Had a good preseason, and now he's got a long-term contract extension ($$ not disclosed): ``We are thrilled to reach an agreement with Jason,'' Grizzlies general manager Billy Knight said. ``We expect him to take the next steps of what should be a very successful and long NBA career and help us develop a high-quality team in Memphis for years to come.'' Williams averaged 9.4 points, 5.4 assists and 1.22 steals last season. He has been selected as the Grizzlies' co-captain with forward Grant Long. ``I was raised in West Virginia, and now I feel I am home again,'' Williams said. ``Three weeks ago, my son was born at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, and this is where I want him to grow up. The people of Memphis have made me feel welcome, and I am glad to be part of the community.''
White Chocolate a team captain??!! This is a move that the Grizzle will regret. They will also regret signing him to a long-term contract. JWill has never shown any desire to get better as a basketball player. Oh well, when you are as bad as the Grizzle, I guess you are willing to do anything including signing "players" who should be in the circus to entertain your fans.
Hmmmm...JDub...finace over substance...flash over victory...no defense over well, ummm, no defense...pothead over sobriety... now a leader/player-role model? damn
I think he's going to have a good season. He has a great cast of young, athletic players around him and he will be given playing time. J-Dub and Dickerson are a pretty high potent backcourt.
J-Dub shouldn't be a team captain. But I can see why the Grizz did this. They want him to grow up and mature, and feel that by naming him captain, that he'd feel more inclined to become a leader. JW will have a pretty decent year I think. He is a great PG against the zone, in that he is able to spot the open man as good as any PG in the league. Sac will miss JW when they realize how mediocre Bibby is. JW has the potential to be a great PG. It's just all up to JW on how far he can go.
I'll withhold judgment until we know the contract length and size. I'm sure it's not a max contract or anything. Maybe they got him on very reasonable terms.
Haha... Yes, this definitely goes in the interesting/wierd pile... But am I the only one that finds it EXTREMELY odd that <i>GRANT LONG</i> of all people was the captain of this team before J-Dub joined the mix? I guess age still counts for something...
<a href="http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/grizzlies/article/0,1426,MCA_475_850499,00.html">Williams Hit With Lawsuit</a>
First they give up stevie then they give up big $$$$$ to big country then this Talk about the Bulls all you want. This franchise is the one that's going nowhere fast.
Jwill has a ton of basketball talent (more b-ball talent than athletic talent) but talent nonetheless. This is his opportunity to put up or time for him to shut up.
I can't see how this is a good comparison. Air Bull was one of the all-time greats, and was screwed off the top 50 list by Snottie Quiten.
Williams has much more talent than Mike Bibby. If he harnesses it he'll be twice the player Bibby is. Jason has talent to be one of the best point guards in the league, and he's actually very athletic, he's super quick, and he can really jump, there were clips of him in a college dunk contest and he could do all sorts of wild dunks. Grizzlies got a potential steal from Sacramento. I think Sac will go a step backwards this season because of that trade.
This article title/reference is mis-leading. Williams's attorney questions the motive of the landlord filing the thirty-five/forty thousand dollar lawsuit for damages that appear to be substantially less. This case will probably be settled in arbitration, but however it turns out, I am interested to find out who is the opportunist. University (Legal Beagle) Blue
You take "talent", I'll take the following: A player than can shoot better from the field (.454 to .407), 3% land (.379 to .315), produces more assists (8.4 to 5.4)--all doing these with worse players around him. I'll also take the guy who rebounds better (3.7 to 2.9), scores mores (15.9 to 9.4) and who is a better defender. I'll also take the supposed "less talented" player who is two and a half years younger and who hasn't had diffuculty beating out journeymen players for meaningful 4th quater minutes. Too bad ShaqKobe ain't the GM of the Lakers, boy would we have some "talent" you should look at.
I read on ESPN Frank Hughes say Jason Williams extension was around $45 million over 6 years. That's an average of $7.5 million a year. If I calculated it right, that's about $5.5 million to start (next year). Is that a good price for Jason Williams? I think it is alright if you are optimistic about his future. His career is still volatile and I'm not sure if a team can know what they have in him.
