Crawford deal works for both Thomas, Paxson

In the event you are a doubting Thomas, don't discount the Thomas with the first name Isiah.

It required nearly six weeks of negotiations, first with Jamal Crawford, concerning the kind of contract he would accept, then with Chicago Bulls general manager John Paxson, to reach an amenable deal before signing and trading Crawford to Thomas and the New York Knicks.

Thursday afternoon, they finally figured it out.

Thomas dealt Dikembe Mutombo, Othella Harrington, Frank Williams and Cezary Trybanski to Chicago in exchange for Crawford and Jerome Williams.

Before the deal, Paxson signed Crawford to what sources say is a $55 million contract over the next seven years.

Crawford, 24, was the eighth pick overall in the 2000 draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who flip-flopped their pick for the draft rights to Chris Mihm. Crawford struggled with playing time and was upset when the Bulls drafted Jay Williams with the second pick overall in the 2002 draft.

When Williams got into a crippling motorcycle accident in the spring of 2003, it seemed to clear the path for Crawford. Not so. They drafted Kansas All-America guard Kirk Hinrich.

But Hinrich and Crawford actually played well together, with Crawford leading the Bulls in scoring last season at 17.3 points a game.

The Bulls like the toughness point guard Frank Williams brings on defense.(Getty Images)

But his free-wheeling style just didn't fit with what Paxson's hand-picked coach, Scott Skiles, wanted to do. So when the Bulls picked Connecticut guard Ben Gordon with the third pick overall, then added two prudent Duke players in Luol Deng and Chris Duhon, there wasn't much room left for Crawford, considering how this summer's free-agent market ballooned much higher than expected.

All along, Thomas figured he fit just right next to his prodigal guard Stephon Marbury in the up-tempo style he wants the Knicks to play. He just had to find the right combination to pacify Paxson. Thomas flew to Chicago last week only to come home empty-handed. He kept trying to pawn off the inflated contract of Moochie Norris, and that wasn't going to happen.

Paxson wanted guard Frank Williams instead to fill out his backcourt with Hinrich, Gordon and perhaps Duhon, if he makes it. Not only is Williams far more talented than Norris, he's bigger, seven years younger, his contract is a quarter the size and he's a native of Peoria and a former star at the University of Illinois down the road.

You get the picture.

Thomas held out as long as he could, but once the Denver Nuggets started sniffing around Crawford late last week and over the weekend, he knew it was time to make a move. And Paxson stuck to his guns. He'll probably eat the contracts of Mutombo and Trybanski and now has a veteran up front for depth in Harrington.

Now the Knicks have a speed trio of Marbury, Crawford and Tim Thomas able to fly up and down the floor, then stop on a dime and knock down 3-pointers. Plus, Jerome Williams gives them defense, depth and rebounding. And he still has Kurt Thomas and Nazr Mohammed on the board in an attempt to do a sign-and-trade with Golden State for center Erick Dampier. But for now this will have to do.

And for both teams, it does.