He’s back.
He’s a big guard who makes exciting plays.
“I think he’s going to be fun to watch,” Bulls coach Bill Cartwright said.
He is Jamal Crawford, the highly regarded youngster who was supposed to miss the season after knee surgery last summer. Now he is to make his season debut Sunday against the New Jersey Nets.
Crawford, who played little as a rookie last season, has recovered and brings an exciting possibility to the Bulls if the team was right about using its No. 7 pick in the 2000 draft to trade for him.
“Last year was kind of structured and I couldn’t show my true basketball skills,” said Crawford, whom former coach Tim Floyd didn’t want and buried on the bench. “This year coach Cartwright is just letting guys play, and that’s why guys like Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry are getting better faster. I feel I can bring unselfishness, another ballhandler and another perimeter guy who can hit the open man.”
Crawford is the mystery man on the Bulls. Up to 192 pounds, he has the potential to be a star. The 6-foot-5-inch guard is an excellent ballhandler and passer who is quick to the basket.
He so impressed the Wizards’ Michael Jordan in summer workouts that Jordan tried several times to trade for him, even when Crawford was injured. But Crawford played tentatively in his brief appearances last season, and some question whether he has the toughness and confidence to go with his talent.
“I’m really excited,” said Crawford, who is expected to play 10 to 15 minutes in his debut against the Nets. “I’ve waited for this so long. At first they said I’d be out 18 months. I was devastated. But the strength and conditioning guys worked so hard with me, and the Bulls were supportive.
“I was rolling this summer before I got hurt. I don’t feel I had a chance to show last season what I was capable of. Now I feel more confident. I’m ready to go.”
Currying favor: Friday night’s victory over Washington seemed like a breakout game when Curry had season highs of 19 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and 37 minutes played. Since the Bulls traded for Jalen Rose and Travis Best, Curry gradually has improved. He is averaging 12 points and 7.7 rebounds the last six games and is shooting 49.2 percent in 23 minutes per game.
“I thought Eddy broke through a little bit,” Cartwright said. “When big guys come into this league that young, it’s hard for those guys to have a lot of endurance. Eddy held himself together well and played hard. A month ago he physically wouldn’t be able to make this happen. He was active defensively, going after shots. He’s maturing.”
Coming attractions: When Rose and Best (Stockton and Malone II?) isolated in a two-man game late against Washington to convert baskets on two pick-and-roll plays to stop a Wizards comeback, it was a textbook example of what the Bulls have been missing, The team is 12-19 under Cartwright. They were 4-23 when he took over.
“We’ve been in those situations before, a tight game and you need buckets, and we went to that two-man game on the side,” Best said. “I’m pretty sure it’s good to have some guys on the team not afraid to be in those situations. It’s exactly the position I want to be in.
“There’s a lot of talent here, a lot of good young players. This is a team to be reckoned with in the future, and coming here and playing big minutes in the fourth quarter, which I did in Indiana, feels good.”
Coming on: He has been quiet, except on the court. Almost overlooked in Friday’s win was another solid performance off the bench by Marcus Fizer, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Since the Rose and Best trade, Fizer is averaging 18.8 points and 6.4 rebounds on 49 percent shooting. . . . Chandler is listed day-to-day with a lacerated little finger on his left hand. He required three stitches when it was bent back when he dived for a loose ball and the webbing between fingers was cut.
