By FRANK WARD
DailyPhiladelphian.com Editor
Kenny Thomas. Chris Webber. Samuel Dalembert. The list could go on and on of guys Billy King handed max contracts to or who he traded for when they were clearly past their prime.
His tenure as the Sixers GM didn’t produce much, especially once Larry Brown left town. Andre Iguodala may have been his best draft pick, by far. And while Iggy is a solid player, he’s not a star.
King always worked the phones and made deals, but he could never land a true star. In fact, the best deal he made was the one he didn’t — sending Allen Iverson to Detroit.
Billy King finally learned how to acquire a star player by landing point guard Deron Williams.
Apparently, time away to reflect on his job with the Sixers, plus the pressure to make a splash for the New Jersey Jay-Zs has him approaching the game of being a GM from a different angle.
After wasting time in working out a deal for Carmelo Anthony, King went to Plan B — stud point guard Deron Williams. Billy paid a King’s ransom in Derek Favors, Devin Harris and two first round picks. But, the Nets now have a star, someone they can sell to Brooklyn in 2012.
Hey, we all wish he could have done this here, but kudos to him for pulling a Terry Francona and getting it right in his next job.
