<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">His confidence is sky-high, so much so it makes the Space Needle here look like a blip on the radar. And that was before Deron Williams did what he did Friday. Before he made certain the ball was in his hands at the end of a game on the line. Before he split two defenders while driving to the basket. Before he banked in a runner from the free-throw line with 2.4 seconds remaining, giving the Jazz a 105-103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. What a world of difference a month or two can make, especially in the life of an NBA rookie. "He seems to have a lot more energy, and he seems to be on the same page as everybody," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who not long ago was so down on Williams that last June's No. 3 overall draft played 17 or fewer minutes in eight of 15 January games. "I just think he's playing well." Williams does not hesitate when queried about when and why the confidence came back — asked, in essence, whether the chicken or the egg arrived first. "Playing time," he said. "Starting. Mindset." Evidently in that order, too. During January, Williams averaged just 18.9 minutes per game. But he averaged 27.3 during his 10 February games, and has played 31 minutes or more in four of his last five outings. Moreover, Williams has started at the point in each of the Jazz's last four games. Hello, mindset.</div> <div align="center">Source</div>
I'll never understand why Jerry Sloan rips players confidence like this. He did it to Mehmet Okur and again he did it with Deron Williams. The kid has finally been given some faith and consistent minutes and look at a the return. Such a waste of a year.
