Jazz Notes: Williams looks like All-Star against his Utah teammates
By Phil Miller
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:10/07/2006 02:21:35 AM MDT
BOISE - It wasn't easy to tell which was the more forceful indicator of Deron Williams' intentions Friday night: his words or his play.
The second-year point guard doesn't lack for confidence, and his declaration after the Jazz's first preseason scrimmage game proved it: "My goal is to be an All-Star every year now," Williams said.
That sentiment didn't seem particularly audacious after Williams dominated his own teammates on Boise State's court, leading his Blue team to an 80-47 rout of the White. The Jazz's prize lottery pick scored a team-high 18 points on a mixture of long jumpers, fast-break layups and a couple of especially impressive rampages along the baseline and to the hoop.
Best of all, Williams energized his teammates - he was teamed with Mehmet Okur, Andrei Kirilenko, C.J. Miles and Jarron Collins much of the night - into an offensive and defensive show that appeared ripped straight out of the Jazz's playbook.
The other notable performance during the Jazz's three 10-minute periods before a crowd of roughly 250 came from another Blue team point guard. Brian Chase took a big step in his competition with second-round pick Dee Brown for the third-string job, scoring 13 points and adding five assists. Brown, playing for the White team, went 0-for-5 from the field.
Carlos Boozer led the White team with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, while Matt Harpring scored eight and Gordan Giricek six. Rookie Ronnie Brewer, who mostly played small forward (matched up defensively against Kirilenko), added six.
Rookie Roger Powell made a three-pointer and finished with seven points. . . . Miles had the play of the night: He batted away a pass, saved it from going out of bounds, then recovered it and raced to the other end for a dunk.
http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_4457024
Scrimmage: Deron looks like an All-Star against teammates
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