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By Phil Green
ESPNET SportsZone
CLEVELAND -- On Saturday night, Walt Williams had all the support he wanted. Maybe too much.
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"Alonzo (Mourning) and Dikembe (Mutombo) played at Georgetown, so they were like, 'Bring it back home,'" said the former University of Maryland star. "And Mitch (Richmond) was just rooting for me because I played in Sacramento with him. They were really just making me nervous. They put a lot of heat on me."
Williams' fan club didn't stop with the bench support. Toronto's executive vice president Isiah Thomas predicted Williams would win the competition, and Raptors teammate Marcus Camby cheered Williams on while watching the television in the locker room following the rookie game.
But just a few months ago the 6-foot-8, 26-year-old wasn't so popular in NBA circles. After playing three years with the Kings, a midseason trade sent him to Miami for the end of the 1996-96 season. But the Heat renounced his rights during the summer, leaving him as a free agent waiting for somebody to make an offer.
When the Raptors called in August, Williams was ready to sign -- even for the league's $247,500 minimum salary. It's a decision that's paid large dividends for both he and the Raptors. Williams has improved in virtually every statistical category, including shooting percentage, scoring, rebounding and steals since moving north.
"I've always been confident in my abilities, but the NBA world is seeing the type of player that I always knew that I was," he said. "I'm in a situation now where I get a lot of touches. People get caught up in looking at how many points I've scored to see what kind of season I've had. But if you look at it, I've had more rebounds and more assists."
But on Saturday, he only had to worry about burying the 3-pointer.
Though Williams posted the best first-round score, he couldn't maintain his momentum any further. He faltered in the semifinals and finished fourth.
"It was kind of disappointing, especially after that second rack," Williams said. "I felt I was starting to get hot, but then something happened and I got cold and just couldn't get it done."
But after his summer of insecurity, Williams could easily say that with a smile.
