As I sat second row at the Utah Jazz
intra-team scrimmage I noticed one thing more than any other and that was the killer instinct of
Deron Williams.
Deron's team was down most of the scrimmage, at first
Deron was just out there having fun trying to get his teammates involved putting on a show for the crowd. But as soon as the 4
th quarter hit
everything about
Deron changed.
Deron got a fierce look in his eyes, he stopped joking around with other players and his desire to win was about as palpable as the chair I was sitting in.
Deron helped his team overcome a 17 point 2
nd half deficit to tie the score (the scrimmage ended in a tie). I was left sitting amazed at what I just witnessed. On TV you can see
Deron take over games but it is nothing compared to being there in person. I sat
wondering what
Deron's intensity would be like in a Playoff elimination game if this is how strong it was in a free
scrimmage to the public.
There are not many players in the league that can match the
intensity of
Deron Williams. Kobe Bryant,
Lebron James maybe Chris Paul and Kevin
Garnett possess this supernal level of desire to win. Now Kobe,
Lebron, Chris Paul and Kevin
Garnett were in the discussions for MVP in 2008, why not
Deron Williams?
MVP candidates lead their team to a winning record and have numbers to back up their play.
Deron Williams lead his team to the Northwest Division Title and they finished with a 54-28 record. Williams averaged nearly 19 points and 10.5
assists a game. Comparing numbers among players is difficult because every team plays a different offense at a different pace. For example because Paul averaged 21 points and 11.6 assists many thought was a better player.
Deron's numbers may be
deceiving because of the motion offense of the Jazz. On the Jazz more players are helping set up the offense and touching the ball. While the Horents it's mainly Paul
dribbling the ball at the top of the key breaing down the defense then throwing the ball out for an assist. No one on Paul's team averages above 3
assists a game besides him.
Behind Paul is
Pargo with 2.4
assists and West with 2.3. While on the Jazz
Deron averages 10.5 but AK averages 4
assists and Boozer averages nealy 3.
Wiliiams numbers are slightly lower but it is because of the offense
in which he plays not his ability.
So Williams numbers are comparable to the MVP
candidates last year, his team was
one of the top teams in the competitive Western Conference but why was he not in the national media's discussion for MVP?
When Steve Nash was MVP for 2 consecutive years it was mainly for his contribution to his team, the Suns could not win without Nash. This past year it was the same with Kobe,
Lebron, and Paul. The media assumed that their teams would not
be able to win without them. For
some reason because of the way the Jazz play it is not so apparent that one player could make that much of a difference on the team. The offense that the team runs , focsing on team play and Jerry's desire that not one player is the star of team makes it almost impossible for one player to seem missed when absent. However anyone who carefully watches the Jazz can testify that without Williams the Jazz are a different team and would not
be able to win or be competitive. In the 2006-2007 season Williams missed 2 games due to a strained groin. The Jazz lost both or those games and watching those games were somewhat painful the Jazz did not play at their usual level... why
because there was no
Deron to lead his team.
Past
MVPs also have mostly been flashy or
finesse players. It is easy to see how last years candidates fit into that category. They all have amazing highlights.
Deron also is a highlight machine but because he plays in Utah which for 20 years was strictly pick and roll, Stockton to Malone nothing finesse about it. The
tradition of the Jazz
precedes anything that
Deron does different on the court. Because of
tradition and because Jerry Sloan is still the coach many think that
Deron is just like Stockton. Jazz fans or anyone that watches the Jazz for a few minutes can tell you that
Deron loves to run, throw the alley-
oop pass, break ankles with his killer cross over and drain the 3 pointer on the fast break.
What else did the MVP candidates have that maybe wasn't seen in Williams? The candidates were all from large media markets with the exception of Chris Paul.l Chris Paul did however come with the feel good story of the teams first full season back in New Orleans after the
devastation of hurricane Katrina. Also Chris Paul has been a media darling since his days in Wake Forest. That is something that Williams can not control. The Jazz will never be a media favorite due to the small market size. David Stern has the NBA promote the large market teams above all other teams (no matter how much he denies it).
Deron does posses all the same qualities as
MVPs past and recent MVP candidates besides playing in a large market. So can
Deron make a run for MVP in the 2008 2009 season? If every media member who votes could see and feel that I felt at the Jazz
scrimmage, then the answer would definitely be yes!
