New Jersey’s practice ended Monday afternoon, and a swarm of reporters accomplished what the Boston Celtics couldn’t in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
They stopped Jason Kidd.
The All-Star point guard was double-teamed times 20 and held court in one corner of the Nets’ practice facility. In another corner, coach Byron Scott was swarmed.
Sitting on the side, Keith Van Horn attracted more than a smattering of attention, as did fellow forward Kenyon Martin.
But at the far end, off near the water cooler and the assistant trainer, Aaron Williams stood with his arms folded, trying to decide whether to shoot extra baskets.
Williams likes to stay away from the fray, teammates say. Unless Williams is discoursing at length about his beloved Chicago Bears, the low-key veteran forward and Evanston native likes to let his play do his talking.
Williams’ performance in New Jersey’s Game 1 victory offered a few exclamation points. The 6-foot-9-inch, 240-pounder scored 10 points in 17 minutes to help the Nets’ bench outscore Boston’s 35-15. Williams’ two free throws late in the third quarter capped a decisive 20-10 run that came with Celtics star Paul Pierce on the bench after picking up his fifth foul.
Such play has been a season-long trademark of the Nets, who go 10 players deep.
Nobody in Nets camp Monday seemed surprised at how well Williams and his fellow reserves–rookies Richard Jefferson and Jason Collins, Lucious Harris and Anthony Johnson–have played. But Williams’ rise to role-playing prominence is a testament to perseverance given the difficult path he endured.
After starring at Rolling Meadows High School–his family moved from Evanston–and in college at Xavier, Williams went undrafted in 1993. He played in Italy and in the Continental Basketball Association before signing a contract and logging 12 minutes in six games with Utah.
Over the next five seasons, Williams played in Greece, survived two CBA stints, became familiar with the NBA’s 10-day contract and bounced around with five different teams.
But a two-year stint in Seattle earned Williams a reputation as a physical presence and a strong rebounder, which he parlayed into a six-year, $16.88 million deal with New Jersey in August 2000.
Williams played all 82 games in 2000-01, enjoying career highs with averages of 10.2 points and 7.2 rebounds. He followed with averages of 7.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in fewer minutes this season, but again played in all 82 games.
“It’s been a long road, but this is the most unselfish team I’ve ever been on and it’s great playing here,” Williams said. “It all starts with Jason Kidd. He sets the tone.
“But our bench feels we’re as much a part of the team as the starters. Our job is to maintain or even build on the tone they set. I’m not nervous because it feels like we’re supposed to be here.”
After taking a circuitous route, the same could be said for Williams.
