Scotto: Williams Holds Keys to Brooklyn’s Title Hopes

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It’s now or never for Deron Williams to prove he is worthy of being the $100 million face of the Brooklyn Nets.220px-Deron_Williams_Team_USA_(cropped)

Is Williams still an elite point guard? Is he a winner?

Or is he the reason his coaches are sent packing and his teams don’t quite measure up?

Despite a blockbuster trade to acquire Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, who have championship rings and 25 combined All-Star selections, it is Williams who holds the key to Brooklyn’s title hopes.

Consider this: Brooklyn is 28-4 when scoring over 100 points dating to last season. The winning formula has been established. The Nets win when Williams pushes the tempo as the floor general.

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Tweet of the Day: NBA Players Express Excitement For 2013-14 Season

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The day is here. The time is now. So it is, that we begin the 2013-14 NBA season.

After a summer full of drama and change, the teams, players and fans are ready for the new season to start.

Opening night kicks off with three games on Tuesday, starting with the Orlando Magic visiting the Indiana Pacers at 7:00 pm Eastern, which can be seen on Fox Sports Florida or NBA League Pass.

That game is followed by a double-header on TNT. At 8:00 pm, the Miami Heat open the season with their Championship banner and ring ceremony and a prescription dose of a healthy Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls. The night will be capped off with the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Los Angeles Clippers at 10:30 pm.

Wednesday night 28 of the league’s 30 teams will be in action.

Hopefully you’re ready for a lot of basketball, the players definitely are.

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NBA Players’ Response and Support for Adrian Peterson

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Adrian PetersonThere are many tragedies in life that many hope to never have to experience.

One of the saddest realities in life is that of a parent outliving their child.

There are also many things—evil, terrible things—that no one should ever have to bear in life.

The worst of which, perhaps for a parent, is harm inflicted on their child at the hands of a criminal—whether verbal, physical or sexual abuse or even abduction or death. The burden of knowing that your child suffered such trauma is immediate cause for pain, sorrow and anger and can leave scars that can take years to heal.

Sadly, such tragedy struck the family of Adrian Peterson, 2012 NFL MVP and star running back for the Minnesota Vikings.

Peterson’s two-year-old son, who had been in critical condition since Wednesday, died Friday due to wounds inflicted by the man in whose care he had been entrusted—his mother’s boyfriend, Joseph Patterson.

Patterson is in custody and will face felony charges. Peterson and his family, meanwhile, are faced with the difficult task of grieving a loss is incomprehensible.

Several NBA athletes took to Twitter to pour out their heartfelt and sincere condolences.

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SH Blog: Payton says Stockton was harder to guard than Jordan, Mike Malone wants Cousins to be a passer

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Gary PaytonOn September 8, 2013, former star Gary Payton will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The man they once called “The Glove” – a nickname given to him for the ability to shut his opponents down on the defensive end – sat with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports to discuss how his speech will go down and the hopes of avoiding tears when all said and done. Along the way, Payton explained why he chose John Stockton as one of his presenters for the prestigious award:

Q: Did John Stockton ever talk trash back to you?

A: ”Never. That is the reason I really respected him because you never could get in his head. He’s the hardest person I ever had to guard. I tried to talk to him, try to do something and he’d just look at me, set a pick and cause me [to get mad and] get a tech. And then all of the sudden it was over. There was much respect to him doing that to me. It taught me a lot.”

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Five Things To Watch: Brooklyn Nets

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This summer, the Brooklyn Nets transformed themselves from pretenders to contenders. However, the Prokhorovtransformation came at a steep price.

Owner Mikhail Prokhorov has the NBA’s only nine-figure team payroll, which translates to an $87 million luxury tax bill. (He can afford it. He is the NBA’s George Steinbrenner).

Nets GM Billy King also mortgaged the future by trading first-round draft picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018 with the right to swap first-round picks in 2017 as part of a trade with Boston to acquire aging stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry.

Despite having arguably the most talented roster, if the Nets can’t answer these five questions below, they can forget about winning a title this season. Or as they say in my borough, Brooklyn, “fuhgeddaboudit!”

Here are the five questions facing the Nets.

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