WINNER: Sean Williams – The Boston College shot blocker was booted off the team in midseason for repeated drug test failures. But he still went No. 17 to the New Jersey Nets, and he should be a great pickup. The good news is the Nets shouldn't have to worry about Williams smoking any more pot because, as we all know, NBA players never do stuff like that. He'll be insulated from the weed culture of America. It's like an alcoholic joining the Mormons. Nothing bad can happen now.</p> http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=dw-w...o&type=lgns</p> </p> Celebrating: New Jersey taking Sean Williams at No. 17. There just aren't guys like him around. He's a freak athlete who could turn into a better offensive version of Ben Wallace. Just imagine him in the middle with Jason Kidd with the ball and Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter on the wings.</p> http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6974146</p> </p> <font face="Arial, Helvetica" size="2">New Jersey: Rod Thorn didn't hold Sean Williams' past indiscretions against him, placing his faith in his new forward's ability to stay out of trouble as a pro. If Williams can manage that, he'll fit right in with last year's pick Josh Boone behind Jason Collins and Nenad Krstic. Although Williams is raw, expect him to be able to block shots consistently from the moment he puts on a jersey. Grade: B</font></p> http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/story/10240378</p> </p> </p><table border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="5" class="tablehead widetable" align="left"><tbody><tr valign="top" style="background-color: #ececec"><td><font size="3">New Jersey Nets Grade: A-</font></td> </tr> <tr class="oddrow" valign="center"> <td> Round 1: Sean Williams (17) Round 2: None. Analysis: I like risk-takers, so I applaud the Nets for taking a chance at No. 17. Williams has the talent of a lottery pick, but he slipped because of off-court issues. Maybe the temptations the NBA provides will torpedo Williams' career. But in the right environment, he could become the athletic shot-blocker the Nets have sought for years.</p> </p></td> </tr></tbody></table> http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2007/i...02=stateChanged</p> </p> 17. NETS: Sean Williams F, 6-10 Boston Col. Nets' gamble could blow up in their faces if Williams' drug history follows him to the Meadowlands.</p> http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketba...d_analysis.html</p> </p> <span class="text"> 17. NEW JERSEY NETS. Lots of choices here. Frontcourt strength would be good, as would a 3 just in case Jefferson gets moved. THE PICK: Sean Williams.</p> Yeah, that was the story all along. It’s 4:20 somewhere, right? Basically this is like Eddie Griffin all over again, only this time the Nets will probably keep the pick. Williams is a definite upgrade over Jason Collins, but that’s not really saying much. If Williams can stay clean, he’s an absolute steal at 17.</p> ESPN notes he’s the first Boston College forward to go in the first round since Bill Curley. Yeah, Bill Curley. Great NBA career he had.</p> Please let me see “MUST IMPROVE: OFF-COURT ACTIVITY.”</p> Nope, “MATURITY.” But hey, close enough.</p> http://slamonline.com/online/2007/06/draft...%E2%84%A2-2007/</p> </p></span></p><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="510" align="center" style="border: 1px solid #dddddd"><tbody><tr><td class="logo" rowspan="2" width="10%"></td> <td class="text" width="90%"><span class="order">17</span><span class="player">Sean Williams</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="text2" width="90%"><span class="player_data"> Center </span> <span class="player_data2">|</span> <span class="player_data"> Boston College (Jr.) </span> <span class="player_data2">|</span> <span class="player_data"> 6-10 </span> <span class="player_data2">|</span> <span class="player_data"> 235 lbs. </span> <span class="player_data2">|</span> <span class="video">VIDEO</span></td></tr> <tr> <td class="text" colspan="2"> Risky pick. He's a major talent who ranked among the nation's top shot-blockers, but he was kicked off the BC team in January for repeated violations of team rules. But the Nets need help down low, and they scored a year ago with a similar gamble on point guard Marcus Williams</td></tr></tbody></table> <span class="text"> http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writ...nd.1/index.html</p> </p> </p> B New Jersey Nets Sean Williams is a shot-blocker and a big man the Nets needed to go with their big three of Carter, Kidd, and Jefferson. He got kicked off the team at Boston College, but the Nets have a veteran locker room that could look after him and get Williams squared away. There is a lot of upside here … to go with risk. Even when he was on the floor with B.C. he had some attitude and didn’t mesh.</p> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19495244/</p> </p></span></p><p class="inside-copy">New Jersey</p> <p class="inside-copy"></p><p class="inside-copy"></p><p class="inside-copy"></p><p class="inside-copy">The Nets wanted shot blocking, and they got it in 6-10 Sean Williams, who averaged 5.0 blocks a game last season. He'll allow them to take more chances on defense.</p><p class="inside-copy"></p><p class="inside-copy"></p><p class="inside-copy">http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/...-analysis_N.htm</p><p class="inside-copy"></p><p class="inside-copy"></p><p class="inside-copy">+800, New Jersey Nets. For taking Sean Williams, despite "concerns" about his marijuana "problem." ESPN had a poll running across the bottom of the screen, asking fans if Sean Williams was worth the risk, despite his weed habit, and 45% of the people said no, Williams wasn't worth it. Not that I'd ever trivialize our nation's terrible marijuana problem, but um ... this is the NBA. If he didn't smoke up, I'd be a little bit concerned about how he'd fit in with his teammates. If the biggest character flaw you have on the guy is that he smoked some marijuana, then Sean Williams is going to be just fine.</p><p class="inside-copy"></p><p class="inside-copy">http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/06/29/...he-nba-draft-e/ </p>
