ORLANDO – The Orlando Magic have their third point guard – and it is a very familiar face.Veteran guard Jason Williams and the Magic reached an agreement on a deal that will return him to Orlando for a second season, according to NBA sources close to the negotiations.
The Magic signed Chris Duhon in July to serve as starter Jameer Nelson’s backup next season, but Orlando never wavered in its interest in having Williams back on the roster.
Williams, who was believed to have signed a two-year contract, has maintained since early last season that this Magic squad has more overall talent than the Miami Heat team that he was a part of that won the 2006 NBA title. A year-round resident of Orlando, Williams stressed all along that the Magic were his first choice to play for.
The addition of Williams gives the Magic 13 players on their roster – the number they will likely keep heading in the regular season. After signing Duhon, small forward Quentin Richardson and Williams and retaining restricted free agent J.J. Redick, the Magic have one of the NBA’s highest payrolls.
The 34-year-old Williams played well for the magic last season, averaging 6.0 points and 3.6 assists while appearing in all 82 games. His success was somewhat surprising considering that Williams sat out the entire NBA season the year before.
Williams shot 44.4 percent from the floor, easily the best percentage of his career. He also made 38 percent of his 3-point shots, another career best. He made all five of his 3-pointers in a December game against Milwaukee and he made at least four 3-pointers in two other games last season.
Not only was Williams a steady spark of energy off the bench, he also filled in admirably as a starter when Nelson went down with a knee injury. In 18 starts, Williams averaged 8.6 points and 5.1 assists. He led the team in assists 25 times, including a season-high 10 against Milwaukee in February.
The formerly flashy point guard known as ``White Chocolate’’ toned down his game in Orlando under head coach Stan Van Gundy and was a model of consistency. For the season he ranked seventh in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.43 assists for every turnover.
8/3/2010 3:59 PM