He is retiring because of lingering problems with his legs. 'It's been a long time. He's rehabbed as hard and faithfully as you possibly can. It just hasn't worked out. I think you've got to look for a replacement at that position,' Net president Rod Thorn said yesterday. 'If you look at him, look at his right leg compared to his left leg. It's just not there ... He's done everything he can to try and rehab himself. It just hasn't worked out up to this point.' New Jersey is looking at picking up 3.25 million dollars in cap relief with the loss of Williams. I wish him the best in life. ------------------ President of the Moochie Norris FAN CLUB
That is sad. Not only was he a solid NBA player and one of the best rebounders of his time, he is a colourful individual who brought a unique personality. With the combination of this and Charles' retirement, there will be a deep void left in the NBA's quote book. Azim da Dream ------------------ We don't live for the destination. We live for the journey.
Had to share this with all Jayson Williams fans: Vaccaro: Williams knows there are greener pastures beyond NBA 06/26/00 By Mike Vaccaro By the end of the afternoon, after the sun has fried most of his guests medium-well, after taking a horseback ride with the Governor, after signing a million autographs and cracking a billion jokes, after letting strangers hit golf balls all over his lawn and shoot bricks in his backyard basketball court and dunk volunteers into basins of sun-warmed water, Jayson Williams has a message for the couple hundred of the faithful gathered around his microphone. "Y'all done destroyed my grass," he said, his stern words betrayed by laughing eyes, "so we can only do this once a year." And with that, it is over, this second-annual All-Star gathering held at Williams' remarkable Who Knew? Estates, a barbecue in the Jersey countryside, a short baseline jumper east of the Pennsylvania state line, a melting pot of celebrities and deep-pocketed donors and underprivileged city kids, the kind of cocktail only Jayson Williams could invent. It is a bittersweet afternoon, all along these peaceful acres. The people closest to Williams are starting to come to terms with the reality that his playing career is all but complete, something his agent, Sal DiFazio, and the Nets' new president, Rod Thorn, all but concede. "Just look at the difference between his two legs," Thorn said, shaking his head. "That really tells the whole story." So in a sense, as much as this is a starry-eyed fund-raiser in every sense of the word, raising upwards of $100,000 for St. Joseph's hospital, allowing a few of Williams' other charities to prosper, it is also a public reminder of all that Williams has been to this organization and to this state, the first established basketball star unafraid and unembarrassed about living and loving New Jersey. Only at Jayson's house could you collect the kind of snapshots you could collect yesterday. Only on Jayson's patio could you watch a tag-team conversation between Devils defenseman Ken Daneyko, Newark Bears owner Rick Cerone and former "Saturday Night Live" star Joe Piscopo, Jersey guys all of them, born, raised or adopted. Piscopo wanders briefly from the chat, takes a picture with a fan and puts a Yankees cap on his head. Cerone, more a baseball businessman these days than an ex-Yankee, rolls his eyes. "Hey," he says, "you're wearing the wrong hat! Where's your Bears hat?" Piscopo was really the first person to ever explore the comedy lurking in sports, years ago on "SNL," with the sports anchor character he invented in which he blended Keith Jackson, Warner Wolf and about a dozen other sportscasters he'd grown up watching. If "Monday Night Football" had gone looking for Dennis Miller 15 years ago, they would have gone after Piscopo in about five minutes. And he'd have been perfect for the job. "Whenever I see the guys do their shtick on SportsCenter," he says, "I think we had a little something to do with that." Back on the patio, a merciful gust of wind suddenly knocks over one of the big green table awnings, which would fall hard to the floor if Daneyko's head not gotten in the way. "I can't win," he laughs. "Everywhere I go, I get hit in the face." Yes. Only here. Only at Jayson's place, with the grand gates out front, with the winding driveway, with the huge abode in the middle of the property that makes it all feel like a marriage between Graceland and Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Only in Jayson's back yard could you find actors Lauren Hutton and Laurence Fishburne admiring one of the horses from Williams' stable, Fishburne still outfitted in motorcycle gear after making the 75-mil trek in from New York City. And only in Jayson's front yard, under the tent, could you find Fanwood resident Gerry Cooney standing for a procession of pictures with people wanting to talk about Lou Savarese's glass jaw. "You'd a given Tyson a great fight, Gerry." "You believe they paid that guy for 38 seconds work?" "You were born 10 years too soon." Only at Jayson's place, where the Governor, Christie Whitman, can trade quips with the host and then get a peck on the cheek, where Johnny Newman and Jim McIlvaine can feel like they're Kobe and Shaq for a few hours as their mobbed by wide-eyed kids with basketballs and dads with Polaroids, where an outgoing Nets president, Michael Rowe, can exchange a warm handshake with Thorn, his replacement. "Congratulations," Rowe says. "I guess they didn't tell you that you have to come out here once a week as part of the job, right?" And, of course, only at Jayson's place can the whole afternoon get itself tied into a bright red ribbon when everyone gathers at the end, out by the putting green, the sun still basting the grounds, when the 6-10 Williams puts his arms around a man nearly half his size and asks, "Hey, Mike, you see the fight last night?" "Yeah," Michael J. Fox replies, "if you can call it a fight." Soon, Williams is picking a check, one of those oversized ones they hand out at pro golf tournaments, and he hands it to Fox, 50 grand toward the fight against Parkinson's, a disease that counts both Fox and Williams' mother as victims. "Hey, Mike," Williams quips, "this check is bigger than you are." "You think you can help me fold this up and get it in my wallet?" Fox replies, trumping Williams and drawing bigger laughs, not a bad showing for the road team. Williams doesn't mind. The day has been a beauty, the rain holding off, the views all straight off postcards, the mood light and festive and hopeful, just as he wanted it to be. There will be plenty of time to mourn a career soon to end so prematurely. The player goes away. The man who makes afternoons like this a reality is still very much a part of the Nets, an even bigger part of New Jersey. He'll have time to ponder all of that. For now, there are bigger issues. "Hey, it's over!" he screams into the portable microphone. "Now would y'all mind getting off my putting green ..." ------------------
Jayson Williams will be missed. He was very active in his community and charitable organizations. He's a great role model, he doesn't hog publicity, he's generous, and very hard working (which is probably an understatement). I felt that he was a better rebounder than Rodman, absolutely relentless during his time. I really feel sad that this had to happen to an outstanding person. I also pity Van Horn. He's not gonna have anyone relieve him of his rebounding duties now. ------------------ "One who conquers others is strong; One who conquers himself is mighty" - Lao Tzu
Van-Horn: rebounding duties? I think he would have trouble boxing out my 8-year old niece under the boards Azim da Dream ------------------ We don't live for the destination. We live for the journey.
MANGO - The nets will most likely take Martin. But I hear the team is wanting to move van horn. The nets also want a shooting gaurd. Nets will have a nice duo of Martin and Marbury, just build around that and they could become a good team in the years to come. ------------------ President of the Moochie Norris FAN CLUB
Francis3, So what do you think the Nets decide to do with their roster and draft choice? Mango ------------------ Eat more spinach! Live long and prosper! Donate blood! Smeg will be assimilated. Now...back to updating The Serious Police Files.
not to be too cruel but another situation RUINED by Stephon Marbury [unintentional of course] He destroyed Minnesota. . . [forced out Googs, then left] now he dismantling J Williams I dunno. . . maybe it is bad karma Rocket River and I use to be a Marbury fan. ------------------
