RealGM

I'm doing some research on rebounding specialists transitioning from the NCAA to the pros, and I was wondering if I could get some Kings fans' perspectives on why an athletic rebounder like Justin Williams (signed with you guys in the 2007/2008 season) never caught on in the pros.

I understand if no one can even recall his playing time with the Kings, but any input would be appreciated.

Basketball IQ and offense in general.

That was lacking in Williams. He had a low basketball IQ and his offense is very limited.

He was a very good to great NBA rebounder. Everything else he did was at a D League level, and he wasn't the brightes crayola in the box either. He was waived when we traded Mike Bibby to make room for the Hawk players.

The biggest thing Justin had going for him here was his pure raw athleticism. Unfortunately athleticism alone was not enough to get the job done, especially for a GM like Petrie. He values strong fundamental skills and smart play. Justin just never demonstrated that he was capable of growing that raw athleticism into refined, athletic skill.

He could rebound but man was he overrated by us

The reason we loved him so much is because, we hadn't seen a player as athletic as him since Keon Clark..

I loved Keon Clark too.

Honestly, I don't know why he didn't play more with us. Hell, even had Artest practically begging the coach to play him at one point. I'm sure most of it had to do with the fact that he couldn't play within the offense as well as his coach would have liked. As for need though, he fit it to a T here.

Yeah the problem was that he simply didn't have a high enough basketball IQ to make it in the league--not at the time at least. He would get lost at times on both ends.

SacKingZZZ wrote:Honestly, I don't know why he didn't play more with us. Hell, even had Artest practically begging the coach to play him at one point. I'm sure most of it had to do with the fact that he couldn't play within the offense as well as his coach would have liked. As for need though, he fit it to a T here.

Taking player rotation advice from Artest is like asking a 2 year old what you should have for dinner. The advice you get may taste sweet, but it certainly won't be nutritious.

This is pretty easy. Mussleman made everyone look terrible

KingInExile wrote:Taking player rotation advice from Artest is like asking a 2 year old what you should have for dinner. The advice you get may taste sweet, but it certainly won't be nutritious.

It's all we had at the time, and unfortunately, it would have been smarter to leave all coaching advice to anyone BUT the coach!

Justin WIlliams had no offense but could have been a great NBA defender by now. Like Brockman except a much better shot blocker.

I am really confused with the Maloofs.

Do they want defense? Do they want offense?

Depends on the day.

cdt3 wrote:Justin WIlliams had no offense but could have been a great NBA defender by now. Like Brockman except a much better shot blocker.

I am really confused with the Maloofs.

Do they want defense? Do they want offense?

Depends on the day.

The Maloofs want people to buy tickets. They could really care less what type of players they have as long as the team wins games and the players can be marketable to the general fan base.