Is this a great move for either side? I feel like the Cavs would have been better off with Crawford as some bench offense in a trade with the Clips (not sure how it works salary wise). It seems like Crawford offers a lot of what Smith does and doesn't carry the risk of screwing up a game/playoff series.
J-Craw is 35 while Jr is 29
J-Craw needs the ball to be effective while Jr excels best when he spots up
J-Craw plays zero defense while Jr is capable of playing average to solid defense
Jr is a much better fit and it aint even close.
With Love said to be integrated into the offense more and Mosgov seemingly feeling more comfortable on offense, is Smith really going to be happy with the number of shots he gets?
Well he did just re-sign after becoming a FA so I'd imagine he is perfectly happy with his role.
oh god my favorite "not a cavs fan" returns with their completely unbiased and independent views on a random team
As always when some counters your points with common sense and logic, call him a Cavs fan. Would have thought you learnt from the Klove saga by now. Oh well
The thing is you only post about the cavs and it always undeniably pro-cavs. You post on no other team and then insult everyone's intelligence by claiming you are not a Cavs fan. That is the part that is annoying. I have tons of respect for some of the fans of other teams we have of other teams on here, particularly one's that can you give you a balanced view of the teams they support.
foulweatherfan and MJohnnyboy just talked about how this was a great move. Arent you going to accuse them of being pro-cavs?? I mean c'mon they actually had the audacity to engage their brains and come to an un-biased opinion.
Zubi... I don't how much simpler I can explain this to you. The two posters you mentioned comment on lots of other topics and threads and tons of stuff about Celtics. I respect their opinions and contributions to the blog.
You on the other hand have only posted on Lebron, Kevin Love and Jr Smith threads and at that, in an extremely flattering pro-cavs manner while often taking on a very condescending attitude towards the Celtics posters. I was originally curious as to why you did this, and it would be fine if you just said you were a cavs fan and enjoyed talking about them (with some good natured trash talk mixed in). It got a bit annoying when you claimed you were not a fan of the Cavs and only hear to dispel the stupid celtics fans that thought Kevin Love would leave and then continued with your routine.
As always, you cant argue any points about the Jr/JCraw situation with facts or logic. Same way you couldnt do so with the Klove situation.
Ever think maybe I wouldnt come off as condescending to you if you were actually capable of presenting facts or sound logic to counter my points instead of just scream as loud as possible that I am a Cavs fan.
If the facts are on your side, pound the facts into the table. If the law is on your side, pound the law into the table. If neither the facts nor the law are on your side, pound the table.
One of the greatest quotes of all time!
Zubi don't confuse my reluctance to engage with you to mean your arguments are infallible. Your stances on previous Cleveland related topics coupled with your posting history and entrenched claims that you don't like Cleveland make arguing you with you seem pretty pointless. Against my better judgement, I will respond to some of your points about why I think JR Smith COULD be a slightly worse fit for the Cavs than Jamal Crawford
1) Throughout his career he has complained about his role and shots multiple times. See some of the links I posted in my other post, however this has happened both in Denver and in New York and sometimes when he was on playoff bound times. I realized he was a perfectly good soldier in Cleveland, but it was also only for 5 months. I wouldn't completely rule out of him causing a problem over the course of the season.
2) He has a history of getting in altercations, fights and receiving technical fouls in games. In fact, he has actually been suspended twice against the Celtics in the playoffs alone. A few years back he elbowed Jason Terry in the head in the first round series. The move probably costs the Knicks a game in the playoffs and gave the Celtics life when they really did not have any. Last year his move against Crowder could have been a lot more costly if it occurred against a worthier opponent. If he is doing that stuff in playoff games that are incredibly close the two points and a possession from a flagrant foul could easily swing a game. You could also envision a scenario where an altercation gets some of his teammates involved causing further damage to the club. This is not a non-existent factor.
3) He was pretty much the only unrestricted free agent with any pedigree in the NBA for the last 4 or 5 weeks? The guys signing right now are undrafted types, very tail end of career guys like jason richardson and tayshaun prince or people with other issues (Javale MgHee). I think it is fair to raise the question of whether this was either Jr Smith or the Cavs settling for something one or both sides view as a marriage of convenience after Jr Smith could not find a more desirable role elsewhere (or more money) or the Cavs were unable to land someone they thought fit better (they briefly flirted with joe johnson).
4) I agree Crawford is a worse defender than Smith and is obviously older. I would also admit that he is a just a worse overall player. However, for what the Cavs need I think Crawford might fit in better as someone at the tail end of their career. I see a lot of risk with Smith coming back making less money than he opted out of in the middle of his career when he wont be able to put up very good stats or many shot attempts in what amounts to a contract year. I think we would be foolish to not acknowledge there are risks with Smith and for the amount of difference between what Crawford or Smith gives them as a 4th or 5th option my opinion is that it is not worth the risk.