Derrick Williams was given considerable physical gifts, and he is squandering them.
He is being given the precious gift of NBA playing time, and he is wasting it.
As the Timberwolves begin to resemble the cast of the "The Walking Dead," Williams is sleepwalking through one of the most important periods of his young career.
The Wolves need him, and he is fading away from responsibility the way he fades away from the basket when confronted by a defender.
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With his team desperate for points and minutes, Williams failed. Asked to carry the scoring load in the first quarter, he shot 1-for-6 in the quarter and 3-for-12 overall, often getting to the rim only to have his shot rejected or altered. Although he had nine rebounds for the evening, he meandered on defense and finished the game with a plus-minus of minus-6.
That was the second-worst plus-minus on the team. The only player with a lower rating was Will Conroy at minus-10. The Wolves released Conroy on Thursday.
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Their best healthy player, Kirilenko, is surviving with brains and elbows, surviving by reminding his teammates that 95 percent of the game is played below the rim and between the ears. Thursday, the day after Williams faded, the Wolves signed small forward Josh Howard as a (luke)warm body to help spell Kirilenko.
Williams should be embarrassed. Apparently, he is not.
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It's too early to give up on Williams. It's not too early to stick him at the end of the bench and make him watch pros like Kirilenko and Cunningham play with a sense of purpose.
It's too early to call Williams another Timberwolves draft bust, but he's got one foot in Wes Johnson territory.