Alan Williams

[NashDishesDimes]

If Chriss can get his **** together, his athleticism next to Sauce could compensate. I dont think he needs to lose weight either, thats his best asset, he eats up space and uses his long arms.

His recent play makes Len expendable. Not a fan of Lens softness around the rim but hes only 25, 5 years away from his true prime.

 

[JCSunsfan]

If Chriss can get his **** together, his athleticism next to Sauce could compensate. I dont think he needs to lose weight either, thats his best asset, he eats up space and uses his long arms.

His recent play makes Len expendable. Not a fan of Lens softness around the rim but hes only 25, 5 years away from his true prime.

I assume the weight comment is about Sauce, not Len.

I think he would benefit by lowering his body fat some and adding some muscle.

 

[Mainstreet]

I'm confused, is he a restricted or unrestrecited, hoopshype has unrestrcited but McDonough said rfa.

It's amazing, jeremy lin like post all star break, has gone from the nba s greatest cheerleader to earning a pretty nice contract.

I did some searching. Spotrac lists Alan Williams as a RFA for next season. This is good news if accurate.

http://www.spotrac.com/nba/phoenix-suns/yearly/cap/

 

[JCSunsfan]

I did some searching. Spotrac lists Alan Williams as a RFA for next season. This is good news if accurate.

http://www.spotrac.com/nba/phoenix-suns/yearly/cap/

Its all good for the Suns. He is another option -- Len insurance. He is also competition for Len. However, since the Suns have two of these, a team might gamble on that, hoping the Suns will only sign one of them.

I still think Len has lots of potential. But a "bird in the hand" . . .

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Guys I like Al as much as the next guy but comparisons to Ben Wallace in terms of playing center are ridiculous. Ben was an amazing athlete. He jumped outta the sky as a shot blocker and rebounder and he was a great lateral defender.

And yeah Barkley was undersized, but he was also a freak of nature from an athletic perspective.

And the latest comp is now draymond green? Another guy whose athleticism, while not on the Barkley or Wallace level, is still vastly superior in terms of movement to Al.

I think we are getting ahead of ourselves here. Al is a nice, but likely limited, player. I think he's a find and will be a rotation player. But I doubt he's ever going to become an all star or even starter or stater-minutes player.

 

[SirStefan32]

Guys I like Al as much as the next guy but comparisons to Ben Wallace in terms of playing center are ridiculous. Ben was an amazing athlete. He jumped outta the sky as a shot blocker and rebounder and he was a great lateral defender.

And yeah Barkley was undersized, but he was also a freak of nature from an athletic perspective.

And the latest comp is now draymond green? Another guy whose athleticism, while not on the Barkley or Wallace level, is still vastly superior in terms of movement to Al.

I think we are getting ahead of ourselves here. Al is a nice, but likely limited, player. I think he's a find and will be a rotation player. But I doubt he's ever going to become an all star or even starter or stater-minutes player.

Heh, I was just reading this thread and came to the Ben Wallace comment. My first thought was, "Oh wow, talk about getting carried away." Wallace was an amazing athlete and an outstanding defender. I like the guy as much an anyone, but he has nothing in common with Ben Wallace other than being undersized.

 

[Hoop Head]

I don't see the Green, Barkley, or Ben Wallace comparisons. Like Ouchie said above, all of them were/are athletic freaks in their prime that made up for them being undersized. Williams has a lot of hustle but not much skill. If we had to choose between retaining Williams or Len though I'd probably lean towards Williams at this point, he'd certainly be a lot cheaper, but I think he could end up being a better pro overall. You can't teach his hustle and that alone will keep him in the league for the next 5-6 years. He reminds me of Oliver Miller without the shot blocking ability.

He's proven he can be more than 12th man but I'm not sure if he'll ever be a starter in the league, in large part because of his size and lack of speed. The only way he becomes a starter is if you find the right PF/C to play along side him, someone like Porzingis or Dirk, which Bender could develop into. I think the Suns should move Chandler in the offseason though and have Len, Williams, and Bender at Center next season.

 

[JCSunsfan]

He is more of a Zach Randoph type of player. He plays below the rim but has a way of getting his shot off in traffic and bulldozing space for himself.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I brought up Draymond Green but I certainly wasn't equating the two. I think people get carried away, they read two names in the same paragraph and assume that we're calling them equals when that isn't the case at all. And to be clear, I don't think Williams is all that similar to any of the names in this thread. But I like Williams today more than I liked Ben Wallace at the same age for whatever that's worth.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I brought up Draymond Green but I certainly wasn't equating the two. I think people get carried away, they read two names in the same paragraph and assume that we're calling them equals when that isn't the case at all. And to be clear, I don't think Williams is all that similar to any of the names in this thread. But I like Williams today more than I liked Ben Wallace at the same age for whatever that's worth.

I got it. It was more about a second round pick makes good story, than comparing their actual games. I just was pointing out some differences. Just talk.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I got it. It was more about a second round pick makes good story, than comparing their actual games. I just was pointing out some differences. Just talk.

Sure plus the possibility that he can provide an unconventional answer to a common problem, similar to what Green does for Golden State. I can't see him ever being the player Draymond has become but he doesn't have to be to have value to us. He's not a traditional center but he can provide the energy, the toughness and the blend of strength and agility to defend inside and out (hopefully, eventually) that we need.

 

[Hoop Head]

Sure plus the possibility that he can provide an unconventional answer to a common problem, similar to what Green does for Golden State. I can't see him ever being the player Draymond has become but he doesn't have to be to have value to us. He's not a traditional center but he can provide the energy, the toughness and the blend of strength and agility to defend inside and out (hopefully, eventually) that we need.

I'm curious if Watson's comments were directed at anyone on our team, regarding the Suns needing an enforcer. Until I read your comment I thought Watson's comments were a bit off, especially with the timing, but perhaps he's tried to get through to them in practice and thought calling for a type of player might get someone on the team to step into that role, especially since it's not a skill role but something that most big bodied inside players should be able to fill. His comments coincide with Len starting and Williams seeing more minutes.

Williams seems like a really nice guy, perhaps too nice to be any sort of bruiser or banger, but maybe he can turn into a Rick Mahorn or Dennis Rodman (younger Pistons Rodman). You can be a nice guy and be protective of the most skilled players on the team. Rather than Watson asking him to be an enforcer specifically he called for it in the media and is hoping someone on the team steps into that role. I could see some issues arise if the NBA caught wind of a coach telling a player to start roughing up opposing players or teams, regardless of the reason behind it.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I'm curious if Watson's comments were directed at anyone on our team, regarding the Suns needing an enforcer. Until I read your comment I thought Watson's comments were a bit off, especially with the timing, but perhaps he's tried to get through to them in practice and thought calling for a type of player might get someone on the team to step into that role, especially since it's not a skill role but something that most big bodied inside players should be able to fill. His comments coincide with Len starting and Williams seeing more minutes.

Williams seems like a really nice guy, perhaps too nice to be any sort of bruiser or banger, but maybe he can turn into a Rick Mahorn or Dennis Rodman (younger Pistons Rodman). You can be a nice guy and be protective of the most skilled players on the team. Rather than Watson asking him to be an enforcer specifically he called for it in the media and is hoping someone on the team steps into that role. I could see some issues arise if the NBA caught wind of a coach telling a player to start roughing up opposing players or teams, regardless of the reason behind it.

Yeah, I don't think Williams has the mentality for it but I I really don't know what Watson was thinking when he made that comment. And to me it was a very stupid comment, nothing good will come from it either from the league or the refs. It's the exact kind of thinking the NBA has worked so hard to get rid of although there's no doubt that Vince Carter played that role with his elbow to Booker's head the last time we faced the Grizzlies.

 

[Yuma]

I know this is really going to freak some people out here, but Williams reminds me of a more offensively gifted Kurt Rambis. A hustle guy who rebounds, plays some hard D but is not a shot blocker, and when he scores it is a bonus. Williams has better touch than Rambis, but he has a similar hustle style that teams with a lot of skilled small positions could use. The footwork skills seem similar to me when I watch Williams compared to Rambis.

 

[Mainstreet]

Its all good for the Suns. He is another option -- Len insurance. He is also competition for Len. However, since the Suns have two of these, a team might gamble on that, hoping the Suns will only sign one of them.

I still think Len has lots of potential. But a "bird in the hand" . . .

I think this is exactly what another team may think and offer Len a free agent contract believing the Suns may not match.

 

[Mainstreet]

Guys I like Al as much as the next guy but comparisons to Ben Wallace in terms of playing center are ridiculous. Ben was an amazing athlete. He jumped outta the sky as a shot blocker and rebounder and he was a great lateral defender.

And yeah Barkley was undersized, but he was also a freak of nature from an athletic perspective.

And the latest comp is now draymond green? Another guy whose athleticism, while not on the Barkley or Wallace level, is still vastly superior in terms of movement to Al.

I think we are getting ahead of ourselves here. Al is a nice, but likely limited, player. I think he's a find and will be a rotation player. But I doubt he's ever going to become an all star or even starter or stater-minutes player.

I agree.

Also besides superior athleticism, Draymond Green can hit the 3 point shot. I don't believe Williams has even attempted this shot... nor do I want him to start.

 

[Errntknght]

He reminds me of Oliver Miller without the shot blocking ability.

Williams is currently blocking shots at the rate of 2.6 per 36 min, so he's better at it than one would guess from his level of athleticism.

 

[AzStevenCal]

He's still too rough around the edges for me to really compare him to anyone.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Williams is currently blocking shots at the rate of 2.6 per 36 min, so he's better at it than one would guess from his level of athleticism.

They are more opportunistic blocks. "Smart"blocks if you will. But he's not an actual shotblocker. He won't dissuade drives to the hoop.

 

[Chaplin]

They are more opportunistic blocks. "Smart"blocks if you will. But he's not an actual shotblocker. He won't dissuade drives to the hoop.

Part of that is because he is such an unknown. He needs to give some hard fouls before anyone will make that decision.

 

[Mainstreet]

He's still too rough around the edges for me to really compare him to anyone.

I mostly agree with this. However, if Williams had a better outside shot he would resemble Zach Randolph.
Zach doesn't get off the floor either.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I mostly agree with this. However, if Williams had a better outside shot he would resemble Zach Randolph.
Zach doesn't get off the floor either.

He needs to wear a headband like Randolph and Duds. Then he would totally look like some dude at the Y playing weekend ball--just like they do.

 

[Mainstreet]

Crowder with an unexpected shot and he is fouled.

 

[Mainstreet]

Bledsoe trying to sell the elbow... no.

 

[Mainstreet]

He needs to wear a headband like Randolph and Duds. Then he would totally look like some dude at the Y playing weekend ball--just like they do.

Please no head band for Williams.