Terrence Williams enjoying change of scenery

[Dash]

Per former OTR poster, Alex Kennedy aka the real Swish. Check out the rest of his articles, he's got some good pieces.

 

As Terrence Williams pulled his Houston Rockets jersey over his head, a smile became visible. These days, he's smiling a lot and understandably so. A little over a month ago, Williams was wearing a very different red and white jersey and he wasn't happy about it.

 

During his final weeks with the New Jersey Nets, the guard was suiting up for the Springfield Armor of the NBA Development League. During his stint in the D-League, finding Williams with a smile across his face was quite the challenge. Looking back on the experience, Williams still can't believe what happened.

 

"It didn't really start to sink in until I was driving to Springfield which was three hours away from house in New Jersey. But it didn't completely sink in until I was talking with my mom and she just started crying. That's when it really sunk in that I was going to the D-League. It was really crazy to me. I was coming back from being injured and coming back from being suspended for two games then I get told I'm going to the D-League. It was like I couldn't do anything to win," Williams told HOOPSWORLD.

 

After drafting Williams with the eleventh pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Nets were fed up with his tardiness to practices and shootarounds. While Williams admits that was unprofessional, he still doesn't agree with how the Nets handled the situation.

 

"The situation was tough," Williams said. "The people that weren't in the situation, the ones on the outside looking in, took the situation for something that it wasn't. You can't send a player to the D-League for discipline. I'm a man, I owned up to my mistakes for being late, and I get sent to the D-League for discipline? It wasn't for developing or learning to play basketball. I know how to play basketball and that's evident based on what I did down there."

 

In three games with the Armor, Williams was the best player on the floor and averaged a jaw-dropping 28.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 10.7 assists. The twenty-three year old still possessed the talent that made him a lottery pick and the potential to be a great player in this league.

 

Enter the Houston Rockets. The team has always liked Williams' game and expressed interest in him during the 2009 Pre-Draft Combine. Houston was unable to trade up for Williams on draft night and ultimately selected Jermaine Taylor with the thirty-second overall pick.

 

Eighteen months later, the Rockets were able to acquire Williams in a three-team deal that sent a lottery-protected 2012 first-round pick to New Jersey and ended up moving Taylor to Sacramento in order to create a roster spot. The timing of the change couldn't have been better for Williams.

 

"I think the Rockets came through at a perfect time in my life and my career. I guess you could say that they saved me basketball wise. It was just a good situation for me. I always liked the Rockets organization. When I came out for the draft, I had meetings with them in Chicago. It's just been good," Williams said.

 

The change of scenery excited Williams, but he was also looking forward to reuniting with two of his closest friends in the league. Williams grew up with Aaron Brooks in Seattle and the two have been friends since childhood. He also has a great relationship with Courtney Lee, who was acquired by the Rockets over the summer, after spending one season with him in New Jersey.

 

"I've known Aaron since I was, like, five years old," Williams said with laugh. "Aaron's dad coached me when I played football. Aaron was older so he was on the older team, but his dad coached me when I was younger on the football field. It's good to have him here because I've known him since I was little and we played for the same team once. I can ask anything of him and ask for advice. It's definitely great, also having Courtney here too. I played last year with Courtney in New Jersey so it's definitely good having them here."

 

This support system, coupled with his experiences in New Jersey, has helped him learn from his mistakes and adjust in Houston.

 

"The transition has been easy," Williams said. "It's a whole new team and a whole new situation, but it's definitely good for me."

 

So good for him, in fact, that Williams can see himself remaining with the Rockets for the rest of his career. After this season, he has two more years until he'll become a restricted free agent. But Williams has been so impressed with the organization that he can envision himself retiring in Houston.

 

"I hope so, I definitely hope so. My condo still isn't done from moving in. I have like twenty boxes of shoes left that I have to unpack and someone is helping me with all of that, but I don't want to go through all of that again," Williams said with a laugh. "I think the organization is just great as a whole and I definitely would love to be here ten, eleven, twelve years, or whatever the case may be."

 

Terrence Williams couldn't be happier in Houston, and he intends to keep smiling for years to come.

 

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=18438#ixzz1AmHodvUD

 

Great to hear that Terrence has such a positive opinion of the organization, he didn't strike me as a player that wouldn't mind so many DNP games. He's got a lot of talent and I do hope that the Rockets plan to keep him around in the long-term.

[ChosenOne]

Great to see this guy is just happy being on the roster, love his attitude. Also who knows the way we have been with injuries it seems only a matter of time untill he gets a chance to start lol.

[*Swish*]

I don't understand why he doesn't play though. I rarely saw any highlights or games of him