CCT: Warriors get a point guard

Warriors get a point guard

By Marcus Thompson II
Staff writer
Article Launched: 07/22/2008 08:10:42 PM PDT

Losing Baron Davis left the Warriors without a true point guard on the
roster, a cause to fret considering the expected starter, Monta Ellis, is
inexperienced at the position.

But the Warriors allayed that concern Monday, trading for another Los
Angeles-bred dazzling playmaker with conditioning concerns: Marcus Williams.

Golden State sent a conditional first-round pick to the New Jersey Nets for
Williams, who became expendable when the Nets acquired Devin Harris from
Dallas in February and Keyon Dooling from Orlando on Monday.

"It's a lot better feeling now that I have a new opportunity, a fresh
start," Williams said in a phone interview. "It wasn't about being (back in
California). It was about getting an opportunity to play."

The Warriors have a team option for next season on Williams, who will make
$1.2 million this season. If they like him, they can pick him up for the
final year of his rookie deal.

Williams - not to be confused with swingman Marcus Williams out of Arizona,
the Los Angeles Clippers' restricted free agent - is a 6-foot-3, 205-pound
lefty with crafty handles who can penetrate and shoot from the outside. He
isn't a supreme athlete, but he boasts above average vision and passing
ability.

However, Williams hasn't gotten a chance to show much of it. In his third
year out of Connecticut, where he is the all-time leader in assists per
game, Williams saw a decline in production and minutes last season. He
fractured his right foot just before training camp and missed 29 games, then
averaged 5.9 points and 2.6 assists in 16.1 minutes, all slightly down from
the previous season.

The writing on the wall came when the Nets acquired Harris in the Jason Kidd
trade. Williams was expected to succeed an aging Kidd as the franchise's
point guard, but Harris took that torch.

The Warriors keep their first-round pick for the next two years. According
to the Nets' Web site, New Jersey could get the Warriors pick in 2011 if it
is not a lottery pick. If it is, the Nets would get the Warriors' pick in
2012, provided it's not a top-11 pick. If it is, the Nets' would then get
the Warriors' pick in 2013 as long as it's not a top-10 selection.

Should the Nets not get any of those picks, they would receive the Warriors'
second round picks in 2013 and 2015.

Williams figures to be a backup with the Warriors, though there is a chance
for significant minutes. He will play behind Ellis but, based on coach Don
Nelson's style, could end up playing alongside Ellis for significant
stretches. If the Ellis-at-point-guard experiment doesn't work out, Williams
could end up starting with Ellis in the backcourt.

Williams is expected to arrive in California in the next couple days. He
said the focus of his offseason would be conditioning, which was one of the
knocks that caused him to fall to No. 22 in the 2006 NBA draft.

"I've just got to go play my game," Williams said. "In New Jersey, I was
playing not to make mistakes, trying to stay on the court. ...

"(The Warriors' style) will work to my advantage because I can create plays,
knock down shots, pass, penetrate. "... I would say with any NBA team, it's
going to be a fight. I see they have C.J. Watson on the roster. He's going
to fight to show he deserves to play. So am I."

Note: The Warriors improved to 2-0 in the Rocky Mountain Revue with
Tuesday's 90-73 over the Dallas Mavericks. Anthony Morrow led the Warriors
with 27 points and 10 rebounds, and Anthony Randolph and Jamont Gordon added
20 points apiece. Randolph, the Warriors' first-round pick, was 14-for-17
from the free-throw line and had six rebounds, five assists and two steals
in 32 minutes. Second-round pick Richard Hendrix pulled down 11 rebounds in
26 minutes.

Contact Marcus Thompson II at mthomps2.TakeThisOut@bayareanewsgroup.com.