High Praise For Deron Williams From TrueHoop
by Basketball John on Feb 4, 2010 10:16 AM MST
11 comments
From Henry Abbott, a Trail Blazer fan, we get this about Deron after talking about last night's game as well as talking about AK, Matthews, and Okur. It's what I've been saying only put much better.
Notice the Jazz player I didn't single out for his stats in the paragraph above. Their one All-Star: Deron Williams.
Early in the game, he used his speed and strength to breeze into the paint again and again, but missed several layup attempts -- several were altered or blocked. He also threw an easy pass out of bounds on a miscommunication with Kirilenko, and missed a 3 near the end of the half. There were just 11 or so minutes left in the fourth quarter before he made his first field goal.
But Williams was brilliant.
He's an all-star point guard, with a track record of scoring in the lane and from long-range. None of the Blazer defenders could stay with him. Last night was an opportunity for him to prove that he's playing the best of any NBA point guard right now.
But he didn't make it about him. Williams had a team working nicely on offense, and he alternated between letting the machine run on its own (look how many assists his teammates had) and nudging it along when it needed help, finishing with 13 assists. At times he retreated almost to half-court, without the ball, to keep his defender from mucking with his teammates' offense. He managed the clock smartly at the end of quarters. And when the Blazers snuck within ten in the closing minutes, he calmly got to his spots and hit shots that are easy for him -- a free-throw line jumper off a screen, a catch-and-shoot 3, and ... when Portland was hanging around within nine with a minute-and-a-half left, he burned up the shot clock down to six seconds before beating Jerryd Bayless (and a helping LaMarcus Aldridge) with the layup that ended things.
A lot of point guards can score. Several can get 13 assists. A few can be All-Stars. But it takes a very special one to know it's OK sometimes to fade into the background and let your teammates do their thing.
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life long blazers fan here
well, that game hurt on my end, but i really have to echo what abbott writes. even as i watched that game in pain, i was really enjoying how well the jazz were playing.
nice win. and now back to licking my wounds.
Love it
It seems to me what makes a great point guard is their ability to analyze what needs to be done and do it. It’s the little things. The getting the ball to the players that are hot. The extra pass. The communication with the coach and players throughout the game. The clock managment. The hard screen. The taking the foul. The pushing it up the floor. The knowing whether or not you need to be the man or just the wingman.
D-will is the man. He rarely makes the same mistakes twice in a game. He adapts as the game goes along. It ALMOST makes me not miss Stock. Here’s to hoping he can have a great long career and hopefully in UTAH.
For the Love of the Game
The sky is the limit with Williams
A big & strong PG (yet still quick), and perceptive, adaptable, appears to really want to keep learning and improving. So fun to watch him.
BTW, classy writings by the Blazers fans. You know, the Jazz and Blazers have some things in common… not among the big market teams, and knowledgable passionate fans in basketball towns. So even though we’re division rivals, I dig the civil tone. And I will return the respect by stating the obvious about the Blazers… they are stacked with talent (Roy and Aldridge, etc.) It appears that they have just as good a chance as ANY other team in the league in the coming years to bring home a title.
And lastly…. man I’ve been digging watching AK tear it up lately with his multi-stat-category games. And how could a fan not like the enthusiasm, hustle and skills of Matthews… seems so surprising (albeit in hindsight) that he was undrafted. Go Jazz.
I can be civil with pretty much anyone. We are all just fans, anyways.
I do get sort of nasty with Lakers fans though. And occassionally a few Rocket’s fans here and there.
But for the most part, you are really correct in your assessment of Blazer and Jazz fans. We are similar. I think the Blazers would be the 3rd or 4th team in the league that I would like to see win a title.
The more you try to erase me, the more that I appear.
Question for BBJ
Do you get more hits on the blog when the Jazz are playing well, like right now? I can never get enough when they are on a winning streak, but when they lose a few in a row I can’t even listen to sports radio cause it hurts too bad. It’s not bandwagon, I still attend/watch the games, its just pain management :)
It doesn't hurt when they're winning
If they want to do me a personal favor, they could win the title or something. If only slcdunk had been around in 96-98.
I know what you mean though. You can’t watch sportscenter, read blogs, etc. when they lose.
by Basketball John on Feb 4, 2010 7:11 PM MST up reply actions
this was my favorite part
Last night I came this close to breaking all those rules to dial David Thorpe (father of young twins) at midnight, screaming: “The Utah Jazz are f—-ing amazing!”
As Deron goes... the Jazz Go!
I think that Deron’s unselfishness is one of the biggest reasons for this recent turn around. His desire to WIN and not fill a stat sheet is his biggest strength. I honestly think in the beginning of the year he was pissed off at the pub Manor was getting, he hates it when Jerry puts another PG in the backcourt with him, and since the trade he has been amazing. The difference in his body language on the floor is apparent.
Super contribution Mr. Abbott
What Otto said;
His desire to WIN and not fill a stat sheet is his biggest strength.
It’s why RRR always gets ticky tacky when stat chat starts. Seems alot like counting chickens while lookin at a dozen eggs.
SLC Dunk #1 Jazz Site in the world!
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