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Jazz: Williams and his frustrations
Published on Oct 29, 2010 12:26AM 1 Comments
You have to admire Deron Williams.
His ability to play the point. His competitiveness. His want to win.
Williams has always played with a chip on his shoulder. And he's never been one to shy away from getting into the fact of a teammate.
As a point guard, that's what he should do. It's his job. But there's always a fine line, and tonight he crossed it against the Phoenix Suns.
Williams very publicly, very loudly, dressed down Jazz rookie Gordon Hayward, because the first year player failed to go through on the baseline. Basketball wise, Hayward was clearly in the wrong. His job on that play was to clear out so Williams could play two man basketball with Al Jefferson.
But Williams' response was wildly uncalled for. He screamed at Hayward loud enough for the entire building to hear as the Jazz went into the huddle for a timeout. Jerry Sloan immediately had a few choice words for Williams, and Jefferson could be seen counseling Hayward as the team exited the huddle.
Arguements between teammates happen. And predictably, all parties put on a happy face for the media following the game.
"It was just a miscommunication," Hayward said.
"We're cool," Williams said. "Just because I yell at someone doesn't mean I'm mad at them."
So all is good.
Maybe not.
The larger issue is Williams. This is his team to lead now. There's no Carlos Boozer there, wrestling for alpha dog status. Williams is the face of the franchise, and everyone knows it. The Utah Jazz this season will go as far as Williams takes it, and everyone knows it.
As such, Williams has to be the kind of leader everyone looks up to. Dressing down a rookie, playing his second pro game, in such a humiliating fashion, isn't the best way to be the kind of leader the Jazz need.
Williams admitted he was frustrated at his lack of success. In fact, he said he "hunted" for 12 shots, which isn't good when an offense like this is supposed to flow. But taking that frustration out on Hayward wasn't the right move. With 80 games remaining, this will likely blow over.
But the next step in Williams' evolution is as a leader.
All Jazz fans can hope is that the best player on the team has learned from his actions tonight.
Tony Jones
Jazz: Williams and his frustrations
Published on Oct 29, 2010 12:26AM 1 Comments
You have to admire Deron Williams.
His ability to play the point. His competitiveness. His want to win.
Williams has always played with a chip on his shoulder. And he's never been one to shy away from getting into the fact of a teammate.
As a point guard, that's what he should do. It's his job. But there's always a fine line, and tonight he crossed it against the Phoenix Suns.
Williams very publicly, very loudly, dressed down Jazz rookie Gordon Hayward, because the first year player failed to go through on the baseline. Basketball wise, Hayward was clearly in the wrong. His job on that play was to clear out so Williams could play two man basketball with Al Jefferson.
But Williams' response was wildly uncalled for. He screamed at Hayward loud enough for the entire building to hear as the Jazz went into the huddle for a timeout. Jerry Sloan immediately had a few choice words for Williams, and Jefferson could be seen counseling Hayward as the team exited the huddle.
Arguements between teammates happen. And predictably, all parties put on a happy face for the media following the game.
"It was just a miscommunication," Hayward said.
"We're cool," Williams said. "Just because I yell at someone doesn't mean I'm mad at them."
So all is good.
Maybe not.
The larger issue is Williams. This is his team to lead now. There's no Carlos Boozer there, wrestling for alpha dog status. Williams is the face of the franchise, and everyone knows it. The Utah Jazz this season will go as far as Williams takes it, and everyone knows it.
As such, Williams has to be the kind of leader everyone looks up to. Dressing down a rookie, playing his second pro game, in such a humiliating fashion, isn't the best way to be the kind of leader the Jazz need.
Williams admitted he was frustrated at his lack of success. In fact, he said he "hunted" for 12 shots, which isn't good when an offense like this is supposed to flow. But taking that frustration out on Hayward wasn't the right move. With 80 games remaining, this will likely blow over.
But the next step in Williams' evolution is as a leader.
All Jazz fans can hope is that the best player on the team has learned from his actions tonight.
Tony Jones
