Javaris Crittenton

[jmrosenth]

We have a thread dealing with the trade itself, but I'm more interested in hearing more about Crittenton. I know very little about him and don't really remember him all that much from his one year at Georgia Tech.

He's got some height, but is he a shoot-first PG? Can he defend at all? Can he shoot?

What about intangibles? Is he a hard-worker? Is he clutch? Is he a knucklehead or considered a good locker-room/teammate?

[Wizardspride]

He's very explosive going to the hoop but he's not a shooter. At least not yet.

He's more of a shoot-first PG. And as for his defense...I didn't pay any attention to that part of his game.

[Benjammin]

We have a thread dealing with the trade itself, but I'm more interested in hearing more about Crittendon. I know very little about him and don't really remember him all that much from his one year at Georgia Tech.

He's got some height, but is he a shoot-first PG? Can he defend at all? Can he shoot?

What about intangibles? Is he a hard-worker? Is he clutch? Is he a knucklehead or considered a good locker-room/teammate?

I think the first thing we need to know is his name . It is CRITTENTON, not CRITTENDON.

[fishercob]

Well you can start by spelling his last name right, Jason. Retirement has really gotten to you.

Here's what some Laker fans have had to say:

we'd like him back, to light a fire under farmar

if that tells you anything

i LOVE j critt.
in my opinion he is pure young talent. I was obviously happy in the gasol trade but i wish we never gave him up. Hes gnna be a solid pg in the leauge. Critt is a great backup for Gil .
I dont really love the idea of him going to washington only because he might not be able to reach his full potential with limited playing time. its all good though he is a hell of a player and worth the trade

\He's a talent and you're doing him a great favor by taking him out of that hell hole and away from that coach. He surely won't disappoint you.

Critt was one of my favorite players when he was here. He has loads of talent. I'm not sure what happened over in Memphis but I assume he just didn't get much of a chance at point because they invested such a high pick on conley and had Lowry to boot. Anyway, he has a lightning quick first step, great handles, great size for a pg, good passing instincts. It was a shame that we mainly used him as a sg next to Farmar on the second unit because I would have liked to see him at the point. He needs to work on his range (3pt range was limited), his decision making and his defense. But if (IF!) he fulfills all of his potential, he could be a Baron Davis type of player. Good luck with him, I'll definitely be rooting for him.

He's a solid player, let's see if I can remember back to then.

He's got great handles, can beat a lot of people off the dribble. He finishes very well around the basket.

Good athleticism, strong hands. Capable of being a good defender at the PG position in the future.

His jumpshot was the weakness of his game when he was here. He's not a great three point shooter, at least when he was here. He'll knock down the odd one, but he needs to be more consistent.

Hope that helps.

Any of our other young talent scouts have takes? CCJ, Sev, Ruz, Ed Wood, etc?

[It_Was_Typed]

From a Laker fan that saw JC get some playing time before the Pau trade;

He has size, athleticism, quickness and handles...not a consistent shooter...can overdribble at times...reminds me of a young Larry Hughes (not sure if that's a good or bad thing lol).

[MJG]

I remember not liking him at draft time, but I admit I've paid pretty much zero attention to him at the NBA level. Good to see that he has some fans.

[Wizards2Lottery]

We turned a pick that we might not have had for a few years, an aging and often injured PG into a young player with lots of potential and a player who expires in 2010 and probably won't play a lot of minutes.

I don't see how this is a bad move at all and don't understand why people are complaining.

[CourtsideTV]

Should i drop jered jeffries for critronton on fantasy? will jc be a key player off the bench for you till gil0 is back...luckily i got gil0 very late in fantasy so i cant wait till he comes back for u guys) and he's fun to watch.

[miller31time]

I definitely remember him being compared to Steve Francis, on draft day.

Point guard with a shooter's mentality. Decent handles, good quickness and acceleration, decent shooter.

Other than that, I have nothing.

[It_Was_Typed]

Should i drop jered jeffries for critronton on fantasy? will jc be a key player off the bench for you till gil0 is back...luckily i got gil0 very late in fantasy so i cant wait till he comes back for u guys) and he's fun to watch.

I can see JC starting till Gil comes back...if he plays well in Gil's absence, maybe the Wizards bench Stevenson and start him next to Gil.

[TheNewBig3]

From NBADraft.net

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/javaris-crittenton

NBA Comparison: Steve Francis
Aran Smith - 4/1/2006
Strengths: Tremendous combination of size, athleticism and playmaking ability ... Quick first step ... Excellent vision and passing skills ... His size allows him to see over defenders and make passes that the average 6-2 PG could not ... Shows great heart, very competitive. Wont back down from a challenge ... Very quick, an elite level athlete ... Loves to dunk on players ... Excellent body strength ... Rhythm shooter, with good slashing and scoring ability ... His huge hands give him excellent control of the ball ... Very unselfish player ... Excellent foot speed, overall quickness and effort makes him a tough defensive player ... Works hard to improve his game, very coachable ... Has a great attitude, confident but not cocky ...

Weaknesses: Needs to improve upon his outside shot, which is solid but can improve ... Can be too unselfish at times trying to get everyone involved when he is the top scoring option ... Can be too aggressive defensively and get caught reaching, picking up unnecessary fouls ... Needs to prove himself on the college level. Become a great decision maker and learn to lead a team on the next level ...His ability to play the point guard position is very good, but he can continue to improve upon dictating tempo and learning the nuances of the position ...

[Zin5]

Reminds me a bit of a less developed Russell Westbrook right now. Probably could have been in a similar situation that Westbrook was on draft day if he stayed another year. They both probably have similar ceilings, but Crit's got a little more work to do. Overall, you guys definitely got a steal in him. Has top 10 PG potential, but he could probably turn into at least a capable starter some day and will at least give you what Daniels did as a back up.

[GrizzledGrizzFan]

He'll be fine, in the long run. He's totally lost at the point now, though. He's acceptable at the 2. Defensively he's wholly reactionary, which makes him seem much slower that he really is. All that said, he's very young and should develop into a nice talent. Of course the Grizz's FO is too short sighted and cheap a$$ to see that through...

[BruceO]

wikipedia
Notice how fast it was updated
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javaris_Crittenton

[mhd]

Youtube Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tyv6dE8QZw

[nate33]

Youtube Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tyv6dE8QZw

He can definitely slash. He's a pretty good finisher in the lane though not as good as Arenas. Arenas will have to teach him how to draw fouls once he's in there amongst the trees.

[Soup's Uncle]

I love this move. I love young talent. We could use this year (to tank) and give all these young buds some time to blossom.

[yungal07]

Like I said in the trade thread, anyone who gets drafted by the Lakers has to have a ton of talent. The Lakers scouting department, IMO, is one of the best, if not the best scouting department in the NBA. That's a pretty big cosign...And as you can see, the Lake show fans had nothing but positive things to say about him.

He's a big guard with great handles -- right now he's a bigger version of skip to my lou. With time he can become a Baron-type if he improves his shooting range and decision making.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySkkeM9X ... re=related

[Cracked Fingers]

Completely mishandled in Memphis.

His handles are great. He is athletic but rarely shows his vertical. Good at taking contact and converting. Was good defensively when he was in LA. The ceiling for him is very high.

In fact I expect him to blow up for you guys. People won't be thinking the original Gasol trade was lopsided once this season is over.

[Ruzious]

On the intangibles from watching him in college - seemed very respectful to his coach - who got on his case quite a bit during games - so he's very coachable and seemed to want very much to do well - taking mistakes very much to heart. Unfortunately, he made a lot, but he also showed a lot of potential. Extremely strong build for a PG - he's built like OJ Mayo with similar physical plusses and minuses - short arms for his height but jumps very well - but didn't do quite as well as Mayo on speed and agility tests. Doesn't have the cockiness/confidence that Mayo has, but that comes with being raw. This is his 2nd year, but he's going to need another full year or more before he develops into a decent NBA player. If I'd compare him to 1 player, it'd be to an extremely raw Chauncey Billups - who took several years to develop, himself.