Report: Nets teammate asked media to take it easy on fragile Deron Williams

Deron Williams’ time with the Brooklyn Nets has come to an end, but the stories about how negatively things went between him and his former team are still trickling out.

Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reports that Williams had such a fragile psyche in his final season with Brooklyn that a teammate asked media members to take it easy on the point guard.

In the Barclays Center hallways, a Nets player made a plea for compassion. Or maybe it was pity.

“If you can,” he told two media members, “take it easy on D-Will. He can’t handle it.”

The teammate apparently made the request after a disappointing performance by Williams. That was around the same time former teammate Paul Pierce made public comments being critical of Williams. Pierce apparently tried to play psychologist with Williams during his year with the Nets and tried to boost the guard’s confidence. He later apparently told Nets players he felt Williams was a mental midget.

Bondy expounds on the notion that Williams was a poor fit with the Nets for multiple reasons. He describes the point guard as acting “surly and standoffish, rubbing people the wrong way at all levels of the organization.” He also says Williams had to be restrained from going after coach Lionel Hollins during a meeting to air grievances.

Williams is now with the Dallas Mavericks after being bought out of his contract with Brooklyn. Maybe the change of scenery will give him a rebirth and help him regain his confidence. This is not the lasting legacy he wants for his career. Between this and how he ran Jerry Sloan out of town in Utah, Williams’ image has taken a major hit.