SEEMS D-SAME
Ailing Deron sits in return to Barclays
Dallas guard Deron Williams’ anticipated return to Brooklyn went the same way his injuryriddled threeplus years in a Nets uniform did: He was undone by his own body. After a litany of ailments hindered his play and soured his spirits during his time in Brooklyn, a hamstring pull Tuesday in Toronto sidelined him from Wednesday’s game. J.J. Barea started in his place.
“Very disappointing, man. Very disappointing,’’ Williams said before the Mavericks’ 119118 overtime victory over the Nets. “You only come here once. First time back, I get hurt the game before, so it’s definitely frustrating missing this game because I wanted to be out there with my teammates.”
Disappointing also is the operative word to describe Williams’ time as a Net. After the team gave up Derrick Favors, Devin Harris and two firstround picks to get Williams in February 2011, owner Mikhail Prokhorov gave the guard a max contract and the keys to the franchise, trading away more picks (and the Nets’ future) to give him seasoned veteran teammates to play alongside.
It didn’t work out, and the Nets eventually bought him out last summer, paying him $27 million just to go away. After his exit, and honest comments about how miserable he’d been in New York, Williams fully expected to hear it from fans at Barclays Center. He even would have understood.
“Yeah. I think the way I played was disappointing for fans. When you’re given a max deal, and you don’t perform to it, especially in New York, you’re going to hear it. So I understand,’’ Williams said. “I wish things were different. I wish it would’ve worked out differently. But I can’t control that. I can just move forward.’’
It worked out so poorly, in fact, Williams admitted to Yahoo! his miserable stay had him mulling quitting the game.
“It took a lot out of me, man, those three years. Some of the hardest in my life,” Williams told Yahoo! Sports. “Made me question if I even wanted to play basketball when I was done with that contract.”
While fans hung signs Wednesday at the arena that said, “Wanted: Deron Williams,” Nets coach Lionel Hollins refused to address Williams’ absence.
Asked about it before the game, Hollins said: “I have no comment about Deron Williams and what he says. I don’t want to talk about Deron Williams, period.”
Despite the hamstring — he’ll have an MRI Thursday — Williams is healthier and happier now, especially being home in Dallas. He says it wasn’t the city or the pressure that made him miserable in Brooklyn but the physical pain.
“It was just the injuries. I felt like I didn’t know if I was ever going to be healthy again,’’ Williams said. “That was the thing. It was hard for me to walk upstairs, hard for me to have a normal life with just how I felt. That was the thing that took a toll on me the most. But I’m feeling a lot better now, so that’s not even an option. I feel a lot better, my mindset is a lot better, I’m happier in Dallas, I’m happy where I am right now, and I enjoy playing with this team.
“I’m just happy where I’m at. Dallas is definitely home, and it’s good to be around family. It’s good to be playing in front of my friends, my family every night. It’s just been good. It doesn’t matter what Brooklyn was. It’s a good situation for me right now, and it’s worked out so far. But, like I said, it’s got to continue to work out.’’
Williams said he stays in touch with Nets point guard Jarrett Jack, who said: “There could’ve been some things personally he was going through at that particular moment that could’ve combined with his basketball struggles that put him in that mindset. You never know. There could’ve been things physically.’’