Deron Williams dismissed reports suggesting he quit on Avery Johnson before his firing.

Williams sat out Johnson's final game as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.

“I feel if I would have played better, as a player, that we would have won a lot more games and he would still be here,” Williams said Friday morning. “As far as that’s concerned, I feel responsible.”

Williams and Avery Johnson had a strained relationship from the moment Williams arrived, according to people both inside and outside the organization.

“That’s how things go nowadays," said Williams about the perception that he caused the firing. "As soon as something happens, somebody’s got to take the blame. And I guess that guy is me. I can’t fight everything that’s being said, and I’m not going to try. I know my teammates have my back. Like I said, I wanted to be here with Coach Avery.”