Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 5:17 pm  |  104 responses

Orlando Enlists White Chocolate

by Ryne Nelson

Whew! The League just wasn’t the same without Jason Williams this past year, was it? After what seemed like a premature retirement and a failed comeback with the Clippers, JWill is making a homecoming of sorts by signing with the Orlando Magic.

No, he’s no Brett Favre, but the parallels are rather curious: both are American icons, lead the offense, and can’t come to terms with retirement. Both guys you don’t say ‘no’ to when they offer their wisdom and services for a season. The Orlando Sentinel:

The Magic signed point guard Jason WIlliams, the former Gator and Central Florida resident, today. Williams, who lives in Isleworth, worked out at RDV Sportsplex yesterday. He’s been out of basketball for a year after retiring last September for family reasons. That retirement came about a month after he signed with the Clippers.

WIlliams is now the team’s third point guard behind Jameer Nelson and Anthony Johnson, bringing the Magic closer to having a full roster.

Of course, it’s a great move. The Magic had a roster spot open and Williams is arguably better than Anthony Johnson. He has chips, he’s unselfish, and he has the ultimate target in Dwight Howard. Highlight reels, be warned.

H/T: Brad Long.

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  • zaza pachulia

    the elbow pass is the greatest pass of all time

  • zabba

    that pass was so sweet i came in my pants when i saw it.

  • alex chuck

    haha teddy is funny. he played in miami which oddly enough is in florida.

  • ciggas

    jwill (L)

  • ciggas

    jwill (L)

  • underdog

    The Sixers should steal Anthony Johnson someway. It’s good to see White Chocolate back in business.

  • http://dsjklf.com Jukai

    The Orlando Magic locker room is gonna be a helluva lot smokier.

  • tavoris

    co-sign TADOne…they may very well lead the league in attendance this year, now that they have 3 of the most entertaining basketball players of the last decade on the same team. Good thing they have 33 games on TV this year.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    slow down people, nobody was going to miami games to catch jwill and that was 2 years ago. / brad long, playmaking is about much more than racking up assists. hedo basically ran the offense. jameer just brought the ball up. but you knew that. i really don’t know how you can call him mentally soft. that’s bollocks. you say he has no conscience, i say he’s ballsy and confident. tomahto, tomayto. bottom line is: he’s not afraid of the moment.

  • tavoris

    Z, J Will doesn’t have to do anything but play 5-10 min a game and run the offense. The occasional “ooh” and “wow” dribble or pass is icing on the cake. And while nobody went to Miami games to see J-Will (as Shaq and Wade were the Alpha dogs), there was one of those “ooh” moments in every game from Williams.

  • http://www.shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com Eboy

    I’d rather have Eboy as my backup than Chris Quinn. Just saying.

  • RM

    Hedo Turkoglu mentally soft? I do recall the man hitting countless jumpers at the end to win games. That doesn’t seem to soft mentally to me, Brad Long.

  • RM

    too

  • The D Train

    You know who receives tons of hate on on these boards? Hedo, Dirk and Rubio. I know there must be something they all have in common, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what it is…

  • http://www.shoenut.blogspot.com ShoeNut

    I like it, even though white choc is not what he used to be, he can still be a good backup for Nelson.

  • http://www.realcavsfans.com Anton

    I have lost all respect for the Magic’s length after it was revealed that most of the “length” was attributed to Rashard using Pen!s Pills.

  • http://www.realcavsfans.com Anton

    I lost all respect for the Magic’s length after it was revealed that most of the “length” was attributed to Rashard using Penis Enhancement Drugs.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Wayno

    @ the D Train – They are all secretly women

  • ron

    yea, jason is a great guard. but what could the addition really do for Magic?

  • http://www.slamonline.com Myles Brown

    Meh.

  • http://www.sonicbids.com doyouwantmore

    Forgot to mention in the article that White Chocolate has the lateral movement of a sea turtle.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Z
    The Magic’s “identity” was flawed. Hedo was overrated as a playmaker and consistently made bad decisions throughout the game.
    Right now the Magic matchup well with any team in the league and have several players that should be able to exploit any one-on-one matchup.
    You have legitimate number 2 and 3 players in Vince and Jameer, along with an outstanding number 4 in Rashard. Brandon Bass frees Howard from the heavy lifting on defense, while providing the effort and shooting that the Magic have been missing for a while. They also have great role players in Gortat, Barnes, Pietrus and even Jason Williams. I actually would have preferred if they kept Anthony Johnson because I think he’s a better shotmaker, but Williams is still talented.
    When was the last time a non-traditional NBA squad actually won a championship. The last one I can think of is the Bulls, and that team featured two of the greatest perimeter players of all time.

  • tavoris

    D Train…who hates on Dirk or Turk? They don’t get the “love” other players get, but their criticisms are NOWHERE near as vehement as the flames thrown AI’s, Marbury’s, or TMac’s way.

  • tavoris

    Allenp, Anthony Johnson is still in Orlando…

  • http://dsjklf.com Jukai

    tavoris: er…. Gotta disagree with you there buddy.

  • izzo

    Turkoglu was a far better role player than VC ever will be, not to mention clutch. I don’t understand the whole overrated thing, well I do.

  • http://slam liam

    Magic suck even with williams they lost 3 of there starting 5 that got them to the finals

  • White Chocolate*DSC*

    The magic are goin to be nasty this year. Turkoglu is goin to hate losing in toronto he should have stayed, but if the magic meet the lakers in the finals again things might be a lil different

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Allen, how can you say that it was ‘flawed’ because they lost to the best team last year.. in the Finals! They beat Boston and Cleveland with that flawed system and another story could have been told if Lee makes a lay up and Dwight makes a free throw. I’d argue that Orlando doesn’t pose the same problems to Cleveland at all with Shard at the 3 and Bass at the 4. That’s a matchup that plays REALLY well into Cleveland’s strengths.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    You have to explain the overrated playmaker comment as well. He was their ONLY playmaker in the playoffs last year. Everything for them happened after the side pick n roll for Turk.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Z
    They beat Boston without KG or Powe. They beat a Cleveland team that was flawed, but still had a good shot to win if Mike Brown could actually coach offense.
    I agree with you that Cleveland matches up better with this team now, but that doesn’t mean that Orlando isn’t a better overall team. In fact, the Magic still have the opportunity to force the Cavs to have Lebron decided whether he guards Vince or Shard, like he had to decided between Shard and Hedo last year. Matter of fact, the days of Lebron “resting” on defense against he Magic are over because there is no player for him to rest on now with Jameer healthy and Vince replacing Courtney Lee.
    I think Hedo was overrated as a passer and decision maker. I consistently saw him take contested jumpers instead of getting Howard the easy looks he deserved. Moreover, I felt that given the money Hedo wanted, and his age, signing him to a massive deal would have trapped Orlando into having the exact same flawed team for too long.
    I think that Vince and Jameer’s skill sets make blend much better with what Howard and Shard do. They are more dependable shooters and better passers. They have better shot selection. The only thing they lose with Hedo is his clutchness, because he is very clutch. But, he would also make stupid decisions throughout the game.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Well, first of all I don’t think that Shard is a tough cover for Bron. We’ve all seen his sissy drives to the hoop that finish with awkward finger roll. He’s a shooter (a great one), he doesn’t drive and he doesn’t post up. The real + of him playing the 4 was that guys like Varejao are not comfortable being drawn that far away from the hoop. Parker and Moon have the length to deal with Vince, they won’t stop him but he won’t beat the Cavs by himself. Most of all, it prevents D-West from having to guard a 6’10 dude.

  • izzo

    Allen:Vince’s shot selection is truly god awful, probably one of the worst in the Lig.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Z + West + Powe + Moon + Boobie > Gortat + Pietrus + Barnes + AJ + JJ. I’m much more scared of a healthy Boston team (big if) than this current Orlando team.

  • ti-sizz

    ORLANDO is soooooo stacked!!!! forgot that even matt barnes is with them! whaaats, that’s deeep

  • ti-sizz

    @The D Train… i believe it is because they are all overrated. dirk, although he has proven a lot, has his incredibly soft moments. rubio is completely unproven and obnoxious. and hedo is simply remembered for his clutch shots, but not for all the mistakes he makes throughout the entire game, therefore overrated

  • D12FSU

    i really can not wait till the season starts and orlando sh!ts all over you haters. Z, do you REALLY think your bench is better, because i highly doubt it, and i agree with what someone else said…ok cleveland may matchup better, doenst mean theyre better, we still have better talent. Come June, the cavs 1 on 5 system will fail again, and the Magic will be back in the finals.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    Z>Gortat. West>Pietrus. Powe>Barnes. Moon>JJ. Boobie<AJ. Yes, I think Cleveland’s bench is better.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    I disagree with you on Cleveland’s bench versus Orlando’s bench. I disagree a lot.
    Pietrus is a legit starter in the league at the two. West is not.
    Gortat is better than Z. Barnes is better than Moon, AJ and JWil are better than Boobie. I seriously doubt JJ even sees the floor now on most nights given the fact that most teams don’t go more than eight deep. But, even if he does, he still demonstrated skill last year as a role player.
    I can’t believe your rankings on these players. Just this past season all the cats you named came up super small against Orlando, and it wasn’t just about the mismatches.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Wayno

    West over Pietrus Z??? I suggest you do your research before you say stuff like that. Pietrus had nearly identical numbers while playing almost 10 fewer minutes per game, plus he’s a solid defender with size to gaurd 2′s and 3′s. Matt Barnes is slightly better than Powe too. Z is old and I think we’re going to see a BIG drop in his effectivness this season. Gortat may not be as big, but he’s more active than Z by a long shot. Orlando has Cleveland’s bench by a long shot mi amigo.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Wayno

    What Orlando lost in mismatch problems they gained in talent and depth. They needed mismatches to beat teams like Cleveland and Boston, now they don’t need the mismatches because they have the same level of talent. Orlando is young, healthy, and hungry. They’re the most dangerous team in the east.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    i respect your bball knowledge, allenp, but i couldnt disagree more. first, z is so much better than gortat its not even close. 13 and 8 is what gortat would give orlando in his wildest dreams, all star games are simply out of the question for him. did he even touch the floor in the finals? pietrus’ d is the most overrated thing in the L, he’s just agitated. i’ve never seen a guy get so much props for his d after getting ANNIHILATED in two straight series. lebron and kobe toyed with him. west can play 1 and 2 and guard ppl way bigger than him, he’s an ideal combo guard off the pine. i’ll take powe and moon over barnes and jj every day of the week and twice on sundays. it’s not even that close. ESPECIALLY z and gortat. gortat has done nothing in this league. you guys are getting too caught up on the last series and not seeing the big picture. the cavs lost because of bad matchups, very weak schemes and mo absolutely sh!tting the bed.

  • http://www.hibachi20.blogspot.com Hursty

    C’mon. It’s August.

  • http://www.lkz.ch Darksaber

    *shaking head, breathing evenly albeit somewhat forced, due to the fact that the usual Slamonline Dirk-Bashing is taking place on a JASON WILLIAMS post*
    @tavoris, i’ve seen your name around here a lot, so you can’t be serious in your 1:47 comment. Surely, you jest…

  • http://www.slamonline.com Wayno

    Can you blame Pietrus for getting “annihilated” by the two best ballers on the planet though Z? He did as well or better defensively on them as just about anyone not named Ron Artest. You can’t knock a guys defense for not being able to stick with those two.

  • http://www.manutd.com Z

    not blaming him at all, i just fail to see why he should get props for letting lbj get historical numbers on his a– and kobe picking him apart like a surgeon. because he’s agitated and bodies up people before getting shifted?

  • rikson

    West better than Pietrus ? -> NO WAY! First West is playing with LeBron wholl need his touches – and we all know about orlandos problem of getting Howard his touches – so you cant really compare their numbers, especially from the ppm point of view! Second Pietrus is playing with a monster down low, who will force double teams every game – leaving pietrus free for a jump shot or a drive. Its not by accident, that orlando is a 3-point force, bro! Thats maybe the biggest difference as Z is more of a 17-foot jump shooter… West has a way bigger offensive arsenal,pluss he can play PG without a problem -> Ill take west over pietrus!

  • rikson

    “Can you blame Pietrus for getting “annihilated” by the two best ballers on the planet though Z?” -> Nobody blames pietrus, but you cant call him a good defender…

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Z
    Lebron was nice against Orlando, but Pietrus didn’t get killed by him, no matter what stats James put up. Given the current rules and Lebron’s physical build, Pietrus did an outstanding job him.
    Now, he got killed by Kobe, no doubt. Lol.
    Anyway, Pietrus’ size, physical ability and shooting give him the edge over West in my mind.
    But, the season will be here soon enough.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Wayno

    Right, you can’t call him a good defender based on not being able to stop the two best players in the L, but you can call him a good defender based on his D throughout the playoffs and season. I’m not saying he’s a DPOY candidate, but he’s solid. Whatever though…like Allen said, the season will be here soon enough.

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