RealGM

Sixer fan here. Saw you guys waived Justin Williams. I've never seen the kid play but all the pre-draft reports said he was a great athlete, above average rebounder, monster shot-blocker (2nd in the nation), had a nice wingspan, but was too thin (but had the frame to fill out), and had a raw offensive game. I'm surprised he was cut. Can anyone tell me more about this kid?

STChaser

We waived due to the Bibby trade. We needed an extra roster spots so Williams and Jones are waived...But we have a chance to pick up Williams again because several teams showed interested in Lue (Phoenix/Boston)....

But yeah, Williams is a very active player. He is a monster on the boards...Great blocking instincts and etc...His offense is still raw. So, he relies on putbacks and hustle plays...

Excellent rebounder, solid shotblocker, but often got lost on defense in rotations. No offensive game to speak of, but had good hands and dunked the ball whenever he had the chance.

Could be the next Ben Wallace, but was never going to blossom in Sacramento.

I'd say Justin has an offensive game--certainly not a great one, but there aren't a ton of guys that finish like him due to his athleticism and intensity.

Offensively he has the chance to be a very solid pick and roll player. Other than that it can get pretty ugly at times.

SacKingZZZ wrote:Offensively he has the chance to be a very solid pick and roll player. Other than that it can get pretty ugly at times.

Well it's not like you would ask him to do anything else. I mean sure if he tried to do a sky hook, it would be ugly, but he doesn't, so it's not a big deal. And from what I saw, even his free throws were coming along.

There's always a place in the league for active, athletic 6'10 guys who can rebound the snot out of the ball, swat some shots and get the majority of his shots off of put-backs, dunks and lay-ups.

I don't think any of this answers why you cut him. Seems like a bunch of reasons to not cut him instead. Was there really nobody else on your roster that would have been easier to axe?

jazzfan1971 wrote:I don't think any of this answers why you cut him. Seems like a bunch of reasons to not cut him instead. Was there really nobody else on your roster that would have been easier to axe?

Two players HAD to be cut to faciliate the Bibby deal to open up spots for the rosters...now if we wanted justin we cut Wright and re-sign Justin to a new contract. You have to have available spots BEFORE a 4 for 1 deal happens.

Do you think he'd look great next to Kidd? Cuban mentioned him as one of our targets for the back-up center position.

Think a less polished, longer, better rebounding Pops. He isn't ready to be a cog on a contender. Someday maybe, but not now.

If he could thrive (playing now) anywhere, it would be with a Jason Kidd. But I don't know.