JAZZFAN_2814
Active Member
A frustrating season for Deron Williams in Utah was cut short when the Jazz traded the All-Star point guard to the New Jersey Nets last week.
Jazz’s frustration with Williams led to trade
By Brian T. Smith
The Salt Lake Tribune
First published Feb 27 2011 08:14PM
Updated 7 hours ago Updated Feb 28, 2011 10:00AM
Deron Williams wanted help. The sinking Jazz needed serious assistance, and he felt the only way aid would arrive would be via a major move before the NBA trade deadline.
But Williams also believed it would never happen. The organization was too predictable, too normal, too stuck in its ways. Moreover, the All-Star guard did not think Utah had the guts or vision to complete the deal he longed for.
Wearing a heavy crown, Williams pushed hard throughout January. Sometimes he offered tight-lipped respect for former coach Jerry Sloan and team management. Other times, he employed thinly disguised insults to voice his mounting displeasure. Injured, conflicted and frustrated, Williams attacked the organization that he played for like never before, adding harsh criticism to a season already littered with condemnation and insubordination.
But while Williams steamed, the Jazz took stock. Who exactly was this new face of the franchise? Was he truly the one? Championship worthy? John Stockton and Karl Malone-esque? Or just another highly talented but ultimately self-obsessed star who would eventually place himself above his team?
Utah also started contemplating a question that was not even debatable when the 2010-11 season began: Was Deron Williams tradeable?
—
Tired act » Sloan and longtime assistant Phil Johnson turned in their resignations Feb. 11 for a variety of reasons. A primary one: They were tired of Williams’ act.
But while Williams survived Sloan’s sudden departure, the All-Star’s days were also numbered.
His increasingly bitter tone and obvious frustration had not gone unnoticed by Jazz management. Sloan, general manager Kevin O’Connor and anyone within the organization with basketball sense easily recognized Williams’ undeniable Olympic talent. But he still had 1½ years left on his contract and his power was growing; former small-market stars such as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony had put their old teams through the fire; and the idea that Williams — who turned down a maximum contract with Utah in 2008 and could opt of his deal after the 2011-12 season — would choose loyalty over pride, money and power had gone from a possibility to nearly nonexistent.
“He never said what [Phoenix’s] Steve Nash said,” O’Connor said. “He never said, ‘Hey, I signed a contract, I really like it here. I want to finish it out. I’m committed to staying in Utah. Let’s get some players.’ It was always, ‘I’ll wait and see.’ ”
The Jazz were growing tired of waiting. Meanwhile, management was questioning whether Williams was the best long-term choice for everything from team leadership to a delicate chemistry that was strong when training camp started but had begun to fracture as the All-Star break approached.
Even former Utah star forward Karl Malone ripped Williams the day after Sloan walked away, while some Jazz players began to privately point out what fans had publicly discussed since the 2010-11 season began: Williams loved to blame others for Utah’s failure, but never stepped up and shouldered the weight himself.
Williams was shocked and saddened when he was unexpectedly traded Wednesday. He recoiled again when informed that some teammates complained about his leadership.
“Man, that would surprise me a lot, because I definitely took blame,” Williams said. “I didn’t think I was playing well, and I hadn’t been able to do the things that I’m capable of because of my wrist [injury], and I think the guys knew that. If that’s how they felt, that’s how they felt.”
—
Calculated risk » Williams also took issue with the cold nature of his trade, news of which only made its way to him while he was watching ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”
But while Williams was kept in the dark, the Jazz were making a play.
After Denver took the New York Knicks to the limit Tuesday, receiving maximum worth for free-agent-to-be Carmelo Anthony, Utah knew the stage was set.
The Jazz had spent the weeks leading up to Anthony’s trade gauging Williams’ market value — a process that started after teams began dialing Utah’s number when news of Williams’ seasonlong clashes with Sloan went public, as opponents tried to sweep in and steal the disgruntled guard.
Once Anthony was finally moved, the Jazz cashed in. Utah spent the night leading up to Williams’ trade contemplating the decision, weighing whether a team that started the season 27-13 was for real, or really just one that would face another disappointing first-round playoff exit. But once the Jazz realized what was on the table — a future-laden deal that contained as little risk as possible, and one that would immediately send Williams and his mounting problems packing —Utah did not hesitate.
Moreover, by intentionally keeping the trade as quiet as possible, the Jazz negated any leverage Williams still held. By not allowing him to first go public and back the organization into a corner if he disapproved of the move, Utah was able to completely elude the 24-7 Internet rumor mill and discreetly pull off the most shocking trade of the season.
To Williams, the Jazz’s top-secret operation was unwarranted.
“If that’s what they wanted to do, I can’t stop [the trade],” Williams said. “There’s nothing that I can do. Am I going to say, ‘I’m not going there?’ That’s not who I am.”
It's now time for the pro-Jazz, anti-Williams spin control; another way of saying clockwork.
I do love how one-sided the statements and assumptions are, particularly as relates to Williams' commitment to the franchise versus the corollary of the franchise's commitment to winning, and thus him.
No question, Williams did a terrible job as team leader. But management did an even worse job by putting him in that position.
Most striking? Is that they were more willing to blow the team up than make a move, major or minor, that would improve it. Which rather underlines Deron's point.
Best of all is that it's now openly-stated that Williams was a major part of Sloan leaving, whereas a week ago every local rag would have been treating it as a question that was anathema, if not outright insane. Now? It's just a part of the record, one that's used as a mark against Williams.
