brief period due to a perceived lack of playing time. In a few days he returned to the team and never had anything bad to say the rest of his time in Lexington.
2. He did play on the same squad with Rondo for 2 seasons at Kentucky but during both years Rondo was clearly the star of that class. Even more so when the seniors graduated and Randolph Morris and Kelenna Azubuike left for the NBA draft. Until Morris returned midway through the season Rondo led the team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. He showed during that stretch how capable he was at leading a team and that translated big for the Celtics this year.
Posted by: Madbee | June 28, 2008 at 11:05 AM
i believe joe is underestimated and if given the chance will make some noise.
Posted by: bob | June 29, 2008 at 10:20 AM
O.K., I guess I need to put all of you up on game about SG Joe Crawford.
First and foremost, he played SG at Kentucky, not small forward. Secondly, he's extremely talented and would have been a first round pick had he not been held in check by Tubby Smith. Under Tubby Smith, who had the braces on his game, Crawford wasn't allow to play outside the constraints of Tubby's big man offense, where the big guy was the first option. Under coach Billy G (Gillispie), Crawford started off slowly to embracing the new coach and his coaching style, which had him on the bench and coming into games to score 20 or more points.
Crawford would eventually become the outstanding player, he is, and lead Kentucky in scoring, shooting percentage, minutes played, as well become the best defensive player on the time.
Crawford, along with Ramel Bradley, is a winner, simply put. He can flat out play the game of basketball. He'll make the Lakers team and have all you doubter eating your words, like coach Billy Gillispie, who was down on Crawford at the beginning of the year, but sanged his praises at the end of it. Crawford, along with overlooked PG Ramel Bradley, lead the Kentucky Wildcats into the NCAA tournament for four straight seasons. If you're a true basketball fan, and not some 'I only watch pro games type of person,' then you know the story behind Kentucky's past season, where the team started out not being considered for the NCAA tournament to winning 12 conference games and making it to the NCAA tournament to only lose by 5 points to Maquette. In that game, Mr. Crawford, who I had the pleasure of meeting at 'The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament,' showcased his outstanding all-around game by scoring 35 points, while playing outstanding defense on SG Dominic James.
So, for all you doubters and non-believers, Joe Crawford is an excellent pick by the Lakers. In my opinion, he should have went in the first round or within the top ten picks of the second round, because he's a hard worker, an outstanding scorer, possesses a great will to win attitude, and willingness to get better, which was evidence in his senior season, where the Kentucky Wildcats were written-off by everyone except true Wildcat fans, Joe Crawford, and Ramel Bradley.
Posted by: DaSharee | June 30, 2008 at 07:02 AM
LISTEN UP LAKER FANS!! I live in Indiana but originaly from Kentucky... to make this easy... Joe is an all around better player than Eric Gordon ive seen them both play plenty of times and i would take Joe over Gordan everyday of the week.... Gordon got to play his game at Indiana.. Kentucky put Joe in shackles.... But joe has had an NBA body since he was in high school... he can shoot the 3 no matter whos on him he WILL get the shot off... he can dunk with the best of them (CHECK OUT YOUTUBE!!!!) Hes got passion... hes a winner..... cant wait till he proves all of you wrong... PEACE
Posted by: patrick | June 30, 2008 at 08:16 AM
i don't see Crawford making the team. he is not quick enough, doesn't play good defense, and can't handle the ball that well. a wasted draft pick.
Posted by: george987789 | July 19, 2008 at 03:07 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2bqKk2f4lM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiVWFDaRvDY&NR=1
Joe will make excellent bench player for LA. He does not have excellent speed but he worked very hard under Coach Billy Gillespie during Joe's senior season to become an outstanding perimeter defender.
Offensively, Joe will do perfectly fine; Joe has had an NBA-style body & game ever since high school. This guy was a McDonald's All American in high school, rated higher than Rajon Rondo. Joe did struggle under Tubby Smith, just like Rondo who left b/c of Smith's restrictive offensive scheme.
Also I would like to note that while KY def had a down year this past year, in part due to losing Rondo early, Azabuke early and Randolph Morris early, all to NBA, Joe definitely shined especially in the 2nd half of the season. One thing to note is that Patrick Patterson, UK's vaunted freshman PF went down at the end of the season. This left Joe Crawford, with Ramel Bradley as the only offensive threats. Teams constantly doubled Joe and ran trick defensive schemes at him, yet Joe was able to still score at will. Watch Joe's final collegiate game vs. Marquette. Also Joe battled plantar fascitis the whole season, the kid played in pain and fought thru. You guys got a real steal here.
Posted by: Clark Baird | July 19, 2008 at 06:50 PM
Joe Crawford will get a roster spot on the Lakers Roster and his natural position is the shooting guard but you can put him at the point guard because of his great passing and ball handling skills. The Lakers could also go small by putting him at small forward since they don't have a decent small forward and since Lamar Odom ain't doing to well at that position!!!!
Posted by: Kentucky Wildcat Fan | October 12, 2008 at 10:23 AM