I’m excited to be here, I really am,” said Jamal Crawford during his introductory press conference Wednesday.
“You see the young forwards, you see KAT, you see Andrew Wiggins and you see what they’re building,” Crawford added. “Then to see Jimmy (Butler) come here, and Jeff (Teague) and Taj (Gibson) and all these guys, they’re serious. I just saw where they were at, where they’re going and where I think we’ll end up – it just made sense on every level.”
The roster makeup is what convinced the 37-year-old scoring guard to sign with the Wolves. He’s expected to come off the bench but there will be times when head coach Tom Thibodeau uses him in a small ball lineup featuring:
- PG: Jeff Teague
- SG: Jamal Crawford
- SF: Andrew Wiggins
- PF: Jimmy Butler
- C: Karl-Anthony Towns
“I don’t know how you would defend that group,” said Thibodeau.
The projected starting five is still probably going to feature all of the above with the exception of Crawford, who would likely be replaced by Gibson, meaning Wiggins would move to the 2 and Butler the 3, or vice versa.
Crawford had a chance to sign with the Cavaliers but he picked Minnesota so he could play a more “meaningful” role.
“These guys have a lot of talent, and when you mix the two I think that’s the recipe for success when you have the proper coach and leadership along with that,” Crawford said of his new club. “And everybody’s pulling the same way. There’s no agendas, we all may have to sacrifice a little bit but if its for the betterment of the team then it’s well worth it.”
