"I'm not going to lie," Williams said. "I really thought it was a long shot. I knew I had to work. They told me it was going to be between me and him, and I had an opportunity. And once they told me I had an opportunity, I took it for what it was and just tried to go show them everything I can do with the limited minutes I played."
"I was so young when I first came into the league," he said of his legal problems. "Over years, you grow up, you develop a lot of common sense and you figure a lot of things out. So that's what happened. It was a letdown for my family," he said. "It was a letdown for me, too. But it takes a toll on your family when they expect something from you and you just disappear from the circuit for a while."
Williams' weight ballooned to 265 pounds and he admitted to "getting depressed sometimes."
To get back in shape, Williams spent part of the summer training at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla... "He is a true student of the game and will be a great complement at the stretch 4," said IMG Academy coach Dan Barto. "His shot-hunting abilities are unique, and he should surprise many of those NBA personnel that wrote him off. He dedicated himself this summer to a rigorous regiment and has answered all the challenges thus far."
Despite his legal troubles this summer, Williams said his epiphany came when he was at home in Memphis and decided he belonged in the NBA.
"One day, I just woke up and me and my agent had a talk, and I just felt like this is what i wanted to do for the rest of my life," he said. "So I've got to do everything possible to make sure that happens."
"My journey's just beginning. This is just the beginning of it and I've just got to keep working hard, and whenever coach calls me, I've got to be ready."
"He can play three or four," D'Antoni said. "He shoots the basketball extremely well. He was our best shooter in preseason and he makes shots. He's got himself in shape. He was the 17th pick and he's got plenty of time."
