NBA.com: Award cements Crawford's rep as a scorer and winner Page 1 of 2 NBA TEAMS TICKETS GLOBAL NBA D-LEAGUE WNBA ENE-BE-A iHOOPS Get News & Offers Login Submit Query NEWS SCORES & SCHEDULES VIDEO PLAYERS STANDINGS STATISTICS FANTASY FAN STUFF PHOTOS MOBILE TV LEAGUE PASS STORE LATEST HEADLINES - NBA NEWS RSS Feeds E-News Sign Up Add Widget Sekou Smith Archives | Email Jamal Crawford led all scorers off the bench with 18 points a game this season. Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images SEARCH NEWS Award cements Crawford's rep as a scorer and winner Posted Apr 27 2010 5:02PM ATLANTA -- The sales pitch lasted nearly three hours. Hawks general manager Rick Sund showed up to Jamal Crawford's home in Seattle last summer after a Draft night trade brought the veteran guard to the Hawks from Golden State. Crawford didn't need as much convincing as Sund might have thought, but the conversation flowed and by the time they were done a plan was hatched. After a decade as a starter, Crawford would come off the bench for the Hawks and help a team take the next step in its evolution from a doormat to a contender while also recreating his own image around the league. "It's a great feeling and a great moment to see it all coming to fruition," Crawford said Tuesday after winning the 2009-10 NBA Sixth Man Award presented by Kia. "You never know what to expect when you go through that kind of transition, but I can HEADLINES honestly say things have worked out even better than I could have imagined. What's New And we're just getting started." Crawford won the award in a landslide [official release, vote total ]. He received 2009-10 Sixth Man of the Year 580 of a possible 610 points, including Atlanta's Jamal Crawford is presented with this season's Kia Motors Sixth Man Be like Mike: LeBron eyeing NBA ownership 110 of a possible 122 first-place votes, of the Year Award. from a panel of 122 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Crawford's longtime friend and fellow Seattle native Hawks will decide Woodson's future after Jason Terry of the Dallas Mavericks, who won the award last season, finished second with 220 points and Anderson Varejao of the Cleveland Cavaliers finished third with 126 points. season In addition to the hardware he picked up Tuesday afternoon, Crawford also ended his decade-long playoff drought this season, making his first postseason appearance after 676 games. Hawks guard Crawford wins Kia Sixth Man Award "I don't think anyone could have scripted this season any better," said Crawford, the league's leading scorer off the bench this season (18 points). "Originally, I was content with just getting an opportunity to play on a wining team, one that had been to the playoffs the last two years. Everything else that came with it was just a bonus." Still, there was no guarantee Crawford would fit as any team's secondary scoring option, let alone its top reserve. Sund and Hawks coach Mike Woodson credit Crawford for embracing his role, and his teammates for welcoming 2010 NBA Draft News him into a team that was already pretty stout when he arrived. 2010 All-Star Game TNT All-Decade "All we did was provide the opportunity," Woodson said. "Jamal and his teammates are the ones that made it 2009 Playoffs work. They accepted him from the very start. They knew who he was and they understood that he was here to 2009 NBA Draft twitter.com / NBA help us get better. And he's done that without question." NBA on Facebook Crawford had never come off the bench in his basketball career. But he thrived with the Hawks, a 53-win team that Transactions NBA on YouTube is in the midst of a heated Eastern Conference first-round playoff series with the Milwaukee Bucks. 2009-10 Awards Sund didn't waste any time last summer getting to the point. He explained to Crawford that the Hawks were a team Officiating & Rules Coach bios on the cusp of big things and needed a game-changer off the bench to help them join the Eastern Conference Hoopedia elite. http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/sekou_smith/04/27/sixth.man/?ls=iref:nbahpt1 4/28/2010 NBA.com: Award cements Crawford's rep as a scorer and winner Page 2 of 2 elite. every"I told stophim thenbefore that he this joined could the be Hawks the greatest he was th seening to a shappen a great in scorer his career," but not Sund necessarily said. "And a "winner." I know he thought VIDEOS about it for a while. But it doesn't work if he doesn't embrace it and his teammate don't embrace him." Dominique Wilkins, who serves as the Hawks' vice president of basketball and is a TV analyst for the team, knew What's New thatHawks label reserves was an Zaza unfair Pachulia one, having and Randolphbeen unfairly Morris tagged came with out it tohimself support early Crawford on in his at Hallthe presentationof Fame career. cere Hemony, The Barkley Zone championedeach of them Crawford's sticking around Sixth afterMan practicecampaign to longmake befor suree heit picked knew theyup steam had his elsewhere. back. Musician and movie star Common stops by the Barkley Zone to talk "I've"We're known a unit," Jamal Pachulia for years said. on "We a personal had to be level," here Wforilkins Jamal. said. He's "I knew been hisgreat. game I don't and knowhis personality. that I've e verHe's enjoyed a soft- about basketball and his new movie spokenplaying withguy, anybodyvery humble as much and gives as I do as Jamal. much toHe's his mo communityre than just and a thegreat kids scorer, as any too. player He's Ibeen can remember. great for me But and 'Just Wright.' don'tgreat letfor theour nice team, guy on stuff and fooloff theyou, court." he's a cutthroat competitor. And from one offensive player to another, he's tough to deal with because he can get you from all over the floor and even if he's not the first option. That's a rare Postgame: Rick Carlisle skillFor Crawford,to able to dowinning the things the award he does." is validation of a career that often saw him in the wrong place at the right time. At Rick Carlisle explains why defense and getting the ball in transition will SponsoredStill, when youLinks own| thewhat's league's this? longest active playoff drought, as Crawford did before bequeathing that honor to be necessary for the Mavericks to Indiana's Troy Murphy when the playoffs began, there's a stigma that comes with it. win Game 6 in San Antonio. Make a killing on Penny stocks! 245% and up Thunder vs. Lakers Game 5 Sign"For upthe FREE longest to timesee theI know next it Killerwas always, stock! 'He's a talented guy, but can you win with him?'" Crawford said. "I think www.KillerPennyStocks.comthis season has helped show that I can be effective and be on a winning team. Hopefully, this season and this award helps shake that label." Sekou Smith is a veteran NBA reporter and the author of NBA.com's Hang Time blog . You can e-mail him here Shop for NBA Gear Now! Cancerand follow and him Chemotherapy on twitter . Learn About Chemotherapy and How It Is Used to Treat Cancer. 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