Scott Howard-Cooper: Jason Williams an Option?

[ParniValjak]

I would like to see this mythological kid who gets thrown out on the court and has his confidence destroyed. Who is he exactly? Names? Anyone? I call strawman.

That said:

a) there is no guarantee Singletary even makes the squad
b) I mentioned JWill as a possibility last year as a replacement for Bibby. Not as any sort of long term plan. But just as a one year pseudo-patch to let him wrap it up here, let the fans see an old fav, and as a guy who really can't give you more than maybe 50 games and 25min/gm anymore, as a guy who would not necessarily interfere with a young PG if we had them.

Obviously any longer deal is idiotic. Signing him rather than a younger guy is idiotic. All sorts of ways to make it idiotic. But for a one year homecoming/part-time hold the fort down until we get a real player gig, that does not damage our future cap, its not necessarily as unthinkable as it sounds.

Thats pretty much where I stand on it as well.

I am open to the idea but under certain circumstances.

 

[Showtime]

The problem with Williams is that he's unlikely to give you a steady veteran presence in the lineup anyway given his injury history, and he's a straight-up terrible defensive player which doesn't send the right message to the young guys who you're trying to get to play defense every night. Besides, his best attributes are compromised by his bad knees so he's not even that good of a PG anymore. He can walk the ball up for you and shoot a bad percentage from the field while failing to guard anybody on the other end. Surely we can do better than that. The only possible advantage I see to signing Jason Williams for a year is nostalgia.

His health is a huge issue. He's not the athletic player he used to be. I'm just really concerned that the kings couldn't do better. I sincerely hope they can grab somebody better than Williams.

 

[Aenadin]

hmmm why not just go for a younger version of J-will Sergio rodriguez... he doesnt fit in any of Mcmillan's team pan outs... i say trade Artest and some guy a filler for Rodriguez and Outlaw....

i seriously think martell webster isnt SF material... to soft.. with artest in their line up they get those defensive monsters in the front court... Oden Aldridge and Artest and we get younger players and a starting pg..

 

[AleksandarN]

I say lets ride with PG we have what's the worst that can happen we win some games.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

I would like to see this mythological kid who gets thrown out on the court and has his confidence destroyed. Who is he exactly? Names? Anyone? I call strawman.

We don't actually need confidence destruction as a reason not to push Singletary into the starting job. I see two reasons that are related to, if not exactly identical to, the reasons you gave:

a) there is no guarantee Singletary even makes the squad

If we had nabbed one of the top-tier PGs in this draft (Rose, Westbrook, Augustin, Bayless, and even Mayo/Gordon if that's where you're trying them) then, yes, it makes sense to throw them out there. We would be committed to them as a high pick with a large amount of talent and we'd trot them out there even if they struggled in the hope that they eventually live up to their potential. We are not likewise committed to Singletary, even if he does make the squad. If he struggles, we move on. And we don't want to have to deal with rustling up a starting point midseason if we can avoid it. Better to let him backup, and take over if he's capable.

b) ... let the fans see an old fav ... a guy who would not necessarily interfere with a young PG ...

Exactly. There isn't a bargain basement PG out there that would be more appealing to the casual fan. Appeal to the casual fan means: butts in seats, TV ratings, radio ratings. Increased revenue based not on the probability of winning night in and night out, but on nostalgia. A lot? Probably not. But almost certainly measurable. And if we're looking at 30-odd wins any way you slice it, I'd rather see J-Will and an extra mill or two in the team coffers than Singletary or Anthony Johnson or Chris Duhon or you name it -- so long as J-Will isn't allowed to stunt Singletary's potential growth as mentioned above. That cash could be the difference-maker in a FA signing down the road.

The first is a good reason to sign any vet rather than start Singletary, the second is an argument directly for J-Will. I'm not J-Will or bust, but unless something somewhat unexpected comes up he's likely one of the best alternatives unless he prices himself out of our range.