He's a former rebounding machine who wants to get back in the game. And, unlike Dennis Rodman, he's still relatively young at age 36. But would any NBA team really take a chance on former Nets star Jayson Williams?
The 6-foot-10 power forward, who was acquitted last year of aggravated manslaughter charges in the 2002 shooting of a limousine driver, has been working out with famed trainer Tim Grover in Chicago for the past two months. Sources say he looks to be in good shape, and has been playing in high-level pickup games at Hoops the Gym with Tim Hardaway and other ex-NBAers and former college stars. "He's serious," said forward Kendall Gill, who left tickets for his former teammate when his Bucks visited Chicago on Dec. 16. "I don't know how close he is [to being NBA-ready], but he's working on it."
Williams, who still faces a retrial in March on one remaining count of reckless manslaughter in his criminal case (due to a hung jury), was not available to comment. But last November he told the New York Post that he had hired a personal trainer, lost 20 pounds, and was taking 2,000 jump shots a night. He also said he had no pain in his knees. "I'm in better condition, and I'm a better basketball player than I was in my All-Star year ['98]," he said.
For now, Williams' comeback remains a longshot. Even if he is acquitted of his final manslaughter charge, he still faces sentencing on four lesser convictions related to the efforts to cover-up the shooting. Those charges carry a maximum sentence of 13 years. Plus, he hasn't played in the NBA since retiring in June '00 with chronic leg injuries.
But should his legal problems get cleared up, at least one NBA GM said he thought Williams would get a look next season from some NBA teams. Cavs coach Paul Silas, who as a Nets assistant helped turn Williams into a ferocious glass-eater, also thinks he'll get another shot. "He can still play," Silas said last fall after inviting his former pupil to Cleveland for an informal workout. "He can certainly help somebody."
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The 6-foot-10 power forward, who was acquitted last year of aggravated manslaughter charges in the 2002 shooting of a limousine driver, has been working out with famed trainer Tim Grover in Chicago for the past two months. Sources say he looks to be in good shape, and has been playing in high-level pickup games at Hoops the Gym with Tim Hardaway and other ex-NBAers and former college stars. "He's serious," said forward Kendall Gill, who left tickets for his former teammate when his Bucks visited Chicago on Dec. 16. "I don't know how close he is [to being NBA-ready], but he's working on it."
Williams, who still faces a retrial in March on one remaining count of reckless manslaughter in his criminal case (due to a hung jury), was not available to comment. But last November he told the New York Post that he had hired a personal trainer, lost 20 pounds, and was taking 2,000 jump shots a night. He also said he had no pain in his knees. "I'm in better condition, and I'm a better basketball player than I was in my All-Star year ['98]," he said.
For now, Williams' comeback remains a longshot. Even if he is acquitted of his final manslaughter charge, he still faces sentencing on four lesser convictions related to the efforts to cover-up the shooting. Those charges carry a maximum sentence of 13 years. Plus, he hasn't played in the NBA since retiring in June '00 with chronic leg injuries.
But should his legal problems get cleared up, at least one NBA GM said he thought Williams would get a look next season from some NBA teams. Cavs coach Paul Silas, who as a Nets assistant helped turn Williams into a ferocious glass-eater, also thinks he'll get another shot. "He can still play," Silas said last fall after inviting his former pupil to Cleveland for an informal workout. "He can certainly help somebody."
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