[Peja Vu]

There are already 5 rosters spots taken up:

From July 6-14, the youngest Kings and a host of fill-in players in Kings jerseys will be in Las Vegas for the annual summer league. But whereas last year's Kings' contract-player contingent consisted of only Kevin Martin and Francisco García, this year's team will have five contract players.

Martin, whose 19.4 points per game last year ranked him third in the summer league, will return for his third stint. García will make his second trip.

They'll be joined by Ronnie Price, Sergei Monia and the Kings' first selection of the June 28 draft.

Second-year point guard Price won an invitation to Kings training camp last October despite being injured for all but two of the Kings' five summer-league games. This time, he could be trying to impress enough to battle for eventual playing time with Jason Hart, who has exercised the player option on his contract for the 2006-07 season.

Monia -- the 23-year-old, 6-foot-8 swingman who played a total of seven minutes after he was traded to the Kings in late February -- will make his first trip. It will be a welcome change of pace for Monia, who spent much of the past few months playing one-on-one against center Vitaly Potapenko.

Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie is as eager as some of his players. He said he's looking forward to seeing Price and Monia, in particular.

"I think there's a strong belief here that Ronnie can play, but he can't prove it yet," Petrie said last week. "It's going to be great to watch him play in summer league. … (And) summer league will be big for (Monia), give us a better chance to watch him compete in a game situation."

The same goes for García, who will look to avoid any setbacks such as the March 1 ankle injury that marred much of his rookie season.

"It's really unfortunate that he got hurt when he did, the way he did," Petrie said. "It seemed like he had just started to relax, to get a feel for how he should play and all that stuff. And he never really got going again after that. It's obvious he's a multiskilled guy and a competitive player. He does a lot of things."

http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports...15074093c.html

[Peja Vu]

Snubbed in NBA draft, Wyoming’s Williams still has a shot at pros

Although former University of Wyoming standout Justin Williams wasn’t picked in Wednesday’s NBA draft, his agent says he will get a chance to play professional ball with the Sacramento Kings.

Darren White, Williams’ agent, told the Casper Star-Tribune on Thursday that Williams will play in the NBA’s Toshiba Vegas Summer League with the Kings.

Kings coach Eric Musselman talked with White and Williams near the end of Wednesday’s draft. Musselman said that Williams’ defense could be valuable to the Sacramento team.

"We talked with coach Musselman, and he spoke very highly of (Williams)," White said.

Teams commonly send rookies to the Summer League to gain experience and prove they deserve a place on the team. Williams is scheduled to play his first Summer League game July 6 with the Kings in Las Vegas.

[Peja Vu]

Williams to play for Kings

After not being selected in Wednesday night's NBA draft, former University of Wyoming standout Justin Williams will still have a chance to play professionally with the Sacramento Kings.

Williams' agent, Darren White, told the Star-Tribune Thursday that Williams has agreed to play in the NBA's Toshiba Vegas Summer League with the Kings. Sacramento coach Eric Musselman talked with White and Williams near the conclusion of Wednesday's draft, saying Williams' defense could prove valuable to the Kings.

"We talked with coach Musselman, and he spoke very highly of (Williams)," White said. "

Teams often send rookies and other young players to the Summer League to gain experience and prove they deserve roster spots. Williams' first Summer League game with the Kings will be July 6 in Las Vegas.

[Peja Vu]

NBADraft.net Profile: Justin Williams

Justin Williams
Birthdate: 5/12/84
NBA Position: PF/C
College: Wyoming
Class: Senior
Ht: 6-10
Wt: 225
Hometown: Chicago, IL
High School: Thornwood

NBA Comparison: Keon Clark (less athletic)

Strengths: Long, athletic post player with great leaping ability ... Tremendous shot blocker. Great timing and long arms make him a menace inside the paint for opposing players ... Alters a lot of shots ... Runs the floor well ... Has a huge wing span ... Quick feet and great reflexes ... Strong rebounder. Big hands. Good at attacking the glass and scoring on put backs ... Hard worker, his offensive game has shown solid improvement ... Does a good job of playing to his strengths ... Could fit a role on an NBA team due to his rebounding and shot blocking ability ...

Weaknesses: Lacks great body strength ... Can probably add some weight, but will always likely be on the thin side for a post player ... Lacks great offensive skills ... More of a defensive and rebounding type of player ... Below average free throw shooter ... Lacks great range on his shot ... Offensive moves inside are weak ... Rebounding could improve with better positioning and technique ... Turnover prone, must cut down on turnovers ... Can be foul prone, since he is so aggressive on the defensive end, but has improved at cutting down on fouls ... Lacks great passing and ball handling skills ... Should develop a go to move, lacks the ability to create shots for himself ...

Notes: Second in the nation in blocks at 5.4 per game. Also averaged a double double with 11 ppg and 11 rpg.

-Aran Smith 3/16/06

[Peja Vu]

DraftExpress Profile: Justin Williams

Name:Justin Williams
Height:6' 9"
Weight:211 pounds
Previous Team: Wyoming , Senior
Drafted: Undrafted in 2006 Draft
NBA Position:PF
Date of Birth:5/12/1984 (22 Years Old)
High School:Thornwood
Hometown:Chicago, Ill.
Earliest Draft Class:2005
Current Position:PF/C
Possible Positions:PF/C
Best Case Scenario:Melvin Ely

Strengths:
Listed at 6 feet, 10 inches, Williams has good height for the NBA power forward position. He combines that with a nice wingspan and an excellent standing reach. As an athlete, Williams is incredibly quick getting off the floor, with an excellent vertical leap and plenty of footspeed to get the job done. His upper-body is very much underdeveloped, but his legs are strong and act as a springboard for him to get off the ground and challenge shots. Despite not having the type of bulk you would hope for in a 4-year senior, his frame shows a lot of promise to continue to put weight on as he makes the transition from the college campus to an NBA weight room, particularly his broad shoulders.

Offensively, Williams is extremely raw, scoring most of his points off offensive rebounds, in transition, and off layups or dunks around the basket. When given the opportunity, Williams finishes strong and confidently at the rim. He has an underdeveloped jump-hook shot that serves as his go-to move within a few feet of the hoop.

Williams’ biggest asset as far as the NBA is concerned lies in his game-changing shot-blocking ability. He averaged an astounding 5.4 blocks per game as a college senior, good for 2nd best in the country, and a full 1.5 more blocks per game than the third best shot-blocker in the nation. Beyond his physical gifts, Williams is blessed with amazing timing and instincts in regards to challenging and intimidating around the rim. He often doesn’t even need to jump to block a shot, just positioning himself perfectly with his arms high in the air and pinning the ball to the glass in one quick, fluid motion. His massive hands help him out a great deal in this regard. Williams gets his fair share of blocks on the ball while guarding his man, but makes most of his living on the weak-side. He rotates in the blink of an eye, anticipates his opponent’s leap to let him get in the air before he does, and then goes straight up with no hesitation at all. Even when he doesn’t come up with a block on any given possession, his mere presence in the lane is enough to make opposing guards leery about driving into the paint.

Being more than just a shot-blocker, as a team defender Williams is quite good as well. He is a pesky, physical type, always looking to scrap, never being afraid of contact, holding his ground against stronger opponents and showing tremendous hustle on this end of the floor. His work-ethic and athleticism are on full display in the way he defends the pick and roll especially; coming out to hedge the screen, showing extremely well and then recovering in the blink of an eye right back into the post to continue to get the job done. If a teammate blows his assignment, Williams is quick enough to even step out on the perimeter and contest jump-shots from opposing guards as well.

Williams is also a tremendous rebounder at the collegiate level, averaging 11 per game in just 30 minutes per outing. The same physical attributes that make him an excellent shot-blocker make a factor here too; length, quickness, vertical leap, toughness, timing and a tremendous motor. He goes after anything and everything that is even remotely in his area, showing little regard for anyone that is in his way.

In terms of intangibles, Williams’ improvement as a basketball player can be directly attributed to his excellent work-ethic. He averaged more rebounds and blocked shots his last year at Wyoming than he did in Junior College, which tells you a bit about the strides he’s made as a basketball player. On the court, he’s known as a highly coachable player who knows his role and does exactly what is asked of him. He played much of the season on a bad ankle that most players would not even consider practicing on, showing his dedication to his team along with his ability to play through pain. Off the court, Williams is billed as an outgoing person with a good attitude as well as a solid teammate.

Weaknesses:
One correctable weakness which could prevent him from playing a large role early on in his career is the fact that he’s extremely thin for a power forward, measuring out at around 215 pounds at Portsmouth. NBA big men will be able to push him around the way Mountain West Conference big men couldn’t, so adding strength is a priority. Defensively, Williams had problems staying on the floor at times this year due to the fact that he is prone to get in early foul trouble thanks to his tenacious style of play. His footwork in the post could still stand to improve.

Offensively, Williams is extremely raw, not leaving much hope of ever developing into much of a factor on this end besides scoring on garbage points. He has almost no offense to speak of outside of 5 feet, being particularly limited due to the fact that he has very poor touch on his shot. He has a very awkward looking release, and this is especially obvious when watching him clank free throws, hitting only 56% of his attempts on the season. He has absolutely no face-up game and cannot create a shot for himself in the post due to his non-existent ball-handling skills. Williams is a very mechanical offensive player, even shooting simple shots around the rim, his touch is very poor. Offensively he would be best suited playing the center position next to a highly skilled power forward, but at 6-9 or 6-10 his size and lack of bulk pretty much relegates him almost exclusively to the 4-spot.

Competition:
Williams played in a fairly watered down Mountain West Conference, one year after the conference had two top 20 picks in the NBA draft. The depth of this conference was very questionable, particularly in terms of big men talent, so some healthy skepticism should occur when analyzing his gaudy statistical production.

As a senior, Williams averaged 11 points and 11 rebounds to go along with his 5.4 blocks per game. His most impressive performance statistically was likely a 10 point, 15 rebound 12 block effort against Utah in the MWC tournament. Besides a monster 13 point, 20 rebound, 9 block performance against Charlotte early on in the season, Williams for the most part struggled to reach his averages against the fairly marginal NBA prospects he had a chance to match up with in-conference and out, including Yemi Nicholson, Marcus Slaughter, Louis Amundson and Joah Tucker.

At the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament he showed that his numbers were no fluke, though, being named to DraftExpress’ All-Portsmouth 2nd team (see links: Portsmouth Recap) for his efforts here. Many of his matchups were against high profile big men (relatively speaking) from high-major conferences, and he was impressive enough to surely earn himself another look at the Orlando pre-draft camp in June.

Williams played his first two seasons of college basketball at Colby Community College before transferring to Wyoming. He was also recruited by Auburn, DePaul, Iowa State, Marquette, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and UCLA.

Outlook:
Considering his tremendous rebounding and defensive potential, there is likely a spot for a player like Justin Williams in the NBA, even more so when you consider his youth (turning 22 in mid-May) and upside.

Barring a terrific performance in Orlando that could propel him into the 1st round, Williams will likely get drafted somewhere in the 2nd round and will initially get a chance to justify the investment to see how much he can improve in his first season or two in the NBA. There are many scrappy power forwards who went undrafted and are far less naturally talented than him making a solid living in the NBA right now.

[Peja Vu]

1. Kevin Martin
2. Francisco García
3. Ronnie Price
4. Sergei Monia
5. Quincy Douby
6. Justin Williams

[maKINGSofgreatness]

I wish his NBA comparision was "Keon Clark with a brain."

This is really cool though, I was hoping we would trade into the second round and grab either he or Bobby Jones. Beyond Jason Hart and Kenny Thomas (who I wouldn't blame any team for not wanting) it doesn't look like we will be looking to trade much, yet we still need interior D in the worst way. And I don't want to shell out the big bucks for Pryz, Nazr or the wrong end of Big Ben or Alonzo's careers.

Great defensive players go undrafted surprisingly often.

[Peja Vu]

DraftExpress had him going #55 in their mock:

http://draftexpress.com/mock.php?y=2006

[Peja Vu]

SI.com: Justin Williams, Wyoming senior power forward

Back on Feb. 24, I wrote in this space about Williams as one of the best draft prospects most fans had not heard about. Williams has since taken his shot-blocking exploits to the Mountain West Conference final game (six blocks), the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (seven blocks in three games) and the NBA Pre-Draft Camp, where he blocked 14 shots in three games, including eight blocks in a single game. Williams is a lean power forward who needs to gain some weight and further develop his offensive arsenal, but shot-blocking at the top levels of basketball is a rare skill, and Williams has it.

In addition to that NBA-level skill, Williams surprised me by hitting several face-up jump shots out to 20 feet at the camp, something I didn't know he was capable of. Williams rebounds hard all the time, and his aggressiveness and fearlessness are qualities teams should take a close look at. Williams has moved up into late-first-round or at least early-second-round consideration.

[Peja Vu]

Check out the numbers he put up against Utah in the MWC Conference:

http://wyomingathletics.cstv.com/spo...06/mwcm07.html
10 Points/15 Rebounds/12 Blocks

And against San Diego State:
http://wyomingathletics.cstv.com/spo...06/mwcm08.html
7 Points/16 Rebounds/ 6 Blocks

[Peja Vu]