Deron Williams' Scoring Outburst Sends Strong Message to Dwight Howard

What makes a man that averages 22.6 points a game go off for 57?

Sending a message down to the Sunshine State.

It wasn’t by accident that Deron Williams choose an early March game against the worst team in the league to have the greatest single game of the 2011-12 season.

With the March 15th trade deadline inching closer, the Orlando Magic have to make a decision on Dwight Howard. He has listed the Nets as one of his preferred destinations, but it’s hard to entice him when you are seven games out of the eighth-place spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Dallas Mavericks and L.A. Lakers, the two other teams on Howard’s wish list, are both high-profile teams that are winning consistently.

Williams had to do something in order to remind Howard that the Nets are a great choice because of the point guard play. Derek Fisher and Jason Kidd certainly don’t impress Howard, a guy who needs a All-Star point guard to get the ball in his most comfortable spots.

No offense to Jameer Nelson, but Howard has never played with a playmaking guard quite like Williams. Sunday was a subliminal reminder that Williams can beat a team all by himself.

Despite playing out of his mind, the Charlotte Bobcats were within two points with 3.5 seconds remaining. That’s how bad the rest of the New Jersey Nets really are. The four other starters combined to score a measly 20 points. Kris Kardashian Humphries is essentially the second-best player on the team, considering Brook Lopez has played five games this season and severely rolled his ankle on Sunday.

Williams is trapped on an island, and he knows it. Yet the 27-year-old is not going to publicly complain about it, so this is his way of sending a message that is loud and clear to Howard:

“It’s not my fault the team is 12-26. This team is awful and we need you.”

While I’d take Chris Paul over Williams, that’s about the only point guard who is clearly better than D-Will. He is a three-time All-Star, has 44 games of playoff experience and has averaged 17.6 points and 9.1 assists per game in his career.

As Howard continues to sound like a man who still hasn’t made up his mind, the opportunity to sway him still exists. Williams can easily be forgotten about at times with such a lifeless team around him.

For one day the lead story was in New Jersey...and you can bet Howard was watching.

 

Follow @BigLeagueEball