MVP
Well-Known Member
What was exactly said? I remember Deron saying something about it but without names. So why did people assume it was AK?
MVP
Well-Known Member
Is this is about this? Was there ever anything more specific that Deron implied it was AK who is making vacation plans, does not want to be in Utah and does not have a heart?
https://www.deseret.com/2007/5/31/20021824/d-will-says-some-on-team-lack-heart
Deron Williams' playoff coming-out party ended with a thud. Limited by injury (a sprained foot) and foul trouble, Williams scored just 11 points and had 2 assists in 23 minutes. His pick-and-roll partner, power forward Carlos Boozer, also fizzled with the season on the line, finishing with 9 points.
A pair of rising stars, Boozer and Williams also ended the night furious with their teammates. Without naming individuals, they accused some players of giving up.
"It is sad to say that," Boozer said, "because where we are, we are in the Western Conference finals, and we have guys that have vacation plans."
There were several possible culprits. Gordan Giricek scored just 5 points in 21 minutes, and none in the first half. Center Mehmet Okur, a key scorer all season but a no-show in this round, had 8 points and 3 rebounds. Andrei Kirilenko, the starting small forward, had 13 points and 5 rebounds.
So it could have been Giricek, Okur or AK. And it is funny how both Deron and Boozer player very poorly in that last game but started pointing fingers at teammates instead of evaluating their own performance. Could it be Fisher as well who was not playing in last game and who bolted in offseason to "be with his daughter" but signed with LA right away?
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It had come out that it was AK. Deron was even mad saying that of you don’t want to be here, to take it up with KOC. He took heat for saying that to the press and calling him out. It wasn’t his basketball performance that Deron was going off on — a thing you’re missing — it was where AK’s head and heart were at. Everyone saw that. Everyone except AK and anyone who thinks about how cool his stats are/were.
My time of really following or watching the Jazz only extends to the early 90s, so I’m not including guys I didn’t watch.
1. Malone.
1. Stockton.
3. Gobert.
4. Deron.
5. Donovan.
6. Hornacek.
6. Memo.
8. Eaton.
9. Millsap.
10. Ingles.
Obviously, I’ve kicked a couple guys out of the “circle of trust.”
1. Malone.
1. Stockton.
3. Gobert.
4. Deron.
5. Donovan.
6. Hornacek.
6. Memo.
8. Eaton.
9. Millsap.
10. Ingles.
Obviously, I’ve kicked a couple guys out of the “circle of trust.”
MVP
Well-Known Member
So you are taking what Deron said out of frustration after poor performance and elimination in WCF as a fact. It was his biased opinion. And I have hard time trusting what Deron said at that time after he got caught laying about his own ID to police and what we know about him from his relationship with Sloan.
And as far as that playoff run goes I saw AK giving his all in series vs GSW and being the main reason we advanced to WCF. I have hard time believing that suddenly after having great series vs GSW he just quit vs Spurs - I certainly did not see that on the court - if anything it was poor play by Memo and Boozer being dominated by Duncas which stood out most. We as a team in general got outclassed, outcoached and outplayed. Plus refs screwed us over in game 4. AK was the last reason to blame for that series loss.
MVP
Well-Known Member
Nope, that interview was after series was over. I personally read it on Russian website sports-express.ru. It did not say we had no chance, " he said that personally I think WCF finals was a ceiling for current team".
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