[ClutchFans] Terrence Williams on potentially leaving the Rockets

The guy simply has all the talent in the world without the necessary IQ and drive to be an elite player. Always sad to see these guys because so many players would die to have their athleticism.

 

See I dont know about the "all the talent in the world" statement. In order to be a successful NBA role player, you have to be able to do one thing great to get consistent minutes.


Terrence has great passing ability, but he doesn't make smart passes.
Terrence has explosive athleticism on offense, but doesn't have the offensive talent to score at will, and command a double team.
Terrence can play great man on man coverage, but struggles with help defense.
Terrence can rebound for a wing, but doesn't get his hands dirty enough in the post.
Terrence is dishing out high fives, and chest bumps to his teamates on the bench, then goes off on Twitter about the GM/front office to the world.


He might be the biggest anomoly the Rockets have ever seen. How can someone do something so well on the court, but at the same time be so bad at that same skill in a team setting?? If he could have just focused on one angle of his game to master, then he might have won those minutes that Parsons stole right from under his nose. I dont know if I would blame it on his "IQ", but there is some inner drive he doesn't have that made himself focus on that one skill that would have given him a successful career on an NBA team.

 

I certainly respect and appreciate your analysis. And I can agree to the label "anomaly." I guess, that was my point. I think if you read my post, I wasn't suggesting you run the offense through him. And I wasn't making him out to be a T-mac that demands double teams. Anomalies can be very useful tools, even within a "team" X's and O's. That is on the coach to recognize that and find a way to utilize it. Creating some havoc in the defensive scheme at the appropriate times can change a game. He isn't being utilized at all and I thought, at least, he should get some minutes like Thabeet has. And have it understood that if he can get to the basket, do it, and don't pass it off. Just my opinion.

 

TWill's biggest issue is his refusal to let his dream of being a 6'6 point guard die. Instead he's killing his NBA career. You're a swingman! Stop trying to initiate the offense & getting everyone else on the court with you out of position & out of sync. Its repeatedly got him benched, traded, and this time maybe out of the league.

 

Sorry. I saw this after posting a few minutes ago. I'm accepting your view as a given valid view, but I can't help wonder... do you think he is totally unreachable? Do you permit the possibility that the right person/coach might be able to unlock the perceived potential that quite a few here see (whether as valid as we think or not)? If not, why was able to, seemingly, play significant minutes on a nationally known team? Rick Patino is an accomplished coach. He found a way to use his talents. Maybe that's the problem. Maybe in Williams mind he is a T-mac point forward, based on his college experience, yet in the NBA can't make it happen. Still, should he be the odd man out? I think there is something there to be cultivated.

 

McHale identified TWill's problem in his Rome interview (towards the end):

"you've got to outwork your talent"

I've seen nearly every minute that TWill has played as a Rocket and he does not outwork his talent.

McHale wants a team that plays hard non-stop. TWill does not. McHale knows it.

 

Very good point. The few minutes he did play earlier this year, I don't think I saw him cut to the basket once. He just stands at the top of the key and when he gets the ball he tries to be fancy and make an errant pass or just dribble more and take an ill-advised shot

 

Probably why Budinger doesn't get more playing time as well.

 

With all due respect, we're all armchair quarterbacks here. At least I don't think there are many here who get to attend Rocket practices or personally know Williams. So we're all trying to make educated guesses. I doubt if McHale was making that comment with T-Will, specifically, in mind. It is possible that he does not follow the offense correctly. That is somewhat implied in the link I put in my previous post. But, still the question... Can't he be utilized or properly molded positively, in some way? Maybe it is as simple as not following directions and not working harder. But the point is no one with authority has overtly given any reason, that I know of. So we're going to be left to guess.

I keep coming back to the fact that Rick Pitino came to his defense after the debacle in New Jersey and also called his "game-sealing steal" against Syracuse in their conference championship game as, "His normal brilliance." (see link below) And how was he able to follow a "system" at Louisville successfully? At least one sports writer called him the "best player on a deep team," (Full quote: "He is the best player on a deep team that is one of the favorites to win the national title, yet casual fans are just getting acquainted with him." link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/sports/ncaabasketball/20louisville.html ) You can't help but want to see him succeed. I just hope his talent doesn't come back to bite the Rockets the way Jeremy Lin's seems to have. (As in, "We should have kept him.") And wouldn't it be really funny? if he wound up in NY with Lin and blossomed there? Very unlikely... but stranger things...

 

... if anything, the aforementioned article might provide the best clue... you can't have a whole team of "leaders." And maybe he thrives off of that role but dies without it. More guessing, I guess.

 

yeah, but budinger was playing well. he was even starting to take it to the hole more. i'm suprised he hasn't been playing lately

 

I have seen nothing from the Rockets to explain Williams' situation. Past performance is not always an indicator of future outcome, but in NJ, it was this simple:

Dunno what is going on with the Rockets, though. The most I can find via google is McHale saying Williams needs to be patient as everyone gets their shot at some point. The story as per Clutch and the Chronicle is that it is about what other players are doing and not what Williams is not, that Parsons, et al are just bringing more to the table.

Williams didn't provide enough early in the season to lock down the spot. Now he just seems locked to the bench. I am looking forward to seeing Williams on the court, somewhere at some point, with a chance to work through any struggles.

 

Good find. Sounds like it is a matter of him being somewhat stubborn about changing what he thinks got him drafted. But I would also point out that the advice he was being given in NJ is "If you can take it to the basket, you take it to the basket," Vandeweghe said." That is precisely what I am getting at in my previous posts. I think it is his biggest strength if he focuses on that and not necessarily being a "point forward." Don't think in terms of being the "point," just go to the basket when you can and score. He was criticized for not being a good jump shooter at some point, and he may be overly sensitive to giving that up. If that is the case, he may be not recognizing the fact that driving to the basket then opens up jumpers.

There are more than a few here who really want him to succeed. I just wish it could happen with the Rockets. But maybe it just isn't meant to be. As Clutch pointed out, he has much less time to be given the opportunity to try to adjust, in whatever way is necessary, to prove his value.

 

I just don't see how we can justify giving T-Will playing time on this roster.

With Martin and Scola's defensive deficiencies, there is absolutely no way I would give Parson's minutes to T-Will.

Courtney Lee is a baller.
Chase is getting morsels until Morris is ready to take over his minutes.

The dude hasn't played well enough and hard enough to earn further investment as a future prospect no matter how well he may end up playing else where.

 

well, if we can just start blowing out some opponents then maybe he'll see some garbage time and then go from there. I remember that SA game when Thabeet scored more points than Duncan :grin: That was awesome. I miss that feeling of emptying the bench in a blowout win

 

All the talent in the world means

Skillset and Athleticism......

One and a half man in that regard
He has elite athleticism and half the skills

 

I don't know if the Rockets are trying to preserve what trade value TWill still has by denying that he really is not good.

Just look at the situation. If it's just because other players playing better than him, than what other players? It's not just Parsons. It's Budinger too. If he cannot beat out Budinger that means his value is lower than Bud at this point. That's pretty telling about his talent level.

 

I just do not buy into this "What if he ends up being another Jeremy Lin sitting at the end of the bench."

If anything, T-Will has been the anti-Jeremy Lin. Dude oozes talent but lacks everything else that makes Lin's case an historical aberration.

 

Yes, an excellent point, and as durvasa said, you could probably toss Budinger in the mix. He's had a really inconsistent motor (hell, Hill does too), but Bud is able to play within the team's system. I've yet to see Williams do that. I've been disappointed with the guy, which is why I've been so hard on him. You keep waiting and waiting for him to bust out and show us what he can do to help the Rockets win, but when given a shot, he just hasn't produced on the court. As much as Adelman was criticized for not playing him, it seems like McHale has even less desire to do so. Like I said earlier, why couldn't he see time when Lee was down? That surprised me.

 

I agree.