In Which I Try to Explain My Apathy Regarding the Orlando Magic's Signing of Jason Williams

by Evan Dunlap on Aug 20, 2009 10:18 AM EDT in Commentary

Indulge me, if you will, in a few moments of navel-gazing regarding the Orlando Magic's signing of Jason Williams. Eddy will cover the news conference today, and we'll have more analysis (I'm sure) in the immediate future.

So let me start by saying that Williams was one of my favorite players when I was a middle-schooler during the early years of the Magic's Tracy McGrady Era. I wrote WHITEBOY across my knuckles in Sharpie, in emulation of/appreciation for his infamous tattoo. I wrote JDUB55 (his nickname and jersey number with the Sacramento Kings) on my backpack in Wite-Out. And once or twice, I even practiced basketball while wearing thick gloves, as Williams did as a youngster, which helped him develop the slick handle on display in videos like this one Eddy posted yesterday.

Yet now, in 2009, I can hardly muster any excitement for seeing Williams in pinstripes. The key phrase is "in 2009," because were this signing to take place 7 years ago, were a 26-year-old Williams joining a 25-year-old Vince Carter and a 23-year-old Rashard Lewis in Orlando (while 16-year-old Dwight Howard honed his craft at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy), the media and fans would tout the as one of the most dynamic young teams in the league.

We can't overlook time and age when assessing this signing, is what I'm trying to convey here. Some sportswriters--Tim Povtak might have been the first--have suggested that Williams could push Jameer Nelson for the Magic's starting point guard job, or at least play more crunch-time minutes than Nelson. Nevermind the fact that Williams wouldn't have pushed Nelson two seasons ago, in Williams' last NBA go-'round and Nelson's first under Stan Van Gundy. A far more realistic outcome is Williams supplanting Anthony Johnson as the team's second-stringer, pushing Johnson to the fringe of the rotation.

Try to think of the story in this way. Instead of asking, "Will Jason Williams move Jameer Nelson to the bench?" ask, "Will Jason Williams move Anthony Johnson further down the bench?" That story just lost quite a bit of its appeal.

Ultimately, GM Otis Smith got his third point guard, one who happens to be a reasonably reliable veteran (a Pure Point Rating of 6.0 in his last NBA season) and a household name (because he threw passes off his elbow a decade ago). That second point, though, is what's making this story bigger than it should be.

Tweet Comment 13 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

The obsession with hype over reality

Is just one reason why I find the majority of sports coverage dull.

by eltharion_doa on Aug 20, 2009 11:11 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

You have to understand how important it is to have him coming off the bench

Orlando went DEAD offensively when Alston went out of the game in the playoffs. If they took out Turk, there was no one on the floor who could pass the basketball. Orlando had terrible passing last season as a team. Easily the worst of the final four teams. They weren’t necesarily committing turnovers, but they weren’t delivering the ball to Dwight when he was open, they couldn’t throw an entry pass to anyone else, and they got trapped often enough where they had worry about the shot clock. The Magic have now upgraded big time in that department, first Carter, now Jason Williams. These kind of players make everyone on the floor better. That being said, JDubb is indeed 65 in basketball years.

It's not a dunk unless your hand makes contact with the rim. Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, "Superman..."

by ben_gleicher on Aug 20, 2009 12:28 PM EDT reply actions

It's funny, because when I was chatting with SVG, that was something he brought up.

The Orlando Magic have greatly improved their passing from last season. Good observation, ben.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Aug 20, 2009 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions

Haha just watched Van Gundy's press conference

Glad the coach and I are on the same page. I got a chuckle out of that.

It's not a dunk unless your hand makes contact with the rim. Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, "Superman..."

by ben_gleicher on Aug 20, 2009 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Eh, I don

He's currently two-thirds man, one-third amazing. Which, let's face it, is still a pretty good ratio.

by 3.3seconds on Aug 20, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Argh, accidentally hit send halfway through the title.

I don’t know… if you look at Williams’ assist stats for his last NBA season — and remember, this is two years ago, before he took a year off — they’re awfully close to Johnson’s last year. Granted, he was also playing on a team which had Dwyane Wade, so while he was the “point guard”, he wasn’t the main ballhandler. But still, I’m not completely sure he’s an improvement over AJ, even as a passer. Of course, it’s impossible to be sure of anything here, but still. I guess that’s what the preseason is for.

He's currently two-thirds man, one-third amazing. Which, let's face it, is still a pretty good ratio.

by 3.3seconds on Aug 20, 2009 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah but besides Wade, his teammates were all NBDL players

That’s going to mess with your assist numbers as well.

by thermodynamic on Aug 20, 2009 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, and even when they're good, the Heat play at a very slow pace.

So Williams’ low assist totals for that season might have been misleading.

Does anyone know to what extent Williams remained in training during the last year?

He's currently two-thirds man, one-third amazing. Which, let's face it, is still a pretty good ratio.

by 3.3seconds on Aug 20, 2009 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Well obviously he worked out enough to make a comeback possible

He’s in as good as shape as most NBA players are in the middle of summer. He’s not in a position where he’ll be behind in training camp.

It's not a dunk unless your hand makes contact with the rim. Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, "Superman..."

by ben_gleicher on Aug 20, 2009 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions

He played pickup ball with Penny Hardaway, Tim Hardaway, and a few other guys.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Aug 20, 2009 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Must've made him feel young again

It's not a dunk unless your hand makes contact with the rim. Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, "Superman..."

by ben_gleicher on Aug 20, 2009 5:56 PM EDT up reply actions

LOL .. probably.

I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.

"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone

by erivera7 on Aug 20, 2009 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Wade dominated the ball

Look at the two’s Usage rates from 06-08. Wade had the ball in his hand, he was the one making plays. He’s a superstar, and therefore has a significantly higher usg% than most shooting guards (and point guards.) If you look at Williams throughout his career, his assists and assist% vary with his usg%. The more he has the ball, the higher his assists. Plus, Wade and Shaq were off and on with injuries all season, so he was indeed surrounded with a lack of talent, especially shooters. In Orlando, things will be a little different.

It's not a dunk unless your hand makes contact with the rim. Yeah, I'm talkin' to you, "Superman..."

by ben_gleicher on Aug 20, 2009 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions