Deron Williams won't be playing for the Nets for much longer. Okay, so we don't actually have any inside information on this one. But judging by what he just said about the Nets fans—and judging by what his own coach told the media last night—there is absolutely, positively no doubt in our minds that D-Will is not going to be playing for the Nets when next season rolls around.
With the Nets set to play in Williams' hometown of Dallas against the Mavericks tonight, he was recently asked about what it'll be like for him to play at American Airlines Center. And the response he gave was very telling. "I always like playing here," he said. "It's probably my favorite [arena] to play in. I just enjoy playing here. I enjoy playing in front of my friends, family. It's always good. They get the chance to come and see me play."
So, it's just the homecoming part that you like then, D-Will? Er, sort of. He also loves the fans in Dallas. "The fans are great," he said. "It's always good when arenas have a lot of energy. Ours [the Prudential Center] doesn't have too much energy."
Yikes. Not sure Nets fans are gonna be too happy to hear that. They're also not going to be too happy to hear that Nets head coach Avery Johnson is already predicting that Mark Cuban and the Mavericks will steal Williams from the Nets this offseason.
"He's a threat, OK?" Johnson told reporters after the Nets practiced in Dallas last night. "I know the guy. I think because of the success he's had—and I know he got criticized a lot for quote-unquote having all those years where he didn't win a championship—but he's had some great success here that rivals any situation. So that's a threat."
Williams, for the record, later said that he's not thinking about leaving New Jersey, joining Dallas, or doing anything but playing out the rest of the season. But, yeah. He's as good as gone. Unless, of course, the Nets can somehow manage to wrangle Dwight Howard in a trade. Our advice to them: Try harder.
[via The Star-Ledger]
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