Should Deron Williams have his jersey retired by the Utah Jazz?
There’s been a lot of chatter around former Utah Jazz star Deron Williams recently, especially since Danny Ainge took over as head of the team. Williams, who played for the Jazz for five and a half seasons from 2005 to 2011, has become a frequent talking point by many in the Jazz’s blogosphere.
Having been out of the league for about six years now, the conversations about the former Jazz point guard have largely surrounded his legacy with the team. The questions usually center around his impact in the era he played, what would’ve happened had he stayed in Salt Lake City, and whether or not he’s a Hall of Fame-worthy talent.
Now, the question that caught our attention most lately was whether or not his jersey number should be retired. While you can debate his impact, his worthiness of being in the Hall of Fame, and even some supposed hypothetical, you’ll rarely have to go far for the answer.
His impact was minimal, his prime wasn’t long enough for the Hall of Fame, and he was never so good that he could carry a Jazz team to a finals. So we know those answers; but should he have his jersey number retired?
Now that’s an interesting question. The Jazz have only retired eight player jersey numbers in the history of their franchise and an additional two more for former owner Larry Miller, and former coach and front office exec Frank Layden.
The eight players who had their numbers retired are (in numerical order), #4 Adrian Dantley, #7 Pete Maravich, #12 John Stockton, #14 Jeff Hornacek, #32 Karl Malone, #35 Darrell Griffith, and #53 Mark Eaton.
They’ve also retired the number 1223, the number of wins that former head coach Jerry Sloan had with the franchise.
So, clearly, some rarified air here. Does Williams deserve to have his jersey retired compared to those who came before him?
Williams doesn’t rank in the Top 10 of some key stats, like games played, minutes played, field goals made, or points. What he does rank in the Top 10 across the Jazz’s history includes missed field goals and turnovers.
So, not a great look. But the one category he dominates in is anything involving passing. He’s second all-time in assists per game for the franchise, just below John Stockton. He’s also fourth all-time in total assists for the franchise with 4,003. Granted Stockton had 15,806, so he’s far away from that record, but it does go towards the pro column.
Outside of his on-the-court play, you also have to look at the success the team had with him at the helm. They never won an NBA title but they were a top team in the West for most of his time in Utah. Save for his first season and his last season in Utah, the Jazz always had a winning record, made the playoffs, and won the Northwest Division twice.
So with that, how do we judge Williams’ contributions? Let’s start with the lowest point of entry. And Hornacek is arguably the point of entry into whether a jersey should be retired.
If you had a better career than him, you have a right to have your jersey retired. He never made the All-Star team with the Jazz, and he’s largely got his jersey retired due to being a major player in the Jazz’s back-to-back NBA Finals appearances.
So then you have to ask yourself if Williams’ contributions, which didn’t result in them getting to the NBA Finals, are on par with Hornacek’s, who did help the Jazz get to the Finals. If they are, then you put Williams in.
If not, then you don’t.
I also think you have to ask yourself are guys like Andrei Kirilenko and Carlos Boozer worthy of having their jerseys retired? If you put in Williams, you then open the door for them as well.
I think, for the sake of the fact that Hornacek’s number is retired, that yes, Williams, Boozer, and Kirilenko are in fact worthy of sharing rafter space with everyone else. I don’t think on another franchise their contributions were enough, but we’re not talking about other franchises at the moment, just Utah’s.