Terrence Williams stops in for a visit

Update (11:55 am): The Kings announced that they’ve officially signed Terrence Williams to a 10-day contract.

The Sacramento Kings admitted one failed experiment Tuesday, when they waived forward J.J. Hickson.  Two days later, they are ready for a new challenge.

First reported by our friend Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated, the Sacramento Kings are on the verge of signing recently released small forward Terrence Williams, to what is believed to be a 10-day contract.

Williams made a surprise trip to Power Balance Pavilion with his agent Aaron Goodwin Wednesday night; just in time to watch the Kings beat up on the playoff-bound Memphis Grizzlies.

While he sat courtside, waiting to complete contract discussions with Kings President Geoff Petire, we were able to grab him for a very quick Q&A.

CK: Are you signing a 10-day contract or are you signing for the rest of the season?

Williams: I’m going to sign something. (Smiling)

CK: How much are you looking forward to playing with this group of young guys?

Williams: I look forward to it a lot. I feel like it’s a great opportunity. It’s a great situation, especially with this style of play. With coach, these guys just play basketball. It’s not really a whole bunch of confusion. As you see, they just play basketball and it’s working right now.

CK: What are the attributes you can bring to this team?

Williams: I distribute the ball at my position.  I play defense and I like to win at the end of the day.  I just like to play basketball.  I feel like I can help get the shooters the ball in the right spots, help rebound and play defense.

CK: Is this the right spot for you?

Williams: We’re going to see.  I feel like it is.  My heart told me Sacramento.  Me and my agent (Goodwin) talked about it, so I definitely feel like it’s the right spot.

CK: Did you have other options?

Williams: Yeah, I had a few.

This is a low risk high reward pick-up for the Kings.  Williams, the 11^th pick in the 2009 NBA draft, is hoping for a fresh start in Sacramento.  He is a gamble that a small market team on a tight budget almost has to take.  And there is a reason he chose the Kings over those “few” other options.  He thinks he will get a chance to play here.

Williams also comes to a Kings team that has depth at his position.  This signing means less minutes for a group of players that includes Tyreke Evans, John Salmons, Francisco Garcia, Donté Greene and rookie Tyler Honeycutt.

There must be a plan in place to fit Williams in, or he wouldn’t be so anxious to sign on the dotted line.

Williams is known for his aggressive play as a defender and having a developed, all-around game.  He can pass, handle the ball, defend, rebound and even shoot the three.  But there is a reason he is available.  While he is a quality player, he comes with some baggage.

The Nets drafted the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Williams out of Louisville.  As a rookie, he performed well, averaging 8.4 point, 4.5 rebounds and 3 assists a game in just under 23 minutes a game.

Things went sideways in his second season.  He played a total of ten games with the Nets before they sent him down to the D-League.  In three games, he averaged 28 points, 10.7 assists and 11.3 rebounds for the Springfield Armor.  After the stint in Springfield, the Nets traded Williams to the Rockets, where he finished the 2010-11 season.

Clearly things didn’t work out in Houston either.  Williams played in a total of 12 games this season before they decided to go in another direction.

The Kings might think they have an inside track on reaching Williams.  Keith Smart is known for his ability to bring players along, be it in Golden State or in his short time as the Kings head coach.  Williams and rookie Isaiah Thomas both hail from Seattle.  He played his college ball at Louisville, like Francisco Garcia and Chuck Hayes was a teammate of his last season in Houston.

If the Kings can provide the right environment, Terrence Williams might be a steal of a pick-up.

Follow @James_Ham
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js