Javaris Crittenton

[magician09]

I'm a Magic fan and was wondering what the status is on Javaris Crittenton?

My reason being is that the Magic were very interested in him last Summer and still need a third point guard and with the additions of Foye and Miller and a returning Arenas, suddenly the Wizards backcourt is very crowded. What are the odds that he sticks with your team?

Any information would be helpful. Thanks

[closg00]

Javaris is a nice guy & hard worker, but after watching his game for a bit now, I can see why the guy hasn't been a keeper for other teams; when you need him to be, he isn't money when a shot has to be made, in-fact, he avoids shooting the ball &t isn't a particularly good passer.

Bottom-line, he isn't a good back-up PG point-blank, only passable. So yes you can make Orlando his 4th stop in the NBA. Thanks!

[GhostsOfGil]

your a magic fan with a lebron avatar? worst. fan. ever.

[GhostsOfGil]

Javaris is a nice guy & hard worker, but after watching his game for a bit now, I can see why the guy hasn't been a keeper for other teams; when you need him to be, he isn't money when a shot has to be made, in-fact, he avoids shooting the ball &t isn't a particularly good passer.

Bottom-line, he isn't a good back-up PG point-blank, only passable. So yes you can make Orlando his 4th stop in the NBA. Thanks!

+1.
he is a very good penetrator, below average finisher, with below average court vision. he only made one three point shot as a wizard and it was a ridiculously lucky shot at the buzzer. lacks confidence in his mid range shot and rarely hits it on a consistent basis. extremely good athleticism, but rarely gets to the line. also, isnt a great free throw shooter.

[MJG]

Crittenton isn't very good. Outside of his rebounding, I can't think of a single other thing he does especially well. He had plenty of opportunities to impress, especially post-all-star break, but rarely did.

I mean, he's not an awful player. There are worse guys to have as your fifth guard. And he's just 21, so if he could improve by say 25% over the next three or four years, then he'd start to look like a really solid backup.

But, it's also kind of easy to picture him making marginal improvements at best, never really amounting to much. He could stick around for awhile while never really doing anything, like a Devin Brown or Anthony Johnson. Or, he could wind up out of the league in a few years; not hard to imagine at all.

I don't know what the team is actually planning with him, but I think I'd be willing to pretty much sell him off, maybe give him to an under-the-cap team for a second rounder or something like that. We'd save about $3 million this year, and probably sell the pick for another $1 million in the summer.

[closg00]

When you look at Javrais's game, you wonder what possessed him to leave college-hoops early, I believe he left after his freshman year. It was must have been a really weak year for PG's when he came out. There is too-much talent out there better than Crit who aren't in the NBA, I think Crit is done after his stint with us.

ps Bring Mike Taylor here for Crits spot, he is unemployed and waay better.

[verbal8]

I see some similarities between Crittenton and Stevenson. They have a different style Stevenson outside shooting SG and Crittention is more of a slashing PG.

They both entered the NBA early and are both roughly the same size. Their production at 21 was pretty similar. Stevenson made a big jump the year he was 22. If Crittenton can do that, then I think he may stick with the Wizards(or be valuable trade bait).

It is a little odd that Crittenton has been such a bad FT shooter in the pros. He was a 78% FT shooter in his college season.

[FreeBalling]

Nice kid but he's lost on the court all the time, just watch him play.

He's fast if that helps.

[nate33]

He does have the makings of a pretty good defender. He still makes occasional mistakes due to inexperience, but the length, athleticism, reflexes and effort are there. He could carve out a niche as a defensive backup PG - sort of like Earl Watson or Kyle Lowry.

[Dat2U]

ps Bring Mike Taylor here for Crits spot, he is unemployed and waay better.

Agreed. Mike Taylor is a complete blur with the ball. Definitely one of the fastest players in the league end-to-end. His problem is much like Critt's. Decision making and driving himself into a wall of defenders. But Taylor is more explosive although his frame is slighter than Critt's.

However the reason Taylor doesn't have a job and Critt still does is likely the baggage that comes with Taylor. In Vegas, I watched nearly all of the Clips games and he's definitely a complainer. He bitched incessantly to the officials and his body language wasn't great at times. But he's definitely a raw talent capable of playing and excelling in the league.

Everyone before me in this thread pretty much nailed Critt's outlook. He's got a ways to go before he's even a solid backup. I like his work ethic & demeanor but the lack of a reliable jumper & solid court vision is a real bad combination for a guard to have.

[closg00]

Have the Wiz picked-up their option on Javarais already? It's possible we let him walk,

[hands11]

Have the Wiz picked-up their option on Javarais already? It's possible we let him walk,

Young
Quick
Great coast to coast fast breaks
solid personality
focused
mature

And he is signed cheep. Why in the world would you want him to walk.

I'm a fan of this kid and I'm glad he is still on the team. I fully expect him to focus on being a defensive stopper and fast break spark while he works on his shot. He is only going to get better with this set of players and coaches.

This more like a SA organization then the old Wizards. We are loading up primary and secondary talent.

This is about as good as it gets for a team who is ready to go on a run. We are loaded and balanced with age and talent at every position.

[REDardWIZskin]

This is a good sign..

Flip Saunders
"I think what we've done by picking up Randy and Mike and the other guys and then Javaris [Crittenton], how he's picked up; we've given ourselves a situation if [Arenas is] sore, he can sit out."

Read about how he was working out with Cassel and working to improve his jumpshot earlier in the summer. I like him too he's got things you can't teach like size and athleticism especially for a pg. I think he could be useful most of all when we dump James's 6 milli next season

[nate33]

Man, I wish I could believe all this hype. Unfortunately, everybody allegedly improves in the offseason. We'll just have to wait and see.

[closg00]

Man, I wish I could believe all this hype. Unfortunately, everybody allegedly improves in the offseason. We'll just have to wait and see.

Agree 100%, there is no there-there with Crit. The skills you want in a back-up PG Crit doesn't have...period.

[doclinkin]

Man, I wish I could believe all this hype. Unfortunately, everybody allegedly improves in the offseason. We'll just have to wait and see.

Damning with faint praise but our SummerLeague squad could do nothing when JCritt was off the floor. He's got a good read on the offensive principles already, making Nick Young in particular look good when playing off the ball. JCritt was directing traffic and telling Nick which patterns to run. The ability to translate coaching into game play will give him a better chance to play than would a better jumper. If Flip likes his attitude, and if he plays all-out pressing defense, then coaches will find a role for him at points. And working with Sammy on dirty tricks sure won't hurt him in the long run.

Safe money would suggest Gil won't play every game this season, even if Flip has to chain him to the bench for a game or two as a precautionary measure. Foye has been nibbled by the injury bug at times, may need a breather as well. While Mike James is a lock for the clubhouse leader in the DNP-CD numbers, Crit may actually earn a few on-court minutes on merit here and there. Lindsey Hunter played critical minutes for Flip as a no-mistake defensive effort guy. The team has enough scorers that a change-of-emphasis Point Guard can find a role when the starters are not needed. Hold a lead, earn minutes during back-to-backs and long road trips.

Critt's study habits are his biggest asset. (He keeps his own video library, breaks down film obsessively late nights). It's a complex offense, the quicker you can pick it up the earlier you'll play. Crit had a head start on everybody, was the first to work directly with Flip and Sammy, had the point role to himself in Summercamp. Got to figure if there's an opportunity he'll get a fair chance to audition for an understudy role and showcase how closely he's been listening. Certainly guarding a healthy Gil face-up in practice will have to sharpen his defensive skills.

We have scorers, few two-way players, the team may have to mix and match to get a the right balance. If he commits to defense first then Critt adds a dimension not duplicated by other players on the roster.

[dobrojim]

I have to say I'm def more optimistic about this kid than the general
consensus on the board. That said, I won't be shocked if he never
really makes an impact in the league.

But I like his physical tools for a PG. His flaws are either fixable
with work or with experience. No guarantees, but it could happen.
Or not. We'll see.

[Dat2U]

Damning with faint praise but our SummerLeague squad could do nothing when JCritt was off the floor.

While true, that had as much to do with the players behind Critt than Critt himself. Were talking about Tyrese Rice (aka Juan Dixon lite) & Twain McKee who looked absolutely lost on the court and completely overmatched.

[wizards-fan]

Young
Quick
Great coast to coast fast breaks
solid personality
focused
mature

And he is signed cheep.

Don't forget "size." 6-5 200 with quick feet, he should be able to adequately handle bigger guards. I would also add "hungry." The guy was playing with heart last year when everyone else was just going through the motions. I saw a guy that was competing, trying to win the 5-minute stretch that he was on the floor. I'm a fan. I'm glad to hear Flip mention his name.

[montestewart]

Consider also the Wizards might not have been the best situation for a young player to come into last year, with so many questions (many of them long lingering) about rotations and substitution patterns and palying time. Whether he's got it or not, I'm hoping that Saunders style of leadership makes expectations on both sides clear enough. I agree about him playing with heart.