How much did Deron Williams dislike his time with the Brooklyn Nets? It made him question his entire career.
Williams, now with the Mavericks, opened up about his time in Brooklyn to Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports.
“It took a lot out of me, man, those three years. Some of the hardest in my life,” Williams said. “Made me question if I even wanted to play basketball when I was done with that contract.”
Williams was expected to be a franchise player for Brooklyn, but he openly admitted that he probably wasn’t suited to deal with the pressures of playing in New York.
“It’s cool. There’s a lot of people, I guess, who aren’t built for New York,” Williams said. “New York is not for everybody.”
Injuries definitely played a role in Williams’s issues. He also blames the fact that he had to work under four coaches in three seasons for hurting him.
“Like I said, I knew things would’ve been different if I wouldn’t have been hurt. And wouldn’t have had four coaches in three and a half years. Wouldn’t have had to learn a new system every six months,” Williams said. “But things happen for a reason. It’s all God’s plan. That part of my life is over. And I can focus on this. It’s a new chapter in my life. I’m excited about this.”
It’s not news that Williams just wasn’t cut out for New York. A teammate allegedly had to tell the media to go easy on him, and Paul Pierce felt that the pressure got to him. Dallas seems to suit him much, much better.
H/T Sporting News
