Toronto Raptors: Alvin Williams, Toughness Coach

Towards the end of last season the still popular and once  former Raptors player, Alvin Williams started showing up on the sidelines at Raptor games.  This caused quite a bit of a stir as anyone who remembers Alvin’s last couple of seasons in Toronto will recall, Alvin Williams did not leave the Raptors bench willingly.

Williams career ended a couple of seasons after having micro-fracture surgery on his right knee when the team concluded he wasn’t going to be coming back and bought him out.  But the competitive fires were still burning for Alvin and he gave it one last chance trying to catch on with the Clippers in January 2007 before finally surrendering to the inevitable.

The Villanova Wildcats standout, Alvin Williams, was the Trail Blazers' 47th pick of the 1997 draft.  The 6’5” 185 lb guard averaged 17 ppg in his senior season and started every game for the Wildcats in his final two seasons.

At this time the Toronto Raptors were under going a tumultuous early period in their management and ownership resulting in the team’s star point guard Damon Stoudamire looking for a way out.

So after playing just half a season in Portland and generating respectable rookie stats of 6.9 points and 2 assists in just 21 minutes per game, Alvin Williams was traded to the Raptors in a blockbuster deal on Feb. 13, 1998. 

Damon Stoudamire, Walt Williams, and Carlos Rogers headed to Portland while Alvin Williams, Kenny Anderson, Gary Trent, and draft picks were off to Toronto.

Williams promptly went on the injured list five days later, undergoing minor arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.  Injury issues plagued Williams and in an interesting twist of fate, a trade to Boston in February 2000 was rescinded on medical grounds.

In his first two full seasons in Toronto, Williams only played in about 50 games per season averaging just 5.2 points and 2.5 assists.  Some have suggested Williams didn’t see eye-to-eye with Coach Carter.  Even though the Raptors GM would admit to Williams having “minor” issues with his knees, Williams supposedly never missed a game after recovering from surgery because of his knees.

As it turned out, the Raptors were very fortunate that Boston rescinded that trade.

Becoming a very popular Raptor, Alvin’s best years started in the 2000-01 season.  Over the next three years, he averaged 11.6 points, 3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.5 steals in 33 minutes and missed only four games in total.

Williams was a key team leader during the Raptors only turn at the Eastern Conference semi-finals in 2001 after the franchise’s best ever season with 47 wins.

But the knee issues were real and on Nov. 22, 2004, Alvin Williams had micro-fracture surgery on his right knee effectively ending his career.  After missing the entire season, then playing in only one game in 2005-06, the team, in a very unpopular move,  released him.

This will be Alvin Williams first foray into coaching since he ended his NBA playing career.  At the relatively young age of 35, fans still remember and appreciate his contributions as a player. Also, he should be able to relate well to the younger guys on the Raptors’ roster.

Alvin Williams brings toughness to the Toronto Raptors coaching staff.  Williams played through pain and gave everything he had to his team.  Many thought Alvin could have extended his personal playing days by backing off in his playing style and taking more time off when hurt.  That wasn’t in Alvin Williams make-up.  That is why many fans still respect and admire him as a player today.

Williams is representative of the changes occurring in this year’s Raptors team.  Toughness, once thought to be an after-thought, is front and center of what Colangelo and Triano are trying to add to the Raptors.

Jarrett Jack fits the mold of an Alvin Williams, fortunately without the knee problems. Reggie Evans brings the toughness of Alvin William’s counterpart, Charles Oakley.  Alvin Williams compliments this change in Raptors’ thinking from the coaching side.

Expectations are that as a former tough-minded defensive point guard, Williams will help ensure the Raptors guards are not accused of being defensively deficient this season.  While that might be a lot to lay at the feet of a rookie assistant coach, Head Coach Jay Triano will be stressing defense to his players this season.

The newest rookie coach, Alvin Williams rejoins the Toronto Raptors as an assistant coach/basketball development.  We wish him well.