Let the kid play

By John McMullen

Louis Williams embodies everything that’s wrong with Billy King and the Philadelphia 76ers braintrust.

They just don’t get it.

We all know King has fashioned a dreadful team. The Sixers are virtually unwatchable. They are a sickening, revolting bunch that will be lucky to reach 20 wins this season.

So, I think we can all agree it’s time to suck it up and build for the future -- right?

Yet, King and his extraordinarily overmatched coach, Maurice Cheeks, continue to start a 33-year old, journeyman point guard as they cross their fingers and hope the Powerball (Greg Oden) comes in. Meanwhile, Williams wastes away on the bench.

That’s a razor-sharp management plan -- isn’t it? In essence, despite his Duke education, King has turned into a minimum-wage roofer, blowing his weekly paycheck on scratch offs in the hope of a big payday.

How about a concerted effort to get a group of good players?

Then, if the worm turns and luck finally shines on Philly -- in the form of Oden -- we can all expect a run of championships.

But, first things first -- Kevin Ollie has no future and Williams, not Andre Iguodala, Willie Green or Rodney Carney, is the only player on the Sixers roster that can save King’s tarnished reputation.

In fairness, Williams has gotten minutes since Allen Iverson was forced into exile but it‘s time to pull the trigger and give him the team.

You see no matter what you hear from the King apologists, Iguodala, Green and Carney are deeply flawed players. In fact, Andre has already reached his ceiling. Williams is different -- or at least he could be.

It’s not that I think the Georgia native can play. In fact, I have no idea if he can. But, he’s a special talent and I sure would like to find out.

You see, Louis is not your average second-round pick. He won the 2005 Naismith Award as the nation’s top high school player at South Gwinnett High School in Snellville, Geirgia. He was named Mr. Basketball in Georgia as a junior and a senior and South Gwinnett went 103-16 during his career there. In the 2005 Nike Hoop Summit against top international competition, Williams netted 20 points on 7-for-15 shooting as the USA Select Team defeated the World Select Team.

To be blunt, if Williams wasn’t just 6-foot-1, he would have been an NBA lottery pick.

So, King actually did something prudent and took a flyer on the undersized Williams. And, for once the Sixers’ embattled general manager got something right. You just don’t get players with the talent of Williams in the second-round of the NBA Draft.

Now it’s time to roll the dice and see if the kid can play.

If we could only convince Billy and Mo.

-You can reach John McMullen at jmcmullen1@comcast.net