Is the Deron Williams Situation Becoming a Distraction for the Nets?

The big news coming from the Nets loss last night to the Washington Wizards was the frustration showed and eventual ejection of Deron Williams. Deron was actually playing pretty well in the game, but after two straight home losses to NBA bottom-feeders New Orleans and Cleveland, Deron was obviously frustrated coming into the game. Combine that with a lot of the bad calls from the refs against the Nets last night, and Deron’s frustrations finally boiled over and he got ejected from the game.

When the Nets made the trade for Gerald Wallace at the trade deadline, they were trying to prove something to Deron: the Nets will do whatever it takes to win in the present, and in the future. However, since the trade the Nets have went 0-4 and are 8 1/2 games behind the 8th place Knicks with only 18 games remaining. It is virtually impossible for them to make the playoffs. Deron has been frustrated all season, but recently it has started to really show. When he is playing in the games, he never seems happy and he hates the lack of talent currently on the roster. He does not enjoy playing at the Prudential Center, and he definitely would have rather been a member of the Utah Jazz than the New Jersey Nets over the last two seasons. When the Nets made the Wallace trade, they thought that they would only play better for the remainder of the season. Instead, they have been playing much worse.

The question one must ask now is, if this team continues to play this badly, will Deron Williams even consider resigning with the Brooklyn Nets? He left the locker room last night before the media came in to interview him. This was the second straight game that he left the locker room before being interviewed, a very bad sign. He obviously does not want to be interviewed when he is angry, in fear of him saying something that could get him fined. His play, emotions, and facial expressions on the court would lead Nets fans to think that he would not resign with the team. However, in every interview he has given, he says that the idea of playing in Brooklyn intrigues him and he can’t wait for the new arena to be built. These are very mixed messages, and he might just be saying these things so that Nets fans would be satisfied with him, and then as soon as free agency hits, he will be out the door on his way to Dallas. Let’s hope not.

Now let’s talk about how the situation is impacting the Nets in the present. The season is coming to a close, and Deron might only play 18 more games in a Nets uniform. The focus of the franchise is clearly on the future, but what about the players who want to improve and get better now? Actually, one player in particular: Marshon Brooks. At the beginning of the year, Marshon looked like a possible rookie of the year candidate. He could score at will, was a good shooter, and seemed to have a very good basketball IQ. But recently, he has had terrible shot selection, turned the ball over way too much, and stopped playing any defense. Is he distracted by Deron Williams? It is very possible. As a rookie who played 4 years in college, Marshon was never distracted by trade or free agency rumors. Everyone at his college, Providence, was there to stay. Deron has been a role model of what an NBA all-star looks like for Marshon, and Marshon doesn’t want Deron to just leave in the summer. Some say that Marshon has hit his rookie wall, and this is the reason why he is slumping. I say it’s because he’s distracted.