The new king - basketball player Jason Williams - includes related information on professional basketball

Point guard Jason Williams, the Kings' first-round pick from Florida, wasn't a household name at the beginning of the season. However, he is opening a lot of eyes, averaging 18 points entering this week. Not bad considering Williams, 23, is averaging only four assists, which is low for the 1-spot. Does that mean he is shooting too much?

"He's not shooting too much," says Doc Rivers, an NBA analyst for TNT and TBS. "The shots are there for him. Jason is a point guard who does look to get his teammates involved offensively. He does a nice job of running the pick-and-roll with Chris Webber. But Jason is also one of those point guards who can score. He has good moves off the dribble. He knows how to play at different speeds. He can slow it down and run the halfcourt sets. He can play the running game, too. He's certainly legit. Right now, he's easily one of the league's top rookies. If I had to describe his style of play, I would say he plays more like Kevin Johnson, a guard who can pass and score."

As the season progresses, Williams' scoring average will probably decrease because of tighter defenses. On the other hand, he doesn't want to score a lot of points to help his team win ballgames. In fact, Williams would like to do some of the things Jason Kidd does on the court.

"I've always tried to emulate Jason Kidd," Williams says. "He plays hard, pushes the ball upcourt and makes good decisions. He can control the game with his ballhandling. That's what I want to do. I know I've scored a lot of points, but our big scorers are Chris Webber, Corliss Williamson and Vlade Divac. If we're going to win, I've got to get the ball to them. As a point guard, I have to find ways to help my team win basketball games."

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FRONT OFFICE RUMBLINGS AND LOCKER ROOM WHISPERS

Sam Perkins, now with Indiana, was asked to compare the Pacers with the great Sonics team he played with in 1996, and he says the difference lies in the attitudes of each team's superstar--Reggie Miller puts in the work, Gary Payton does not. "It makes a difference in everyone's attitude," Perkins says. "It would be talked about in a negative way (in Seattle). The attitude on the team would be shaky. This was just an inner thing. You didn't really see it unless you were on the team." ... It is clear George Shinn is unwilling to pay the price of doing business, so the Hornets owner will ship Glen Rice out as soon as he is healthy and effectively turn Charlotte into the Siberia of the NBA.... Get ready for a flood of "Where's The Offense" stories. There were 10 games last Friday, and the output from the 20 teams included two 75s, a 74, a 73 and a 68. In the eight games played three nights earlier, there was one 79, a 77, a 74, two 71s and a 70. ... The two best basketball coaches in the world aren't very pleased with each other after what happened in Miami Arena last week. Rick Pitino called a timeout with 10 seconds left--up five with the ball--so he could do some situational teaching, and Pat Riley spent the two minutes glaring at him. Tim Hardaway flung the ball at Pitino after the buzzer and told a few of the Celtics that he and his teammates would "shove that timeout" into an unspecified place in their next meeting (April 16 at FleetCenter). Pitino's reaction: "The Boston Celtics are not here to please the Miami Heat." ... Hakeem Olajuwon continues to look awkward with his footwork because he "forgot" his moves after not using them for so long. "I couldn't get my balance because I was doing the steps wrong," he says. "You lose it by not using it for a long time. You have to go back all over again and practice and practice." ... Even after the 3-0 start, Allen Iverson seemed to be searching for the page coach Larry Brown was reading from. "We need an identity," Iverson says. "To me, people should know the Sixers are going to get the ball off the glass and we're gone. But I don't know yet if that's what Coach wants."

RELATED ARTICLE: TSN's Power Poll

Rk.   Team           W-L            Comment

 1.   Utah           5-0   Pick-and-roll is the same, so why did
                           the Jazz change uniforms?

 2.   Seattle        5-0   Just foul Baker when the game is on
                           the line.

 3.   Atlanta        4-1   Protect your nose when you're playing
                           Mutombo.

 4.   Houston        4-1   It didn't take long for the injury bug
                           to hit Chuck again.

 5.   Orlando        4-1   Daly is working magic with a patchwork
                           team.

 6.   Milwaukee      3-0   New life for Armon (or is it Armen)
                           Gilliam?

 7.   Indiana        3-2   Wasn't this team supposed to get off
                           to a fast start?.

 8.   Philadelphia   3-1   Rookie Hughes has been good coming
                           off the bench.

 9.   LA, Lakers     3-2   This team can't win big games.

10.   Detroit        3-2   Is Hill finally the next Jordan?

11.   Portland       2-1   Sabonis may have lost a few steps.

12.   Minnesota      3-1   It had big wins against the Lakers
                           and Spurs last week.

13.   Phoenix        3-2   KJ and Nash weren't so bad after all.

14.   Miami          2-3   The team is in trouble until Mashburn
                           comes back.

15.   Boston         2-2   Paul Pierce for Rookie of the Year?.

16.   San Antonio    3-3   Mr. Robinson's neighborhood is in bad
                           shape.

17.   New York       2-2   Grandmama has officially died and gone
                           too heaven.

18.   Sacramento     2-2   Are Williams and Webber the next
                           Stockton and Malone?

19.   Washington     1-3   The backcourt can't do it all every
                           night.

20.   New Jersey     1-3   Injuries are taking its toll on
                           the team.

21.   Cleveland      2-3   Person is in an awful shooting slump.

22.   Vancouver      1-3   Abdur-Rahim has been a one-man show.

23.   Toronto        1-3   Wallace appears to be out of the
                           picture for now.

24.   Chicago        1-3   Maybe the Bulls would be better off
                           with 54-year-old Rick Barry.

25.   Charlotte      1-4   It appears Rice is going Hollywood.

26.   Dallas         1-4   Maybe it's time for Donn Nelson
                           to take over.

27.   Denver         1-5   McDyess left Phoenix for this?

28.   Golden State   0-5   Starks can't recall losing five
                           in a row with the Knicks.

29.   LA. Clippers   0-4   If only it had Jerry Buss as an owner.

Records are through Saturday's games. The NBA Power Poll is determined by TSN editors.

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