What exactly happened with A-Train?

[Next Level Game]

I'm trying to remember why Aaron Williams didn't work out last season. During ouor championship years, he looked great being a tough defensive player as well as having a nice offensive game to him. He could hit mid range jumpers and he was exteremely athletic....but why was he so useless last season? So useless that we could trade him as if he didn't mean anything to the club? Sure, we were to get Carter, but I thought last season was his time to shine...but what happened?

 

[Ma3oxuct]

The guy is old, he has lost most of his athletism (I would argue that he did not have too much of it in the first place). If he had any value left other teams would have signed him, he just did not have anything left in the tank. We also do not know what is said behind closed doors. Perhaps he wanted to end his career.

 

[Henacy]

I think that Zo being healthy at the start of last season, had an effect on his minutes...coach Franks didnt give him a shot to contribute at the start of the year, he went with a frontcourt rotation Collins, Zo, and then Eric Williams and Scali shared some minutes at the 4 spot, Krstic was able to crack the rotation from time to time...but he didnt start getting legit minutes until Collins minutes got less, JC was still in the starting lineup but if you remember he had a leg problem...and that is when Krstic minutes started to pickup...and then he became a starter when Zo went down from that long period...so A-Will had his minutes taken away by Zo then Nenad...and then he got traded to Toronto.

I really went into last season thinking A-Will was going to be a serious contributor...but I wasnt expecting Zo to be healthy nor Krstic to be so good. I dont think A-Will has been given an opportunity in Toronto either....they are going in a different direction, its was hard for him to get minutes there last year with Bosh and Marshall, Bonner playing in front of him...and he definately wont see minutes this year with that youth movement that got going on in the frontcourt: Charlie V, Bosh, Bonner etc..

I dont know how much A-Will has left really because he hasnt gotten the legit minutes to prove whether he can still play...the consensious may say that if he isnt getting the minutes chances are its a sign he has nothing left..but that isnt always the case..it seems to me that the Raptors coaching staff and front office have different a agenda..so it affects the direction of the team.

 

[Next Level Game]

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">he had any value left other teams would have signed him, he just did not have anything left in the tank.</div>

He's still under contract with the Raptors..


I just thought that Aaron would've been our starting power forward over Collins. He can hit an 18 footer, play decent defense and run with Kidd, somewhat. I guess it just didn't work out. In Toronto, none of the players traded got adjusted to the system, which is why I think he played so little. Eric Williams, a known consumate professional, even complained about how bad it was in Toronto.

I guess no looking back now, but I just thought he'd help us a lot...unfortunately I was disappointed.

 

[VinKanaddy]

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting nextlevelgame:</div><div class="quote_post">He's still under contract with the Raptors..


I just thought that Aaron would've been our starting power forward over Collins. He can hit an 18 footer, play decent defense and run with Kidd, somewhat. I guess it just didn't work out. In Toronto, none of the players traded got adjusted to the system, which is why I think he played so little. Eric Williams, a known consumate professional, even complained about how bad it was in Toronto.

I guess no looking back now, but I just thought he'd help us a lot...unfortunately I was disappointed.</div>


I would be pissed off too if the team I just signed with to be with my son traded me.

 

[PlaTsanity]

^
that's eric williams not aaron william

 

[thedude9990]

^ yea but its not like he can chose weather to be traded or not, even thought it would of been nice if we kept him

 

[Henacy]

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting thedude9990:</div><div class="quote_post">^ yea but its not like he can chose weather to be traded or not, even thought it would of been nice if we kept him</div>


No real need to Keep A-Train, coach Franks was never going to give him a true opprtunity....Aaron Williams was more of a Byron Scott guy, even during the 03-04 year after B. Scott left you could see Aaron Williams' minutes slowly decreasing under Frank...and by the time the 04 playoffs, Scalabrine and Rodney Rogers both passed A-Will in the frontcourt rotation...so last year, was just a sudden drop off in A.Will's minutes under Coach Franks, more like the final dropoff....Eric Williams on the other hand would have been nice to keep, we traded him right when he began to start consistently producing. And I think he would have been a nice 6th or 7th man in the rotation that we currently have...much better then Padgett and Murray, imo. But we got Vince as the result of giving him up, so you really cant complain...

 

[thedude9990]

^ i was talking about eric williams because the person above me said something about him being traded when the reason he signed with nj was too be with his son, eric could play the 4 and had pretty big games befor we traded him but we got vince in the deal for him but still