Olson: Spurs 'perfect' for Williams

Olson: Spurs 'perfect' for Williams
Defending NBA champs will help 33rd pick improve his shot, UA coach says
STEVE RIVERA
Tucson Citizen

Marcus Williams' gamble to leave Arizona early didn't pay off with a first-round pick, but going to San Antonio might make him a better NBA player in the long run.

He was drafted in the second round - the 33rd overall pick - by the defending NBA champion Spurs, who Arizona coach Lute Olson said should help improve Williams' shot.

"I feel good about it, real positive,'' Williams said in a phone interview.

The 6-foot-7 forward, who left after his sophomore year, was the only Wildcat drafted. Mustafa Shakur and Ivan Radenovic will try to go the free-agent route or play overseas.

Olson called the Spurs "the perfect team" for Williams.

"They have some wing players who are older and it will give Marcus time to develop," Olson said in a news release. "It's also good because, in my opinion, Chip Engelland is the best shooting coach in the country and he's a member of San Antonio's coaching staff. Before it started, it was my hope that Marcus would be picked by San Antonio."

How Does Williams fit in with the Spurs, who have won four NBA titles since 1999?

"We have got a pretty veteran team with some players who are nearing the end of their careers,'' Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said in a phone interview. "We hope that adding a young wing with a lot of talent could grow in our program. We'll see what happens.''

Williams had an inkling he might go to San Antonio after a good workout there. Still, the Spurs bypassed him with the 28th pick in the first round, grabbing forward Tiago Splitter of Brazil.

There are reports Splitter might not be with the Spurs next season because he must buy out his Brazilian contract, which is said to be excessive.

That might give Williams a better shot of making the roster.

"It went really well," he said of his workout with the Spurs. "I liked the coaching staff and everything.''

First-round draftees are guaranteed money for two years at a minimum of about $720,000 a season.

Those picked in the second round are not, unless their agent can find a way to get a guarantee.

Two years ago, former UA guard Salim Stoudamire was chosen with the 31st pick (the second round) and landed a guaranteed contract.

Shortly after the first round was over Thursday, ESPN analysts criticized underclassmen who declared early but were not drafted in the first round.

"Who is advising them?'' one analyst asked.

ESPN analyst Jay Bilas spoke well of Williams.

"He has very good size for a small forward,'' Bilas said. 'He's a good offensive player and versatile scorer. He moves without the ball and is almost fearless on the offensive end.

"He's not a great 3-point shooter, in fact not a 3-point shooter at all.

"The question is, what is his commitment going to be on defense and on the glass? If he can improve his strength and work ethic, I think he has a chance to be a really solid NBA player.''

Williams, a Seattle native, declared for the NBA in April and decided to stay in the draft pool, after being convinced or convincing himself he'd be a first-round pick. He averaged a team-leading 16.6 points and 6.7 rebounds a game last season.

Williams could be helped with his transition by the presence of former Arizona star Sean Elliott, who had a successful career with the Spurs and is a radio analyst for the team.

Throughout Williams' rookie season, Olson often compared Williams to Elliott, citing their composure and similarity in game style.

"I hope he is right,'' Buford said. "Sean is a two-time all star, (but) it would be unfair for me to compare him to anyone. He needs to come in and be Marcus, work hard, improve and be part of our culture and be a part of this thing.''

Former Wildcat star guard Steve Kerr helped San Antonio win a title in 1999.

Kerr is now the general manager in Phoenix.

"Arizona has quite a connection to the Spurs,'' Buford said. "We've had some good luck so we're going to try it again.''

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/sports/56068.php

Awesome article. :smokin

Too many good parts to quote, actually. Sounds like he's happy to be here, Olson feels it's a good fit, the Spurs want him and see talent in him.

As I said in another thread, the Spurs have a lot of connections to Arizona so I trust the scouting job they did on Williams. For a second round pick, this guy has very good upside.

Trust me ya'll. I'm a huge AZ fan, and I follow them a lot. The thing about Williams is his offensive upside. If he's about to improve on his shot, he will be awesome offensively. Also, he has the tools to be a decent defensive player. He has long arms and is pretty quick. I always believe his defensive liabilities was mental. Also, Marcus handles the ball pretty well for a 6-7 guy.

He's certainly athletic and he has a scorer's mentality. He doesn't have a very quick release on his jump shot but then again, neither did Terry Cummings or Oscar Robertson.

I think the Spurs drafted for need with this pick. I liked Fazekas at 33 and was disappointed they didn't take Nick here. However, Marcus is a wing player and the Spurs have a similar player to Fazekas in Matt Bonner if they can re-sign Matt.

Sounds pretty good so far.

I still wonder why the Spurs picked him over Derrick Byars.

Good article.... Regardless of them bumping heads, Lute shows nothing but class as expected, and he's right... We really are the perfect team for Marcus, here's to hoping he's the perfect fit for us too. :toast

Whoever said Williams' defensive liability's were mental is pretty on-point I think(usckk).... He's not gonna have a choice of wether or not he wants to play defense around here tho. So it shouldn't be a problem, cause when he's playing defense, he's pretty good at it.

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Originally Posted by SenorSpur

I still wonder why the Spurs picked him over Derrick Byars.

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Obviously, several teams had concerns over Byars, whatever those are.

Every 1'st or 2nd round pick has good writeups on them to make them sound like they have good future potential. I see it every year after the draft, that the spurs pick will turn out to be a good player. Reality is chances are it doesn't happen. And the spurs like every team have passed up some good picks for weaker ones so it does happen.

Weren't there better options at guard at 33?

Buford visited Arizona throughout the year and saw Marcus in practices.

I fully expect the Spurs to keep Marcus.

Olson develops good players and who play good team basketball.

Kid is a stud. :smokin

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"We have got a pretty veteran team with some players who are nearing the end of their careers,'' Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said in a phone interview. "We hope that adding a young wing with a lot of talent could grow in our program. We'll see what happens.''

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whoops typo :oops

I am standing behind whatever draft choices the Spurs make, I mean its not like I have a say in it anyway. :lol

Comparing him to Elliott is extremely high praise for Williams. The Ninja always played hard on both sides of the ball...even if he never really became a dominant player. If they are comparing him to Elliott defensively that's even more impressive...because Elliott was a fantastic defensive player...he wasn't Bruce...but there are like 2 other Bruce's in NBA history. Elliott was about as good of a defensive player as you could get without having a DPOY candidate. I don't see how the kid can have a bad work ethic if he's being compared to Elliott.

Yeah, after hearing this, and the praise from his head assistant on the radio, makes you excited as hell about Marcus Williams.

At the very least, gives you a reason to drive up to Austin to watch the kid.

I wasn't big on the idea when they drafted him, but I hope the kid proves me wrong. Either way, this offseason and coming season will give the Spurs a better understanding of what both Williams and James White have. If they both excel, it could be interesting for the Spurs as to making Roster spots.

We will start to have an idea on how high are Spurs are on Williams in a week.
Early second round pick often get guaranteed money, will Spurs be ready to give him a partially or fully guaranted contract ?

I think some of this is smokescreen. I don't think Olson was very happy with Williams' attitude this year, no matter what he says now. Doesn't mean the guy has no potential, though.

What about him did you not like?

Honestly, I know nothing about him, and hadn't even read anything about him at all.

The short version of the story is, he was a star as a freshman two years ago, but then Arizona got Mickey D's All-American Chase Budinger last year and he looked like he was going to supplant Williams as the star, and Williams played selfishly.

I didn't see enough of Arizona to be able to tell, but the word is they were pretty dysfunctional.

The question was for Beer is Good, but thanks for your insight too. I hadn't heard that.

T-Park, you were trashing Williams pretty hard last night, bro.

Surpised, especially after reading your comment in this thread about you not knowing much about him....I thought you had seen him play the way you were talking.

I think he will win you over.

At least, I hope.

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Originally Posted by ShoogarBear

I think some of this is smokescreen. I don't think Olson was very happy with Williams' attitude this year, no matter what he says now. Doesn't mean the guy has no potential, though.

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It would have been possible to smokescreen without the Elliott comparison, since Elliott is one of Olson's all time favorite players. The fact that he threw that comparison out there is telling. If he was just trying to be nice, he could have said a lot of nice things without mentioning Sean's name.

What I really like about Marcus is that he always defended the teams best player.

He never complained about it and relished it.

So, if the Spurs were to ask the same from him, it would not be too surprising to him.

Although, I do not expect him to make any impact on the roster next year...unless serious injuries occur.

He will more than liklely be sent down to the Toros, and possibly become the main chip on the Toros squad next year.

Thus, he will be familiar with the Spurs system, and he will be extremely close to home.

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T-Park, you were trashing Williams pretty hard last night, bro.

Surpised, especially after reading your comment in this thread about you not knowing much about him....I thought you had seen him play the way you were talking.

I think he will win you over.

At least, I hope.

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Well I trashed the pick because of a few things

I heard hes a bad defender, a bad character guy, and a horrible three point shooter.

Now the three point shooting, pfft, chip england fixes that.

The character and defense you prob cant fix. BUT, from the interviews with Lute Olsen and Pastner, hes the total antithisis of what was described.

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Originally Posted by T Park

Well I trashed the pick because of a few things

I heard hes a bad defender, a bad character guy, and a horrible three point shooter.

Now the three point shooting, pfft, chip england fixes that.

The character and defense you prob cant fix. BUT, from the interviews with Lute Olsen and Pastner, hes the total antithisis of what was described.

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Yeah, dude.

Williams was actually highy touted coming into Arizona.

However, his shot is not too bad.

I believe he was strong from behind the arc his freshmen year.

He played out of position this year and had various other duties, so this was a rough season for him.

I think the character issues were blown out of control and can be taken control of here.

SJax had trouble issues and he helped us win a ring, and was key in capturing it.

Even James White's character was once put under the scope and the Spurs stuck it out with him an entire year and appear to like him.

I think it can work! :toast

MW will end up in Austin (7' wingspan makes him a future contender for a spot on the Spurs) as White's one yr of experience under DJ and Pop will win him a spot in camp. Can't wait to see White's explosiveness in the NBA.

Glad to see most of yall are warming up to the guy..... There were alot of harsh words last night... lol

People blowin his character issue out of control may prove to be a blessing in disguise for the Spurs (CIA Olsen???).... This guy really should have never ended up on our team, it just worked out perfect that he decided to declare this year when his stock was at it's all-time low point

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Originally Posted by ShoogarBear

The short version of the story is, he was a star as a freshman two years ago, but then Arizona got Mickey D's All-American Chase Budinger last year and he looked like he was going to supplant Williams as the star, and Williams played selfishly.

I didn't see enough of Arizona to be able to tell, but the word is they were pretty dysfunctional.

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This may have played a part, but...

In the teams non-conference schedule, when they won the majority of their games...
Marcus averaged 15 ppg on 13 FG attempts per game and 45% from the field.
Chase averaged 16.7 ppg on 12 FG attepts per game and 55% from the field.

In the teams conference schedule, when everything went to hell, largely because of injury (McClellan) and PG play (Shakur)...
Marcus averaged 16.8 ppg on 14 FG attempts per game and 52% from the field.
Chase averaged 14.8 ppg on 12 FG attempts per game and 45% from the field.

So on basically the same amount of shots, give or take percentage points, Chase's PPG and FG% dropped, while Marcus, on roughly the same attempts per, scored a little better but that can be better explained by shooting better from the field.

I'm telling you, the #1 issue with Arizona was the failings of Shakur. When he ran the show effectively, the team scored in bunches with everyone getting theirs with no issue. When his game went in the crapper, Marcus took it upon himself to become the leader and creator of the offense, upping his as a leader should, but with Budinger mired in a slump of inconsistancy, Shakur playing like a freshman, McClellan injured and with Ivan's limitations, there was only so much Marcus could do.

Fact is, Arizona was 9-2 when Marcus was the offensive leader and scoring 20 or more points. NINE & TWO!

I watched every game, and let me tell you, it was mighty hard at times, and I can tell you that Budinger hit a wall during conference play that had little to do with Marcus. For about a 10-game stretch, Budinger relied heavily on his jumper/3-point shot, which abandoned him, as he shot roughly 40% from the field and 30% from range. Compare to roughly 55% from the field and 40% from range in every other game.

Sorry for the book, and I'm sure there were feelings of hostility between Marcus and the others, but it was largely because Marcus had stepped up his game when things went south and every other player would rathe go down with the ship than fight to save it.

I think the bad attitude rap because of his difficulties with his coach probably hurt his placement in the draft.

Those difficulties were certainly the reason why he opted out early.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by El_Mago

What I really like about Marcus is that he always defended the teams best player.

He never complained about it and relished it.

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Arizona played zone last season with the exception of about 3 or 4 games. He always defended the left baseline.

He never complained about it and relished it. That baseline didn't go anywhere.

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Originally Posted by JMarkJohns

Sorry for the book, and I'm sure there were feelings of hostility between Marcus and the others, but it was largely because Marcus had stepped up his game when things went south and every other player would rathe go down with the ship than fight to save it.

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You fail to mention his turnover numbers for that stretch of games. It WAS miserable to watch because we had an offense and when the ball got in Marcus' hands the offense stopped. Some might call that being a leader but I call it selfishness and blatantly disregarding a gameplan.

A former Spur now enters the picture: Antonio Daniels. He has matured. Is a heads up, committed, team player. I believe Pop still likes his game and he has improved it to the point he could be effective coming off the bench.

The Wizards selected Young from USC, a # 2 player who plays no defense but can score (result: another early exit for the Wizards) and also making Daniels very expendable.

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Originally Posted by jdaveah

You fail to mention his turnover numbers for that stretch of games. It WAS miserable to watch because we had an offense and when the ball got in Marcus' hands the offense stopped. Some might call that being a leader but I call it selfishness and blatantly disregarding a gameplan.

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His TO numbers were basically identical...

2.6 turnovers per game during their 13-1 start...
2.8 turnovers per game in every game thereafter...

So, obviously, that was not the issue.

True, he had a few terrible games. But when your team is getting blown out and you have to press the issue in attempts to make something happen, sometimes turnovers happen.

Manu has his share of 3/4 turnover games. No reason to throw him out because of it.

Fact is, the Shakur averaged 8 apg to just 3.2 TO during their 13-1 stretch and just 6 apg to 4 TO during their 8-10 finish.

Shakur also shot 48.5% to start during the 13-1 stretch, then just 38% the rest of the way.

You can lay all the blame on the player trying to do something about it. And sure, I'll give you that he did his own thing on occasion, but his own thing won them games. Note the 9-2 when he scored 20 or more points...

He wasn't selfish. He just forced the issue. Whether some shots, which weren't that many if you look at the stats and percentages, and some passes. Yes, he broke plays, but said plays weren't working with Shakur playing like crap.

Someone had to attempt to save the season. Marcus stood up and took it upon himself.

I've never seen so much made over a player trying to do right by his team.

Oh wait, yes I have...

enter Kobe...

Not comparing the player, merely situation.

Again, statistically there's little difference between Marcus when Arizona was winning and Marcus when Arizona was losing. Everyone else, big falls.

Yeah, he took over a bit too much. Get him some teammates who can make an open shot, or make a post entry pass and you don't see that Marcus. You'll see the content and happy Marcus who was a leader for the 13-1 streak to start the season.

I'm not saying Marcus is innocent. I'm saying some things are way overblown, and that Marcus is not the only problem. Probably just the most outspoken of them.

Wow. Great insight. THANKS!

Spurs draft Roosevelt-grad Marcus Williams
Seattle Times staff

Former Roosevelt High School star Marcus Williams was drafted by San Antonio in the second round of the NBA Draft today, the 33rd player selected. Williams, a 6-foot-7 forward, played two years at Arizona before declaring for the draft.

Williams averaged 16.6 points and 6.7 rebounds last season for the Wildcats, but it was a disappointing season for both Williams and the team. The talented Wildcats had another confounding season, with Williams as the poster child.

Arizona never contended for the Pac-10 title, looked disinterested in a blowout loss to Oregon in the opening round of the conference tournament, then was beaten by Purdue in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Williams scored a combined 24 points in the final two games.

Coupled with a one-game suspension a few weeks earlier for a curfew violation, it all added up to question marks about Williams’ game.

Arizona assistant coach Josh Pastner, however, last week launched into a vigorous defense of his former player, saying Williams wasn’t to blame for the Wildcats’ struggles.

"I don’t believe he got enough respect nationally because we didn’t meet the expectations that we needed to meet,” Pastner said. “I don’t think he was appreciated nationally for the type of year he had.”

But some in Tucson felt Williams played the season as if he had a foot out the door to the NBA. Wildcats coach Lute Olson even appeared to be opening it for him at one point, telling the media in February that Williams was declaring for the draft before Williams had announced it himself.

But Pastner said any thought Williams wasn’t a team guy or that the NBA should be worried about his character is off track.

"Anytime anyone asks, we put that to rest quickly, because he’s a very, very good kid,” Pastner said.

And there’s much to like about Williams. Long arms that allow him to play much bigger than his 6-7 frame would indicate; enough defensive skill that Arizona put him on the other team’s best perimeter player; and good ballhandling ability that allows him to play a number of positions.

The biggest knock on his game is perimeter shooting. He shot 28.8 percent from the three-point line last season, and 69.5 percent from the free-throw line.

"He’s skilled, he can handle the ball, he’s got good size and very long arms, so he’s got the potential to play bigger than he is,” Steve Kerr, Phoenix general manager and president, said after Williams’ pre-draft workout with the Suns. “I told him after the workout, the big thing for him is his jump shot, and he knows that. He has to continue to work on his jumper.”

Pastner is convinced Williams will be fine.

"There’s no question in my mind he will have a long NBA career,” Pastner said.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...yndication=rss

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"He’s skilled, he can handle the ball, he’s got good size and very long arms, so he’s got the potential to play bigger than he is,” Steve Kerr, Phoenix general manager and president, said after Williams’ pre-draft workout with the Suns. “I told him after the workout, the big thing for him is his jump shot, and he knows that. He has to continue to work on his jumper.”

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The ace up our sleeve is really just the chip we bring to the table:

CHIP ENGELLAND :ace
6'4", 175 lbs.
Former Guard
Number: 14
Hometown: Pacific Palisades, CA
Birth Date: May 9, 1961
Major: History

You, sir, stand on the brink of legendary status in Spurs' folklore.

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Originally Posted by JMarkJohns

The kid has the potential to be a 20-point per game scorer in the NBA. Trust me. I've seen every single UA great, and he's far and away the best pure scorer they've had since Arenas.

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:danceclub I'll dance to that music!

Lute Olsens comments the day of the draft....."I told his agent that if he (the person Williams is getting advice from) hasn't cashed the check, I'd stop payment on it," he said. "That's the most ridiculous thing that I've ever seen that someone could work with him and get paid and see what he's doing."
Olson said he and other coaches helped change Williams' shooting motion his freshman season, but that Williams returned from Seattle with a different shot his sophomore season.
"I don't know who he worked with," Olson said, "but it was worse than what he came here."

- here's the link to Lute Olsens comments on draft day here

Are negative comments about your own player appropriate for draft day comments to the media??

Thanks for the great info, JMJ.

And anybody who went to Roosevelt High School can't be all bad. :smokin

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Originally Posted by manustarting2gd

Lute Olsens comments the day of the draft....."I told his agent that if he (the person Williams is getting advice from) hasn't cashed the check, I'd stop payment on it," he said. "That's the most ridiculous thing that I've ever seen that someone could work with him and get paid and see what he's doing."
Olson said he and other coaches helped change Williams' shooting motion his freshman season, but that Williams returned from Seattle with a different shot his sophomore season.
"I don't know who he worked with," Olson said, "but it was worse than what he came here."

- here's the link to Lute Olsens comments on draft day here

Are negative comments about your own player appropriate for draft day comments to the media??

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Good find. Williams' motion is definitely funky. If he was tinkering with it before his workouts, I'm guessing he missed a lot of shots and that led to him dropping in the draft.

Williams was actually a good three-point shooter his freshman season. Hopefully Engelland can help take the hitch out of his shot.

a sean elliot quaility player is just what the spurs are missing.. if we got it in draft insted of FA i am all for it

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Originally Posted by T Park

The question was for Beer is Good, but thanks for your insight too. I hadn't heard that.

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The main reason I didn't like the pick was because he's a 6'6" to 6'7" SF without 3pt shooting range and questionable rebounding skills. I thought the Spurs could have used the pick on a PG to challenge for the backup position, but instead they used it on what they thought was the best talent available at the spot. I don't have a problem with that, but I just didn't really see where he would fit the Spurs' needs at SF. His length and athleticism may prove to be helpful, but I figured the Spurs would need a SF that is a couple of inches taller to aid in versitility when playing small ball. If they could locate a decent 6'9" SF with rebounding skills that player fill the role similar to a utility fielder in baseball.

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Originally Posted by BeerIsGood!

The main reason I didn't like the pick was because he's a 6'6" to 6'7" SF without 3pt shooting range and questionable rebounding skills.

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To be far to Williams, he shot 43.5% on threes his freshman season and last year averaged 6.7 rebounds per game. That 6.7 number is pretty impressive for a player of his size.

But yeah, this teams a big small forward and point guard to compete with Vaughn.

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Originally Posted by timvp

To be far to Williams, he shot 43.5% on threes his freshman season and last year averaged 6.7 rebounds per game. That 6.7 number is pretty impressive for a player of his size.

But yeah, this teams a big small forward and point guard to compete with Vaughn.

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This is the problem though. You're absolutely right that his shot wasn't bad his freshman year. The question that everyone in Tucson had was why leave Tucson in the summer while every player stays to work on their game and have someone who is not your hall of fame coach completely change your shot. Everyone said that was dumb and it's clear everyone was right when you look at his shooting numbers in his second year.

It's not so much fixing the mechanics that bothers me because if he decides to work Chip can help with that. The idea that some random coach in Seattle is trusted to change the shooting motion your hall of fame coach helped construct screams of a person with poor judgement and a lack of respect for the man in charge.

Finally, just because he played point for 3 games while Arizona's backup was hurt does not mean he is capable of challenging Jacque for anything. He was a PASSABLE backup point guard for a mediocre college team. This does not qualify him to play point guard for any NBA team, much less the champs.

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Originally Posted by jdaveah

This is the problem though. You're absolutely right that his shot wasn't bad his freshman year. The question that everyone in Tucson had was why leave Tucson in the summer while every player stays to work on their game and have someone who is not your hall of fame coach completely change your shot. Everyone said that was dumb and it's clear everyone was right when you look at his shooting numbers in his second year.

It's not so much fixing the mechanics that bothers me because if he decides to work Chip can help with that. The idea that some random coach in Seattle is trusted to change the shooting motion your hall of fame coach helped construct screams of a person with poor judgement and a lack of respect for the man in charge.

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Yeah, it sounded like an immature and dumb thing for Williams to do. I've read how Olson has called out the supposed shooting coach for destroying his shot.

Hopefully Williams will work with Chip and get back to at least being a decent three-point shooter.

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Originally Posted by jdaveah

Finally, just because he played point for 3 games while Arizona's backup was hurt does not mean he is capable of challenging Jacque for anything. He was a PASSABLE backup point guard for a mediocre college team. This does not qualify him to play point guard for any NBA team, much less the champs.

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I wasn't talking about Williams. I was talking about other needs the Spurs have that they could have addressed in the draft.

No buyout? Hell, great pick.