So what will the uniforms look like? Will there be a "Jo. Crawford" and a "Ja. Crawford"? Not very cool.
Maybe "Jordan" and "Jamal" in small letters above the "Crawford"?
That's the easy part for the Hawks' equipment man to figure out. Hawks general manager Rick Sund did the hard part on Thursday, getting the player he said he wanted -- and trading down in the process to add another pick, which he turned into some cool cash for the organization.
By all accounts, Crawford is an excellent pick and will be a good NBA shooter. But I can't get one thought out of my head.
There are so few "can't miss" draft picks in any sport. Remember the doubters of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan? Almost no one thought would have a rookie year as good as he did. My point is that it's impossible to predict how players will transition from college to pro and from high school to college.
For some reason, when I think of Crawford, I think of a player whom the Hawks drafted in similar position, Salim Stoudamire. The Hawks took Stoudamire with the 31st pick in 2005 -- only four picks from where they just took Crawford.
In his first season with the Hawks -- on a very bad team; the 13-win team -- Stoudamire averaged 9.7 points shooting 41.5 percent (including a very respectable 38 percent on three-pointers). By his own admission last night, Sund said it would be tough for Crawford to step in and contribute on a 50-win team -- barring any injuries.
"I think it
