From Deseret News archives:
Utah Jazz notebook: Deron doesn't like Kobe comparison
"It's something attainable. It's possible," said Williams, who after three NBA seasons still is looking to make his first All-Star Game appearance. "(But) I don't think about it. I just try to help my team win, and everything else will take care of itself."
When it came to the question of comparisons, however, Williams wasn't about to bite.
"I mean, he's got a different swagger," the Jazz point guard. "He's the best player on the planet, you know, so, I mean, I'm not gonna compare myself to Kobe. The guy's got three championships and an MVP under his belt."
Bryant was officially named winner of the award during a news conference at a Los Angeles hotel on Tuesday afternoon.
The hardware was handed to him again Wednesday night, this time by NBA commissioner David Stern prior to Game 2 of the Jazz-Lakers Western Conference semifinal playoff series.
LIKE A BROTHER: Ex-Jazz guard Derek Fisher of the Lakers had particularly kind words this week for Williams, whom he backed up at the point and played alongside in the backcourt last season in Utah.
"To me what makes Deron great is he doesn't try to force what's not there," Fisher said. "I think that's why he's so successful, why he shoots a high percentage, why generally he can lead his team to victory.
"He plays with an aggression and a confidence that allows him to be successful, but he never looks as though he's playing in a selfish way," Fisher added. "And I think that's why his teams always play well."
Now, Fisher just hopes the Jazz don't play too well.
"I love him like a brother, and I want the best for him. But just not right now, hopefully," Fisher said. "As great as he is, I want him to just be 'good' for a couple weeks, and we'll be alright."
HE SAID IT: Laker forward Luke Walton, on thinking that Bryant was going to leave the team last offseason: "Yeah, I mean, it was close. He wasn't in film sessions. ... They told us he wasn't coming to Media Day. ... ESPN, (every) sports channel was telling us he was pretty much gone. And that was kind of crazy.
"But I think that helped the rest of us have a closer bond, because we knew we had to stick it out without Kobe for the first time. Then, when he came back and got himself back with the team and everything, we were stronger because of it."
NO BORDERS: If the Jazz still aren't playing in early June, center Mehmet Okur will represent the team at an NBA Basketball Without Borders camp in his native Turkey.
And in early July, the league announced Wednesday, backup shooting guard Kyle Korver will do the same when the program visits New Delhi, India, for the first time.
The league began Basketball Without Borders — which unites top young players for instruction and competition, along with the discussions on HIV/AIDS prevention — in 2001.
Okur and other NBA players are scheduled for a camp in Istanbul, and the program is returning this year to South Africa as well.
E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com
