Jamal Crawford says problems with AAU system starts with 'delusional' parents

Three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Jamal Crawford was known for his crossover and one-on-one game — the man was a bucket. He also understood how to play the game.

Of late, the NBA star turned broadcaster/media personality has been spending time in smaller gyms with the AAU circuit, and he has become disillusioned. The problem starts with parents, he said in a social media post over the weekend.

"There is alot wrong with AAU. BUT the PARENTS are near the top of the list. It's sickening. The delusion that exist is crazy. If we're always making excuse's for our children's behavior where it has to be someone else's fault, and we're not teaching them accountability, we're setting them up to fail. If we're always criticizing a coach or program who is given their own time to benefit YOUR child's development and well being, and that's not enough, you should coach them to give them all you want them to have. As parents we have to be better."

It's often the AAU and American player development system — which makes a lot of people a lot of money — that comes under fire. It's seen as developing players who can make highlight plays but don't grasp the team game, something college and NBA coaches are scrambling to make up for. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver discussed this All-Star weekend in Indianapolis this year when discussing the G-League Ignite and that team's future.

"Now my focus is turning to earlier development of those players..." Silver said. "What we're seeing in terms of that close to 30% of the league, players born outside the United States, it's clear that the development is very different in many of those programs outside the United States, more of a focus on practice, less of a focus on games, which seems to be the opposite of many of the youth programs in the United States...

"Players, there's no question, they're coming into the league incredibly skilled, but that doesn't necessarily translate to being team basketball players. And then what I'm hearing from some of those same coaches that may be complaining about inability to play defense is that these players are not as prepared as I'd like them to be, particularly as very high draft picks."

It needs to be noted that for all headlines of things that are wrong, a lot of people in the AAU and player development system are trying to do right by the players. They are attempting to develop well rounded basketball players and — more importantly — well rounded people. There is a lot of good being done. It just too often gets overshadowed.

There is no simple answer and no easy fix to a system with many entrenched stakeholders. American basketball isn't going to suddenly flip to a European-style academy system. Any change is going to have to come from the grassroots level. That means parents.

That's who Crawford is trying to get through to.