Is Deron Williams Destined To Fail In Dallas?

First it was Paul Pierce, then it was Kevin Garnett and now finally Deron Williams is on his way out of the failed experiment that is the Brooklyn Nets. As previously reported here at VAVEL.com and numerous other outlets, the Brooklyn point guard and the Nets have agreed to a mutual release as both parties have chosen to cut their losses and move on from one another. Williams will look to secure a move to the Dallas Mavericks in what, on paper, would seem like a good move on both ends. The Mavs attempted to sign Williams back in 2012 but were beaten out by Brooklyn for their coveted point guard’s signature. With the Mavericks still ailing from the DeAndre Jordan saga, Mark Cuban may finally get his ‘star’ and an upgrade at the point in Williams, with the Mavs current options of Raymond Felton or Devin Harris being mediocre at best.

However, recent reports have surfaced that issues between Brooklyn head coach Lionel Hollins and Deron Williams having a heated confrontation last season have certainly raised some concerns. Various sources including Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reported that during the All-Star break last season, Williams had to be physically restrained from going after coach Hollins. The meeting was supposedly to air out grievances between the two and certainly Williams’ inability to live up to the hype in New York played a part in the tension between himself and Hollins. The former three-time All-Star started just 55 games last season shooting 38 percent from the field as well as behind the arc while averaging a very poor 13 points per game.

Looking at Williams' history with coaches, the 31-year old has had issues with no nonsense coaches going back to his days in Utah. During a regular season game in 2011 against the Chicago Bulls, then Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan designed a play towards the end of the first half which then star point guard, Williams, refused to run. This reportedly led to a heated locker room confrontation between Sloan and Williams as the struggling Jazz would go on to lose the game. This conflict ultimately resulted in Sloan resigning from his position after an ongoing clash of styles and seemingly egos between himself and Williams as each wanted control over the playbook. After Sloan departed from Utah as well as the league altogether, Deron Williams was eventually traded to the New Jersey Nets, now Brooklyn, just under a month later.

With the reported move to Dallas seemingly inevitable and the bust up with Hollins recently coming to light, you have to wonder how Deron Williams and another no nonsense coach, Mavericks Rick Carlisle, can co-exist. We have just seen a similar situation unfold this past season between star point guard Rajon Rondo and Carlisle which ended in disaster with a similar, albeit more public spat. Rondo was benched by Carlisle for the final 20 minutes of a regular season win over the Raptors as the cameras caught a heated exchange between the two. With Rondo ignoring a play which Carlisle was seemingly calling out, we saw the furious Dallas coach storm onto the court and call timeout, leading to a shouting match between the two. This ultimately led to the benching and suspension of Rondo for his actions.

Rondo did not fit into Carlisle’s style of play and seemingly much like Williams, likes to call his own shots on the court. With Rick Carlisle willing to bench his newly acquired star in Rondo that would most certainly mean Williams would end up with the same fate. The Mavericks have shown that they have faith in Rick Carlisle as a coach, and rightfully so, having been a previous winner of the Coach of the Year award in 2002 and of course delivering a championship in 2011 over the Miami Heat. Unlike Sloan, Carlisle will be getting Williams on the wrong side of his prime meaning if there would be a conflict hypothetically, Mark Cuban and management would certainly stay loyal to their coach if push came to shove.

This is most certainly Deron Williams' last chance to make something of his disappointing career thus far and if Dallas is in fact his desired destination, his ego will need to be checked at the door. Having previous run ins with NBA greats in Jerry Sloan and Lionel Hollins, it is difficult to believe that the same thing won’t happen with himself and another great coach in Rick Carlisle. Dallas is set to struggle next season in the tough Western Conference and with the given history of D-Will and losing atmospheres; this author doesn't see this move as a positive for either side. This may be Deron Williams' last chance to really shine in the NBA.