Is it just me, or does it look like the addition of Terrance Williams and Jordan Crawford could be the biggest bang for the buck in the entire NBA this season? I look at Crawford and I see a young guy who, despite the Crawford bashing that has gone on in the press, has the athleticism, youth and basketball skills to make an impact on this team in a way that Leandro Barbosa could not. Blasphemy, you say?
On the contrary, I counter. We all know Barbosa is most effective going north and south, end to end. He’s a streaky shooter who can light it up one moment, and then go ice cold the next. Hardly an in between with Barbosa. Crawford, on the other hand, can create his own shot, and his game simply has more dimensions to it than present day Barbosa. I keep hearing that he’s not a point guard, that he’s a suspect ball handler, but I argue that Crawford is a better-than-adequate floor general when needed to step in and fill the role.
Do you want him running point 24×7? Absolutely not. But do I lose sleep with Crawford possessing the rock? Again, absolutely not.
I give Danny Ainge kudos for pulling the trigger on that trade. Sure, we lost precious frontcourt depth when Jason Collins was sent packing, but something tells me that Ainge will make the right move in shoring up the bigs. Who knows, maybe we’ll get the best out of Chris Wilcox now that he’s being counted on for more up front.
And then you have Terrance Williams – nice addition, even if the news didn’t bring down Twitter’s servers in the process. Williams, signed to a 10-day contract, has averaged 5.5 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists over 18.5 minutes per game (in two appearances), showing a virtuoso game that plays well with Boston’s small-ball roster. I would be shocked if the Celtics don’t sign him for the remainder of the season, but stranger things have happened. But with Williams, you get a player who can do so many things reasonably well that Ainge would be hard-pressed to fight anyone better at this point.
And for me, both players give the Celtics something else – an intangible that you simply can’t put your finger on.
Keep it New Kids, we’re playing better with you and we’re going to need your contributions down the stretch.