Like it or not Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams has developed a reputation as a prima donna. In 2005, Williams was drafted by the Utah Jazz and he led the club to the Western Conference Finals in 2007. Williams and former Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan clashed which led to Sloan resigning in 2011 and Williams being traded to the Nets around the same time. With the Nets recently hiring former point guard Jason Kidd as their new head coach, this will mark the fourth head coach that Williams will be playing for in his eight-year playing career in the National Basketball Association as both Avery Johnson and P.J. Carliesemo were fired last year by the Nets. It is safe to say that Williams has developed a reputation as a “coach killer”, but he is now running out of excuses.
The Nets recently acquired forward Paul Pierce, center Kevin Garnett, and guard Jason terry from the Boston Celtics as the trio will team with Williams, guard Joe Johnson, and center Brook Lopez. The Nets faltered in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs this past season against the Chicago Bulls and they will be expected to advance much farther next season which means that the excuses of Williams will no longer be tolerated.
Williams clashed with Sloan in Utah over Sloan’s system and not having enough practice time. When Sloan resigned he finished his NBA head coaching career with 1,221 career victories as he led the Jazz to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998. Williams played for the Nets for more than a year before becoming a free agent last summer. Williams agreed to a five-year, $98 million deal to remain with the Nets last summer and before the ink dried on the contract, Williams was complaining about the system that Johnson was using for the Nets. The system wasn’t a problem before, but once Williams began complaining about Johnson’s system, the embattled head coach’s days with the Nets were numbered as he was soon fired. Carlisemo led the Nets to the playoffs, but the team’s first round exit this past season sealed his fate as Nets general manager Billy King and team owner Mikhail Prokhorov were looking to make a splash with the hiring of their next head coach.
During his NBA playing career, Kidd was a 10-time NBA All-Star. Kidd guided the Nets to the NBA Finals in 2002 and again in 2003 before ultimately winning an NBA Championship in 2011 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
Williams can’t make any excuses now because Kidd has been there and done it in this era. Pierce, Garnett, and Terry will all come to Brooklyn sporting NBA Championship rings. Brooklyn is happy to have a professional sports team, but the honeymoon is over and people want to see results as Brooklynites are people that do not believe in excuses.
Williams has put up good career numbers during his time in the NBA as he has averaged 17.8 points and 9.0 assists per game. Williams has represented the United States in the Summer Olympics twice as he won a gold medal as a member of Team USA in 2008 and 2012. Williams is also a three-time NBA All-Star, but now is the time for him to cement his legacy. The excuses need to be put to bed as it is time for Williams to deliver.
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