With his flashy passing and dribbling and on-court flair, Jason Williams became an instant sensation as a rookie during the NBA's lockout-shortened 1999 season. Behind Williams and forward Chris Webber, who became his close friend, the Kings made a surprising run to the playoffs. But last season, Williams' play suffered. He shot inconsistently and played poor defense, and he complained about reduced playing time. THe Sacramento Bee reported that he and coach Rick Adelman also never were able to find a level of communication that both were comfortable with, said a source close to Williams.
"Jason and Adelman had hardly spoken at all," the source said. "Neither of them were going to change. It was like the immovable object and the brick wall hitting each other, and something was going to have to move. As it was, Jason was the piece that was moved."