While the Spurs have recalled Malik Hairston (averaging 21.1 ppg for the division leading Austin Toros) on merit, the motives behind New Jersey summoning C Sean Williams from the Colorado 14ers last week were a bit harder to fathom. The Cleveland Plain-Dealer’s Brian Windhorst, however, provides further detail, suggesting the minor league team “couldn’t stand him anymore”.
Saying he was a distraction may be an understatement. Williams, who has a bit of a checkered history from his days at Boston College, didn’t want to be there and made it known. He was thrown out of both games he played in at the important D-League Showcase in Utah a few weeks ago and showed up late for practice and was kicked out of one practice early.
He’s on the trading block, but the loads of general managers who watched him embarrass himself at the D-League event probably aren’t very interested.
Along with sneering at the plight of Vinny Del Negro’s Bulls (“if coaching the cavity-in-the-middle, chemically imbalanced Bulls was unworkable for a veteran such as Skiles, how can someone who never patrolled a sideline, assisted or played the point at any level succeed?”), the New York Post’s Peter Vecsey insists, “the Wizards have become odious off the floor as well as on it”, recounting the following tale from Washington’s loss at Miami Wednesday night.
Down 20 in the fourth, some of the seated subs were yuckin’ it up. A Heat season-ticket holder tells me he even spotted one guy (not a player) alongside those fools busy texting. Think he’d try that on Jerry Sloan’s watch? Think Gregg Popovich would stand for that garbage? Think Pat Riley or Phil Jackson or Larry Brown would let anyone associated with their teams get away with that? Not even in practice!