Woody's words of wisdom

[Hawksquawk]

Jamal Crawford and Hawks coach Mike Woodson are on the same page now after a brief meeting of the minds after Crawford played just 12 minutes in the season opener.

HAWKSVILLE Jamal Crawford was understandably a bit confused about his role as the Hawks’ sixth man after playing just 12 minutes in the season opener.

A prolific scorer sitting on the bench for most of a track meet that ended in a 120-109 win for the Hawks didn't make much sense to anyone else either, including Hawks coach Mike Woodson.

So he did what any reasonable people manager would do, he called Crawford into his office Thursday (well before tonight’s game against Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards of Washington at Philips Arena) and dispensed a few words of wisdom.

“I had to let him know that he is a big part of what we’re doing here,” Woodson said. “I can’t sit here and say, ‘Jamal I’m going to give you 35 minutes a game.’ But I have to make him more a part of what we’re doing, without a doubt. Because he …

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[Crank]

As I said the other day why on earth would Woody ever allow Crawford to take a back seat to Smith,Zaza,Evans or Teague at this point. You put the onus on him to impact the game with his scoring as he should then expect him as a veteran to make the adjustment to finding his teammates when the defenses start to adjust .

Good start by Woody with the pregame talk now he just needs to be in his ear doing the game . We didnt bring Crawford here the Pacers of the league but we are gonna need him to match the benches of the Wizards and on the road against LA. We are not gonna be able to match there firepower without Crawford in full blown attack mode .

[DrReality]

We don't want Craw's attitude to sour straight out of the gate.

[sillent]

We don't want Craw's attitude to sour straight out of the gate.

Yes we do want Crawford to be aggressive but his best games will come within the flow of the game. He has a high IQ and knows when and what plays to make in order to take advantage of a situation and forcing him to force up shots is not the best advice. I think Crawford is at a level in his career now where he knows what the best move would be for the team and I think for a player like him you should let him feel out the game for his self. I am pretty sure he will still have a 50 point(or close to it) game with us but he needs to continue to play within the flow of the game.