Post by verysilentone on Jan 23, 2011 18:59:46 GMT -5
Nets draft Louis Wiliams in the lottery; Marbury upset?
Lou couldn't wait to get his Nets road uniform on
The New Jersey Nets had a rough season last year with Marcus Camby missing 24 games at the end of the year. The Nets missed the playoffs by 5 games, but it is safe to say that things would have been just a bit different with Camby, who is the anchor to the Nets defense. Camby finished the season second in blocks, and that type of presence is hard to replace especially in a Nets frontcourt that is great when it comes to rebounding, but not as imposing when blocking shots.
The Nets were looking to draft another big man in the draft, with Camby testing free agency, but instead they drafted Louis Williams, the point guard out of the University of Georgia. Lou Will isn’t exactly a shot blocker, or much of a defensive presence in general, but what he does do is provide the Nets with a cornerstone should they chose to rebuild. Louis Williams is also a very capable outside shooter, which is something that the Nets do not have outside of Stephon Marbury and Morris Peterson.
Williams’ story is an interesting one, because when he heard that the league was considering implementing an age limit on the draft, he was considering being one of those that would go pro after high school. However, his family stepped in and his mom would not let him without at least getting some college experience under his belt, so he signed to the University of Georgia along with his teammate Mike Mercer.
When asked about the opportunity to play for New Jersey, Williams responded, “I’m excited Steph is my idol. I grew up watching him at Tech, and actually got me interested in going there. But I felt like if I had to go to college, I should go to UGA because of the fine girls there. Ain’t nothing but dudes at Tech, so I went to UGA. I just hope I’ll get a shot to play, there’s already a couple other guards in New Jersey, hopefully there’ll be enough time for all of us. They’ve got a good squad though, they just need to stay healthy.”
Lou Will's jersey was retired at his high school. What can he accomplish in New Jersey?
When asked about why they took another guard, GM Danny Torres said, “We felt that he was the best player available. We were hoping Blatche would fall to us, but once he didn’t we had to take Louis. He absolutely dominated all of the workouts we had with him. Hopefully Ron Ron isn’t watching but he definitely scored a couple on him as well.”
Louis was a great player last year at UGA, but they could not get out of the first round in the NCAA tournament. Even though Williams was great in college, there were few players that accomplished as much as he did in high school. Louis Williams won the Georgia player of the year award in both his junior and senior years, and was named a McDonald’s All American as a senior. That season, he averaged 27 PPG, 6.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists in leading South Gwinnet to a 28-3 record, and a Georgia State Championship. That season he was also named Naismith Player of the Year, which is given to the top prep player in the country. That is an award that he actually holds in common with Nets forward Gerald Wallace, who won the award in 2000, after his senior year of high school in the state of Alabama. Williams was also the 2nd consecutive player from the state of Georgia to win the award following Dwight Howard.
Marbury is a business man, and another point guard is bad for business
Although everyone in the Net’s front office is excited by the pick, Nets PG Stephon Marbury isn’t as happy. “Are they trying to replace me? Why don’t they just trade me? Last season, they moved me to shooting guard for Damon, and that was fine, Damon is a great point guard and it was best for the team, but now they bring in a 19 year old? I mean he’s a great player, but I’m the best when the ball is in my hand, so unless Lou is playing shooting guard, then I don’t wanna have him here. Someone better call me and tell me that everything is gonna be alright, or they better call me to tell me that I’m playing somewhere else next year.”
We’re hoping the Nets have settled everything with Marbury by now, because the Nets have no hope without him. Marbury is the Nets all-time leading scorer with over 15,000 points and was the 3rd Team All League selection last season at point guard. Marbury is an absolute stud, and one of the superstars in this league. The Nets are hoping that Williams can turn into one as well, but it may need to be at another position. The Nets now turn to free agency, where they hope to make a splash, as they finally have some space under the hard cap. Hopefully, we’ll have a playoff team in East Rutherford once again in 2006.
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