Deron Williams: Is the Nets Superstar Point Guard Still a Franchise Player?

Deron Williams.  Otherwise known as "D-Will."  Remember him?

It seems like forever since Deron Williams was traded by the Utah Jazz to the New Jersey Nets a little over a year ago.  He's kind of fallen off the face of the earth.

This is a guy who many considered to be the best or second-best point guard in the league as of last season.

We're talking about a two-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA second team pick, and a gold medal winner at the 2008 Olympics.  

In 2010, we were talking about a guy who became the first player in NBA history to record at least 20 points and 10 assists in five straight games in a playoff series.

I know there are whispers that he hasn't been the same player since having surgery on his right wrist in April of 2011, but in reality, that procedure was absolutely necessary in order for Williams to avoid dealing with severe pain for the rest of his playing career.

So, what happened to D-Will?  Is he still a franchise player?

Yes, of course he is.  He just needs to get out of New Jersey—plain and simple.

And he eventually will get out of New Jersey because Dwight Howard isn't going to join forces with Williams on the Nets—that much, I can guarantee you.

Deron Williams will be on one of two teams next season—the Los Angeles Lakers or the Dallas Mavericks.  Go ahead and write that down and take it to the bank.

Yes, I know his numbers are down this season, but that can be attributed to two things—a decrease in minutes and a lack of motivation while playing for a team going absolutely nowhere.

There's no doubt Williams is off to a slow start this season.  A career 46 percent shooter, Williams is shooting less than 35 percent from the field this season.

His minutes are down, his points are down, his assists are down, and his turnovers are up.  Granted, the sample size we're referring to here is only eight games, but it's clear D-Will is unhappy in New Jersey.

And when NBA players are unhappy with their current situation, the first thing to suffer is their on-court performance.  

Need proof?  Williams had this to say following the Nets 101-90 loss to the Miami Heat.

"

The offense stinks, it’s not very good right now. We’re not playing good. We’re not shooting good, I’m not shooting good, we’re turning the ball over.  When you play a team like the Heat, when you turn the ball over, they’re going to convert, and they’re going to get up 20 points on you early.

You can get frustrated, but you’ve got to play, we cut the lead down and we had a chance there when we were down 10, but we couldn’t convert plays and couldn’t get stops.

"

Deron Williams is still a franchise player, he just needs to find the right franchise.  He sure would look good in purple and gold don't you think?