Kings rookie shows muscle
Justin Williams made his presence felt in the middle vs. the Knicks' Eddy Curry.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 7:18 am PST Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
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[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]TORONTO -- If Eddy Curry was the piano, Justin Williams was the piano mover.
Time and again Monday at Madison Square Garden, the Kings' rookie, who weighs 220 pounds, used every last one against the monstrous New York center, who might eclipse 300 pounds with his next sub sandwich.
Williams, though, was the Kings' super sub in an effective 10 minutes that was a clear indicator of his readiness level. Just hours after signing his second 10-day contract, the big man grabbed five rebounds and scored five points in serving as a highlight amid the lows of the Kings' sixth consecutive loss. And though he had no blocks, Williams altered a number of shots in the paint and took Curry out of the Knicks' offensive mix.
"I was really proud of Justin," Kings coach Eric Musselman said. "He's just a call-up, and he almost led us in rebounding in 10 minutes. (Doing that) against Curry, one of the better centers in the NBA, I give him a lot of credit."
Of all the stages and all the opponents, Williams couldn't have asked for more. Before tipoff, a Kings security guard reminded him the Garden was "the mecca of basketball," with no better spot to introduce his game to the global hoops world.
"People arrive once they come here and perform," Williams said. "If I got in the game, I was going to make sure I had an impact."
Though Curry finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, he had just one rebound and four free throws with Williams leaning on him. Curry was forced to adjust within minutes. He stopped attacking the rim, instead floating farther from the paint to draw out the Kings' shot blocker and make room for guards cutting through a suddenly empty lane.
Yet fighting with the big fella, Williams said, was no new challenge. Though Curry is a six-year veteran, they were teammates at Thornwood High School in Chicago.
"He's kind of a friend of mine," Williams said. "It was kind of like a practice, believe it or not. I wasn't intimidated."
Though their birthdays are just 17 months apart -- Curry is 24 and Williams 22 -- their paths to the league were nowhere close. Curry, who is fifth among the league's centers in scoring (19.1 per game), was drafted fourth overall by Chicago out of high school in 2001. About the time Curry was collecting checks from the hometown Bulls, Williams was playing two seasons at Colby Community College in Kansas. He averaged 9.7 rebounds and 4.3 blocks at Colby before transferring to Wyoming. With the Cowboys, Williams averaged 11 rebounds and 5.4 blocks as a senior.
A reputation as a unique defensive talent earned him respect but didn't equate to a call on draft day. So he settled for an invite to Kings training camp that he earned through a productive summer-league showing with the team. After being cut days before the season began, Williams led the National Basketball Development League in blocks and rebounds over 12 games with the Dakota Wizards before he was back again impressing the Kings.
The latest addition to Williams' repertoire is his ability to take part in the offense without taking it apart.
"He plays with a lot of energy, which is something that we need," Musselman said. "I thought he played his role really good (Monday). We ran pick and roll, and he didn't look to pop. He rolled to the rim and did a good job of staying out of the way offensively and cleaning stuff up on the backboards."
Energy. Defense. Rebounds. Blocks. Doing, as Williams likes to say, what he does.
"I just rebound and block shots and score when I'm open," Williams said. "I just play the same way I've always played, and I play hard."
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Justin Williams made his presence felt in the middle vs. the Knicks' Eddy Curry.
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 7:18 am PST Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C1
Print | E-Mail | Comments (2)
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]TORONTO -- If Eddy Curry was the piano, Justin Williams was the piano mover.
Time and again Monday at Madison Square Garden, the Kings' rookie, who weighs 220 pounds, used every last one against the monstrous New York center, who might eclipse 300 pounds with his next sub sandwich.
Williams, though, was the Kings' super sub in an effective 10 minutes that was a clear indicator of his readiness level. Just hours after signing his second 10-day contract, the big man grabbed five rebounds and scored five points in serving as a highlight amid the lows of the Kings' sixth consecutive loss. And though he had no blocks, Williams altered a number of shots in the paint and took Curry out of the Knicks' offensive mix.
"I was really proud of Justin," Kings coach Eric Musselman said. "He's just a call-up, and he almost led us in rebounding in 10 minutes. (Doing that) against Curry, one of the better centers in the NBA, I give him a lot of credit."
Of all the stages and all the opponents, Williams couldn't have asked for more. Before tipoff, a Kings security guard reminded him the Garden was "the mecca of basketball," with no better spot to introduce his game to the global hoops world.
"People arrive once they come here and perform," Williams said. "If I got in the game, I was going to make sure I had an impact."
Though Curry finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, he had just one rebound and four free throws with Williams leaning on him. Curry was forced to adjust within minutes. He stopped attacking the rim, instead floating farther from the paint to draw out the Kings' shot blocker and make room for guards cutting through a suddenly empty lane.
Yet fighting with the big fella, Williams said, was no new challenge. Though Curry is a six-year veteran, they were teammates at Thornwood High School in Chicago.
"He's kind of a friend of mine," Williams said. "It was kind of like a practice, believe it or not. I wasn't intimidated."
Though their birthdays are just 17 months apart -- Curry is 24 and Williams 22 -- their paths to the league were nowhere close. Curry, who is fifth among the league's centers in scoring (19.1 per game), was drafted fourth overall by Chicago out of high school in 2001. About the time Curry was collecting checks from the hometown Bulls, Williams was playing two seasons at Colby Community College in Kansas. He averaged 9.7 rebounds and 4.3 blocks at Colby before transferring to Wyoming. With the Cowboys, Williams averaged 11 rebounds and 5.4 blocks as a senior.
A reputation as a unique defensive talent earned him respect but didn't equate to a call on draft day. So he settled for an invite to Kings training camp that he earned through a productive summer-league showing with the team. After being cut days before the season began, Williams led the National Basketball Development League in blocks and rebounds over 12 games with the Dakota Wizards before he was back again impressing the Kings.
The latest addition to Williams' repertoire is his ability to take part in the offense without taking it apart.
"He plays with a lot of energy, which is something that we need," Musselman said. "I thought he played his role really good (Monday). We ran pick and roll, and he didn't look to pop. He rolled to the rim and did a good job of staying out of the way offensively and cleaning stuff up on the backboards."
Energy. Defense. Rebounds. Blocks. Doing, as Williams likes to say, what he does.
"I just rebound and block shots and score when I'm open," Williams said. "I just play the same way I've always played, and I play hard."
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