# Deron Williams =cemented place in lottery?



## FreeSpeech101 (Jul 30, 2004)

The man showed his true colors tonight. Unbelievable game by an excellent floor general. I mean god damn, this guy has it all, vision, leadership, ball handling, and oh yeah, clutch shooting like a %^$%&$%.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

He was always in the lottery. Whether or not the internet sites picked up on it or the fans picked up on it is one thing, but Marty Blake has always spoken highly of Deron and Raymond Felton.

Deron has been the PG two of the last 3 years for the under-21 USA team. NBA scouts know what he can do. It's not a surprise.


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

He certainly impressed me. 

Paul, Felton, Stoudamire, Williams, Jack, Robinson...man this PG class is deep as hell.


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## Bron_Melo_ROY (Apr 12, 2004)

I don't think lottery was a question but where in the lottery he would be picked. He impressed the hell out of me today; his uncanny leadership, court vision, pure PG skills, decisiveness, clutch as **** shooting, and his lock-jaw defense (shutting down Salim Stoudamire). I think a couple of people have him rated higher than Chris Paul on their boards.


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## Keith Closs (May 13, 2003)

looking at the lottery and how many of those teams already have a pg a perfect fit and where i think hell end up is utah..


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## Rizzah (Mar 27, 2005)

Make no mistake, Deron is an elite PG prospect. That he's basically been the main man on a 36-1 Illinois team shows that he is capable of leading a team on the NBA level. He's big enough to bully smalller points, he's quick enough to hold his own against the smaller ones, he can create his own shot, and in Weber's system he has turned into an elite distributor. If I have a top 5 pick, I'm taking him.


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## SeaNet (Nov 18, 2004)

Deron Williams blew me away. The guy is ****ing awesome. Great decision making, very aggressive, and he can score (but knows when to try to score and when to run the offense for others). I expect him to be a top PG in the league within a few years. I liked him so much that I would want the Nets to take him if he's there (and no quality PFs are available) when they pick, even though we've got JKidd.


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## Rizzah (Mar 27, 2005)

SeaNet said:


> Deron Williams blew me away. The guy is ****ing awesome. Great decision making, very aggressive, and he can score (but knows when to try to score and when to run the offense for others). I expect him to be a top PG in the league within a few years. I liked him so much that I would want the Nets to take him if he's there (and no quality PFs are available) when they pick, even though we've got JKidd.


The Lakers in the 80's (Magic and Norm Nixon, Magic and Byron Scott) and even the Bucks a few years ago (GP and Sam Cassell) have shown that two pointguards can work in the same backcourt in the NBA.


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## SeaNet (Nov 18, 2004)

Rizzah said:


> The Lakers in the 80's (Magic and Norm Nixon, Magic and Byron Scott) and even the Bucks a few years ago (GP and Sam Cassell) have shown that two pointguards can work in the same backcourt in the NBA.


I agree, wholeheartedly.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

Rizzah said:


> The Lakers in the 80's (Magic and Norm Nixon, Magic and Byron Scott) and even the Bucks a few years ago (GP and Sam Cassell) have shown that two pointguards can work in the same backcourt in the NBA.


 Ummm Byron Scott was never a PG. He was always the SG for the Lakers. He didn't handle the ball, he wasn't a distrubitor. He scored, drove, and shot the ball. All qualities consistent with a pure SG. He sometimes had to guard PG because Magic was too big but no way did he play point. Even when Magic sat, Cooper is the guy who ran the point.

Deron will be a great PG in the NBA (good passer, shooter, and defender). Just don't know how he'll handle defending some of the quicker points. If he can shed a few more poinds in the offseason (he's not very cut) to show teams a little more lateral quickness, he could skyrocket


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## Keith Closs (May 13, 2003)

only thing i worry about is hes a little husky for a pg..

if he has any sort of problem losing weight it will be a problem at the pg position..


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## Mavs41 (Feb 22, 2005)

I think Deron Williams will be a stud in the NBA. His court vision and awareness is exceptional. He's got all the skills to become a top player in the NBA. He's definantly a triple threat in that he can score,pass, and rebound.


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## Bl_ckB_st_rd (Mar 21, 2005)

Damian Necronamous said:


> He certainly impressed me.
> 
> Paul, Felton, Stoudamire, Williams, Jack, Robinson...man this PG class is deep as hell.




Stoudamire can't play PG in the NBA and hopefully no one will try to make him do so


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## Nitestalker (May 3, 2004)

Sounds like Baron Davis.....but thatz just from what i see in this post....havent personally seen him...>< but i think Utah would be a pretty good fit for him since the pg situation in Utah is pretty shaky and under Sloan he could become a pretty good pg


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## SeaNet (Nov 18, 2004)

Nitestalker said:


> Sounds like Baron Davis.....but thatz just from what i see in this post....havent personally seen him...>< but i think Utah would be a pretty good fit for him since the pg situation in Utah is pretty shaky and under Sloan he could become a pretty good pg


More like JKidd, IMO. A very willing passer. Always seems to look to get his teammates involved first. Great decision maker, and incredible passer.


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## Cap (Nov 5, 2003)

Deron will be a great leader and PG on one side of the ball, offense. If he can learn to use his footwork and smarts better, he'll be an above average defender, which is the only thing I can see him having trouble with in the NBA (speed and quickness to defend). Otherwise he's just like Jason Kidd, except slower and a better shooter.


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## HeinzGuderian (Jun 29, 2004)

I see him as more of an Andre Miller than a Jason Kidd. Of course, they have similar skin tones so I guess Kidd is a more accurate comparison.


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## SeaNet (Nov 18, 2004)

HeinzGuderian said:


> I see him as more of an Andre Miller than a Jason Kidd. Of course, they have similar skin tones so I guess Kidd is a more accurate comparison.


I guess I just have such a low opinion of Andre Miller (saw him live and close up against Seattle and he had the worst on court attitude I've ever seen), that I wouldn't, personally, compare any PG I liked w/ him. And Deron is big and strong like Kidd is.


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## FreeSpeech101 (Jul 30, 2004)

He needs to lose ten pounds, in addition to getting rid of a good amount of baby fat.


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## Matthew Maurer (Oct 17, 2002)

I think so I don't know if he'll go as high as top 5 but he'll definatley be the 2nd point guard taken after Paul. Here's a comparison I haven't heard how about a more athletic Mark Jackson??


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## richyrich006 (Dec 26, 2004)

Williams=overrated
oh and he can't shoot


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## StilltheChamp (Apr 8, 2005)

Everyone has got to stop putting such a big deal on athleticism, this kid's got something most of the other pgs dont have, a feel for the game, solid fundamentals and all the intangibles. 

Everyone keeps saying how he wont be able to guard pgs, how does sam cassell? Mike bibby? Jamaal Tinsley? Andre Miller? Bob Sura and etc.. how do they do it? 

Stop judging how good a player by how fast he can run or how high he jumps or even how his body type is, all you need to know is some players just can play the game plain and simple. It like going to the YMCA and playing the old guys, they just run the pick and roll and kill with you. Even though you jump higher and run faster. Sometimes people are just good.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

richyrich006 said:


> Williams=overrated
> oh and he can't shoot


:whatever: Doubters will learn when he's terrorizing your favorite time in the near future.


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## Rizzah (Mar 27, 2005)

I do like Felton...I don't think he'll be a great pure point guard in the mold of a Kidd or a Nash or something like that, but he will be leading 50-win teams in the NBA.

Not that Deron won't be.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

If you believe Williams is over rated you might want to use another reason other then shooting. He was best crunchtime shooter bar none this NCAA tournament (see 3 point shooting at the end of game Arizona, second half NC)


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## The Mad Viking (Jun 12, 2003)

I realize I am in a small minority here, but I don't think Williams will be a great NBA player, and I think he has bust potential.

I agree that he has excellent court vision, and is a strong and willing passer. He has the intangible leadership skills, he is confident, and he is clutch.

However - he is simply not quick. For a top prospect PG to average just 1.0 spg is a cause for concern.

He is NOT a great shooter. He is probably not even a good shooter. He is a terrible FT shooter for a PG. He is not a good rebounder. 

The Jason Kidd comparisons are a joke. Yes, they share several attributes. But Kidd led his conference in steals, and damn near the entire nation, as a freshman, and outrebounded most PFs. Huge strengths for Kidd, major weaknesses for DW.

He still reminds me of Matean Cleaves. I think he will be better, I think he will be an NBA player, and maybe even a starter. But I don't think he is ever going to be an all-star.

When the overall calibre of athlete you play against goes up two levels in size, strength and quickness, and you get left behind, the rest of the skills may not be enough to compensate.

Just my dissenting opinion. The great thing about speculation is, we will all get to watch and find out.


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## Pioneer10 (Sep 30, 2004)

I can understand not liking Williams for a variety of reasons but complaining about his shooting seems strange: I feel I watched a different player this season. He has a very good jump shot. He squares up very well and has a lot of lift on his jumper. He was terrific throughout the tournament from 3 range.

He may not be an All-star but he will be as good as guys like Andre Miller and finding unselfish points like Miller is hard in the NBA. These type of players are very valuable even if they never make an all-star team


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

In due time, you'll be proven wrong. Reference your point about how you liked Dahntay Jones when playing for Auburn? When that should have been Marquis Daniels. You're too caught up on athleticism and not looking at what a basketball player is. Some guys just know how to play the game. He wasn't a 3 time starter on the USA under 21 teams since entering college for no reason. He has an innate feel for the game that you can't teach. If you've played basketball competitively you'd know what I'm talking about.


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## SeaNet (Nov 18, 2004)

Deron is a lockdown defender, and from what I've seen (and I admittedly haven't seen all that much), esp. so off the ball. On top of that, he can shoot, he makes great decisions w/ the ball, he's calm under pressure, and he's a natural on court leader and distributor. That's what every team is looking for in a PG. Might he have trouble staying in front of Tony Parker w/ the ball? Yeah, but alot of guys have trouble staying in front of TP. He'll more than make up for it w/ his positive attributes. I mean Marc Jackson played PG in the NBA until he was like 39, and he never approached Deron's defense. Williams is a way better pro prospect than someone like Felton, because playing PG in the NBA is about decision making.


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## The Mad Viking (Jun 12, 2003)

HKF said:


> In due time, you'll be proven wrong. Reference your point about how you liked Dahntay Jones when playing for Auburn? When that should have been Marquis Daniels. You're too caught up on athleticism and not looking at what a basketball player is. Some guys just know how to play the game. He wasn't a 3 time starter on the USA under 21 teams since entering college for no reason. He has an innate feel for the game that you can't teach. If you've played basketball competitively you'd know what I'm talking about.


Boy, never make a mistake around HKF... 

Athleticism often becomes a limit for athletes. Athleticism alone is useless. I am not "too caught up on athleticism". A couple of years ago, I was pretty much the only poster saying that Kyle Korver would be a very useful NBA player if he got the chance, not just because of his 3 point shooting, but because he was so *hoopsmart*.

I agree completely that Williams just knows how to play the game, that he is extremely aware on both ends of the court. I'm sure he'll be an NBA player. Andre Miller is perhaps a pretty fair comp.


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## bballlife (Oct 5, 2003)

I think Williams is going to be taken off the dribble with regularity at the NBA level. Just not quick enough to stay with NBA points. But he should be great on-ball.


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## JRose5 (May 4, 2003)

Having seen every game of his this year, I'd just like to add that I think he's a tremendous shooter, especially when he gets on a streak. Most of the Illini regular season games this year were blowouts because of one major run somewhere in the game, and it was usually Deron who was unstoppable during those runs.

He ended up shooting 43.3% on the year, which was less then Brown and Head, but I think he's a very smart shooter as well.


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