We Barely Know You, but We Know you too Well: A Letter to Jordan Crawford

Apr 28, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics shooting guard Jordan Crawford (27) dribbles the ball against New York Knicks during game four of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Dear Jordan,

As you know, we haven’t spent a complete season together on the Celtics’ side of things. But from my time spent with the Washington Wizards, I know you too well. When you were traded to Boston, honestly, it felt like a nightmare.

People told me that you were going to perform well, and I genuinely hoped that you would. I thought that Doc Rivers was going to be the punch in the chest that you needed to stay on a straight line.

Of course, you’ve never had character issues before. You are just a competitor and you want to play every chance you get. You didn’t take losing your starting position to Nick Young to last season. Once John Wall returned to the Wizards, you lost your starting status again.

You didn’t take it well, and Randy Wittman had enough. You were put in his doghouse and subsequently traded to the Celtics for a guy who wouldn’t crack the rotation and one that tore his ACL.

That showed the world what the Wizards thought about you. I thought that you would come to Boston with a chip on your shoulder and be prepared to take another step into becoming that great player that you want to be. Unfortunately, this season we did not see that from you.

You have a PER of only 12.0 with the Celtics–which is terrible. You shot 42% from the floor and 32% from three while only scoring 9.1 points per contest. You, unfortunately, held up to your reputation as a player who doesn’t contribute much more than volume shots and no efficiency.

Well, maybe not. Some people are going to think of you as a trouble maker now because of the incident that you had with Carmelo Anthony in these playoffs. However, Jordan, I know how you are. I know from experience that you are a good person at heart and you only want to win.

I know that the STEEZ label that you carry on your back is what you identify to, and I appreciate that. “Who else gone shoot” was one of my favorite things from this season, honestly. I still believe that you have a lot to contribute to the Celtics and I think they may think so too.

You have to work on your decision making on the floor as a scorer and work on taking better shots. You can be a force in this league in whatever role you play–don’t get discouraged because you are coming off of the bench.

And finally, Jordan, just remember these words: “Who else gone shoot?”