# Rumor: Knicks Interested In Sean Williams



## USSKittyHawk (Jul 22, 2005)

> Perhaps because of Thomas' bizarre selection of Renaldo Balkman last June, there's talk the Knicks have interest in former Boston College center Sean Williams, a 6-10 shotblocker kicked off the team early for smoking marijuana.
> The Knicks could use a shot-blocking, defensive banger alongside the offensive-minded Curry. However, Williams is not in any mock drafts in the first round; some don't have him drafted. Sound familiar?


http://www.nypost.com/seven/0523200...rs_hit_lottery_jackpot_knicks_marc_berman.htm

My college basketball nerds, can you tell me a little bit about this kid?


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

http://nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/seanwilliams.html

NBA Comparison: Theo Ratliff
Strengths: Athletically Williams has few peers with his leaping ability and quickness … Extremely mobile player who runs the court with ease and has no problems getting out on the break … One of the best shot blockers in college where he has great natural instincts … Possesses all the physical tools to excel, long wingspan, quick hands, timing and the ability to produce multiple jumps in succession … Offensively Williams has improved greatly adding a solid jump hook and decent turnaround with his back to the basket … Has good touch around the basket where he is a solid finisher … When motivated he has the ability to be a quality rebounder … Possesses a mean streak to attack opposing players who challenge him in the paint … Excellent lateral quickness enables him to be a tremendous help defender … Although some have questioned his work ethic one cannot argue with the development of his game … Has improved tremendously from the free throw line this year where he is no longer a determinant during the last few minutes of close games … Understands what his role on a team is and rarely tries to go outside of his abilities … Does a good job of using his long arms and mobility to disrupt post passes for easy steals … Body suggests that he could add weight and retain his athleticism ... Has a good deal of potential ...

Weakness: Off the court behavior got him repeatedly suspended and ultimately kicked off the BC team halfway through his junior season ... His work ethic and commitment to basketball are very much in question, and his dismissal surely cost his draft stock consideerably ... Doesn’t always play the game with intensity often it’s not uncommon for him to get out worked by players with lesser talent … Despite having all the physical tools, Williams is not a good out of position rebounder due to his unwillingness to hustle … Suffers from a lack of focus, at times it doesn’t seem like he is interested in playing … Could stand to bulk up and add more upper body strength to his physique … Tends to get pushed away from the basket when posting up because of this … Doesn’t always take care of the ball when executing his moves on offense as he is prone to strips … Still learning the game so his basketball IQ isn’t the best … Has a tendency to pick-up fouls with regularity … Can be a little too aggressive for his on good on defense … Would benefit from continuing to expand his offensive game facing the basket …
Matthew Maurer - 2/18/2007
Strengths: The best shot blocker to come along in years ... Has the ability to alter any shot in the lane, making him a huge defensive presence ... Length is unbelievable. His 7-5 wingspan and defensive mindset make him a menace to opposing shooters. Loves to block jump shooters on the perimeter ... Gets his fair share of steals as well ... Extremely high vertical leap ... Quickness is outstanding defensively... Has finally developed a semblance of an offensive game... Developing into a decent free throw shooter with an improvement from 51% as a sophomore to mid 70s so far this season... Knows his role in the offense ... Good at getting points on put-backs and dunks ... Defends well man to man as well as on help ... Strong on the boards offensively and defensively ...

Weaknesses: No evidence of any range on his jump shot, as he rarely shoots from outside 5-8 feet ... Gets into foul trouble too often, but as aggresively as he is defensively blocking shots, it's understandable ... Should be a stronger rebounder considering his size and athleticism, similar to Ratliff. Could be a lot better with crisper fundamentals and working on positioning and boxing out better ... Added body strength would allow him to play the center position on the next level ... Barely touches the ball outside the paint ... Can be passive offensively, just looking to crash the glass. Should work on a few signature offensive moves ... Attitude isn't the best, appears to lack maturity ... Has had off the court issues already in his collegiate career, with two suspensions ... He's a talented player, but he'll need to stay focused to realize his excellent potential ...


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

http://draftexpress.com/blogs.php?blogid=3&a=1782&mod=comment

Shooting Yourself in the Foot, by Sean Williams 

by: Jonathan Givony - President 
January 19, 2007 
ESPN’s Andy Katz brought some not-so-shocking news yesterday regarding Sean Williams being permanently dismissed from Boston College for “unspecified violations,” together with teammate Akida McLain. A couple of quick phone calls to sources in the Boston area confirmed the initial suspicions that we’re reportedly again dealing with marijuana related issues, specifically failing a drug test once again, according to the sources. 

Williams has received numerous opportunities to get his act together since arriving on college, and has seemingly burned every one he’s received. All year we’ve been hearing that he’s been hanging by the thinnest of threads academically, and that numerous strings had to be pulled by Boston College coach Al Skinner amongst the University’s administration to keep him eligible. The higher ups at BC preferred not to have him around, but decided to give Skinner some leeway to keep his second most important player (after Jared Dudley) around. Instead of rewarding the people who believed in him (and conveniently, needed him) most, Williams betrayed their faith and was consequently unequivocally shown the door after refusing to change his ways. 



AP 



He won’t be welcome back at BC anymore, and basically has two options left at this point. One would be to transfer to another school in the fall, redshirt next season, and wait another year before he’s able to play out his last semester of eligibility. Should he pick that option, it would mean he’s currently two and a half years away from entering the draft. It’s hard enough to find a college coach willing to take on a player for just one semester, let alone someone with his reputation of being unable to stay out of trouble, as talented as he might be. 

The other option he has is to enter the draft this coming June, and in the meantime prepare himself either through the D-League or with a personal trainer, likely John Lucas, who he has worked with him closely in the past and is considered a big reason for the massive improvement Williams has shown this year on both ends of the floor. 

Either way, things aren’t looking bright for the nation’s leading shot-blocker. Even before this latest dismissal, certain NBA scouts we’ve spoken to over the past few months were lukewarm on the possibility of recommending drafting him in the first round. Most were enamored with his considerable physical tools and upside, but all cited their disbelief in him actually being able to realize that potential anytime in the near future. He was beginning to make people forget his troubled past more and more as his performances continued to exceed all expectations, and we certainly believed that he would make a team drafting in the teens fall in love with his upside once private workouts kicked off, but question marks would always linger about whether he’s going to eventually flame out a la Keon Clark or Eddie Griffin once he gets his first NBA contract. 

Thankfully for NBA decision makers, Williams made things very easy on them by himself with his latest mishap. We had him projected as a top 20 pick going into today, but as of right now with the information we have in front of us, it would be difficult to see him cracking the first round, unless a team decides to ignore the potential negative PR that is bound to come with gambling on him. NBA teams have begun to shy away from taking headcase types with checkered pasts over the last few years (see Banks, Sean), and they haven’t exactly been burned or proven wrong. From what NBA types have been telling us, it’s their ownership in particular who have taken a hard stance against adding players who are known to be unable to stay out of trouble. 



AP 



Reading the report of Williams’ suspension at Sioux Falls Arena and watching the news spread like wildfire amongst scouts was quite interesting. Many of the scouts and executives sitting in our immediate area were scheduled to travel from Sioux Falls to the upcoming Clemson-Boston College game to watch Williams match up with James Mays, and immediately began comparing notes on whether they had seen him enough to have a good handle on his NBA potential. The answer to that question for the most part was no, and some even mentioned frontloading Boston College’s ACC schedule on their travel itinerary specifically because they were worried about something like this happening. 

The next topic was what exactly Williams should do now. Some thought the D-League would be a good option for him, maybe playing in Austin close to his hometown of Houston. Others wondered whether he’d even be able to handle playing in a minor league system, or whether the D-League would even accept him, since he’s shown little to no ability or willpower to follow minimal rules even when he knew that millions of dollars were at stake for him. There’s really no simple answer to all these questions. The name Sean Banks came up as he was sat no more than 20 feet away in a very loud and elaborate jacket yapping off to a fellow LA D-Fenders teammate. Banks went through different kinds of issues playing for Memphis but was similarly dismissed from the team, only to go undrafted despite being projected as a potential first round pick following an outstanding freshman season. He’s not quite as tall, athletic or naturally talented as Williams, but the comparisons between the two are certainly there.

This is the point in the article where you usually draw a conclusion. Unfortunately, it will be 5 months at the earliest and likely 3-4 years before there will really be any to come to. Williams is a freakish athlete with seemingly unlimited upside thanks to his size, frame, length, athleticism, and ability to absolutely change the game with his shot-blocking presence in the paint. In a league where players such as Patrick O’Bryant and Saer Sene get drafted 9th and 10th last year for example or Keon Clark and Steven Hunter can rocket their way up boards into the 13th and 15th spots of the 1998 and 2001 drafts respectively on the strength of a couple of outstanding workouts, Sean Williams looked like a lock for the first round of this year’s draft at the very least. None had the kind of rap sheet that Williams is currently sporting, though, and their respective draft classes were both considerably weaker in all-around depth and particularly in the sheer quantity of quality big men. What’s even more worrisome is that the people we’ve spoken to who have worked closest with him refuse to put their personal reputation on the line by vouching for his character. 

Thankfully for Williams, though, his career is anything but over. He will get every opportunity in the world to redeem himself and make some NBA team look very very smart for deciding to roll the dice on him, wherever he might get drafted. If he decides to turn over a new leaf and take the opportunity he’s granted with two hands, he’ll be able to make up the money he lost almost as quickly as he gets off the floor for another one of his trademark blocks. It’s up to him to make the most of his situation now.


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## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

*That covers it.....*

Reader's Digest version.....Guy is an exhilarating shot blocker and potential rebounder. Limited offensively in all facets. Questionable Bball IQ. Questionable character. More questionable judgment. Unquestionable talent.


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## knickstorm (Jun 22, 2003)

uinless BC's got some moraled program, they would've found a way to keep williams on if they really thoguht he was good enough. Just see how Marcus Williams got let off the hook.


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## HB (May 1, 2004)

I dont think he gets past New Jersey at 17


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## USSKittyHawk (Jul 22, 2005)

Thanks Grinch for this information, let's see what happens around draft day. It will be interesting to see how well he works out in June, and Isiah always rolls the dice on draft day, so I anticipate he will probably still be on the board and he may actually grab him because GM's and owners are starting to become weary in taking on kids with on and off the court issues, but that does not appear to scare Isiah.


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## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

his talent is there , but no incomplete player with a bad work ethic is worth taking because he wont really develop, He needs to mature ...if Zeke thinks he will and drafts him I'll give him the benefit of the doubt until I see otherwise .

but i wouldn't draft him at 23.

he's a 2nd round flyer to me.


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## HB (May 1, 2004)

I think NBA teams are becoming wary about kids with off court problems. This is a billion dollar business here and too much money is being invested on this kids to just have them blow it away. Its why Marcus Williams dropped to 22, why John Gilchrist went undrafted and why whats it face drafted by the Grizzlies a few years ago isnt in the league right now.


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## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

knickstorm said:


> uinless BC's got some moraled program, they would've found a way to keep williams on if they really thoguht he was good enough. Just see how Marcus Williams got let off the hook.


BC's administration has always sat high on its moral hobby horse. They threw Wayne Turner out of school for _being related_ to a convicted felon. While they generally let the football players run wild, they're anal retentive about the basketball team. Williams off-the-court problems are overblown. Given the sheer number of NBA tokers I don't see his toking as a real problem (so long as whoever drafts him has someone that can show him how to beat the screens).

As for his game, I've watched a lot of BC games since he showed up on campus. He is without question the most athletic big man I've seen this side of the pre-injury Amare. He simply explodes off the floor in a way that has to be seen to be believed. And I've seen him do it after getting dumped on his behind (against Providence during his freshman year, he'd been killing the Friars all game long and prior to the final shot Ryan Gomes threw Williams to the ground so that he couldn't clean up after the shot, only to stare in disbelief as Williams skied over him for the putback and the win).

On offense he's strictly a garbageman (though he does have a few moves, he's probably a last-resort guy that way). On defense he's a disruptor, and is insanely quick for someone his size. As a 4/5 off the bench, he'll be pretty good in the NBA. Skinner runs a pro-set defense at BC, so he won't take long to get up to speed in the NBA. He'll be fine. The Banks comparisons are really idiotic, as Banks was an actual violent felon that lacked the talent to make the NBA*, rather than just running afoul of America's insanely puritanical drug laws. It's not like Williams is mainlining heroin, he just likes a little green now and again. The same way a good portion of the NBA does. :bsmile:


*Yes, I'll argue this with anyone, he was a 6'4" small forward with a shaky shot and abysmal defense. If he had an NBA position, and the talent, he'd be in the NBA. It's that simple. Tony Allen has a history of legal mayhem and is still in the NBA, balling for a team that's unloading Telfair for "moral reasons". It's all about the game and Sean Banks didn't have it.


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## Kiyaman (Aug 14, 2006)

It's really BAD because the Knicks need Sean Williams to play alongside of Curry. 
What comes with Sean Williams on the court blocking, and off the court havoc that comes along with this guy. Sean Williams is to easy to persuade to do negative things to destroy his career. That makes him a longshot in the 2nd round. He have to be tested overseas...


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## truth (Jul 16, 2002)

Kiyaman said:


> It's really BAD because the Knicks need Sean Williams to play alongside of Curry.
> What comes with Sean Williams on the court blocking, and off the court havoc that comes along with this guy. Sean Williams is to easy to persuade to do negative things to destroy his career. That makes him a longshot in the 2nd round. He have to be *tested overseas*...


As in across the Hudson with the Nets??


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## CocaineisaHelluvaDrug (Aug 24, 2006)

HB said:


> I dont think he gets past New Jersey at 17


ROFLMAO 

17 !!! 

The kid wont go in the 1st round at all and probably will go undrafted


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## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

Kiyaman said:


> What comes with Sean Williams on the court blocking, and off the court havoc that comes along with this guy. Sean Williams is to easy to persuade to do negative things to destroy his career. That makes him a longshot in the 2nd round. He have to be tested overseas...


There is no "off-the-court havoc". He smokes pot every now and again. If that's "off-the-court havoc" then a third of the NBA brings "off-the-court havoc".


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## USSKittyHawk (Jul 22, 2005)

> Just as he was supposed to finish out the season at Boston College, *Sean Williams* was scheduled to participate in this week's NBA pre-draft camp. He didn't play in either case, but this time it was his own choice.
> 
> 
> The 6-foot-9 center, dismissed from the Eagles in January for violation of team rules, decided three days before the start of this pre-draft event to skip out, leaving a group of disappointed people from league officials to team personnel.
> Fair or not, the speculation among some teams was that Williams either has a promise from a club that it will pick him in a good position or that he's fallen into problems. But his agent, *Charles Grantham*, said this is simply a case where a number of teams have expressed interest in working Williams out individually, and he'll be better served in that forum than among the 60-plus players here. And, the rep added, Williams is of sound mind and body.


http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/features/rumors


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## HB (May 1, 2004)

www.starbury.com said:


> ROFLMAO
> 
> 17 !!!
> 
> The kid wont go in the 1st round at all and probably will go undrafted


And you were saying?


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## truth (Jul 16, 2002)

HB said:


> And you were saying?


If Puff Williams decides to make the most of his natural freakish abilities the Nets could be scary good...

Of course the same was said for Keon Clark


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