I was prepared to cover a topic that finally didn’t have anything to do with power-hungry league commissioners, clueless members of the media, or idiotic professional athletes. However, I had a few topics on my mind and unfortunately, I have found myself right back at square one dealing with selfish, overpaid, finger-pointing, whining professional athletes!
I am so fed up with guys that get paid enormous amounts of money to play at a phenomenal level, yet they fall well below expectations and start to point the fingers at teammates and coaches. Notice I said, “get paid,” because most of them are not earning their salaries. In this case, I am putting Brooklyn Nets’ point-guard Deron Williams on blast.
Here’s a guy who makes an estimated 17-million-dollars per season to be a “franchise” player, but he can be compared to the third guard off the bench (sorry Marshon Brooks), and his team has been struggling in large part because of it.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
While playing “catch-up”with one of my former teammates over dinner, we discussed several things; among those topics, an ample amount of time was spent talking about team chemistry, superstar status, a willingness to compete, and flat-out heart! A couple of seasons ago, I was on the Deron Williams bandwagon. I felt that too many of the basketball lifers were unfairly judging him and blaming him for Jerry Sloan’s untimely departure from the Jazz. After all, Sloan had been at the helm for 19 seasons, and much of the Stockton and Malone era, appearing in two consecutive NBA finals and over a dozen post-season appearances. How could such a successful coach make an about face without so much as a warning to his players or his bosses?
Immediately, the media and legends of the NBA pointed to a verbal altercation between Williams and the Hall of Fame coach during a game against the Chicago Bulls. During this particular game, Williams became unhappy with Sloan’s play-calling and abandoned an offensive set to run his own play. During a timeout, Sloan ripped into Williams for ignoring his play and calling his own number. As Sloan and Williams went back and forth, the rest of the Jazz players watched in disbelief. A couple of days later, without so much as a conversation with Utah brass, Jerry Sloan abruptly resigned! My stance was that Jerry Sloan simply needed to get with the times and install new plays that were more suited for his young and physical team.
Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer are not Stockton and Malone; although they were both ranked top-ten in the league at their respective positions, they couldn’t compare to two former Dream Team members and first ballot Hall of Famers. Williams stated that he felt Sloan’s outdated system was hindering his team’s chances for success in the long run. Within a week or so, Deron Williams was shipped out of town to the Nets.
Once in Jersey, he showed flashes of what fans and the organization thought was brilliant decision making and an incredible will to win. The team viewed Williams as the cornerstone of their rebuilding franchise and eventually signed him to a max contract that is worth an estimated 100-million-dollars. Although Williams has struggled this season, there wasn’t sufficient evidence present to warrant panic in Brooklyn, until after the Nets lost at home to Williams’ former team, the hapless Utah Jazz.
Courtesy: Barton Silverman/NY Times
Williams made a comment to the press that head coach Avery Johnson’s play calling was partially to blame for his team’s struggles. This left me scratching my head; now where have I heard this exact statement before? Oh yes, it was right around the time Jerry Sloan high-tailed it out of Utah. It has become apparent that when the chips are down and the walls are collapsing, Deron Williams is one guy that I would hope I didn’t have to depend on to help me through a rough stretch.
Instead of putting the team on his back, accepting responsibility, and weathering the storm, this guy starts to look around the locker room pointing fingers. Williams stated, “Joe used to run a lot of ISO plays in Atlanta, so we run a lot of those for him.” Last time I checked the stat sheet, your position on the team was point guard, which means that it’s your job to direct the team and get guys in a position to be successful; not to whine and complain because you have to give the ball up to the shooting guard! That’s Joe Johnson’s job; he is paid 19-million-dollars per season to shoot the ball.
