What’s up, y’all?

It took me a minute since our season ended to get back to Cali and get over the sting of missing the playoffs, but I wanted to keep you updated and wrap up my rookie season with the Raptors.

Now that I’ve been home, it’s been good, but at the same time frustrating to be here watching the playoffs and know we could have been there, in the same situation. We had the opportunity to play in them, but at the same time it’s been good to be with my family. I’ve just been watching games. The playoffs have been exciting, but man, I wish I was playing. It was a little tough to watch the Cleveland/Chicago series and know we could have been there, but I’m just trying to watch it, learn from it and use it as motivation for next year.

Speaking of motivation, I saw the comments LeBron made about our team not wanting to make the playoffs. Someone on Twitter asked me if I had seen it and they posted a link so I could watch it. It was like, more motivation for next year. We need to make sure we’re better prepared to go out there and get everybody’s respect. I’m not really surprised LeBron said it, he’s always got something interesting to say. I disagree with what he said, but that’s his opinion. I think everybody on this team was disappointed that we didn’t make the playoffs. I think everybody wanted it. We just had bad luck at the end of the season. Chris went down, Antoine went down and it was just tough for us, but, it’s time to use all of that as motivation this offseason. Get in the lab and keep working.

I know there was a lot of talk about the Rookie of the Year award and I just gotta say I’m happy for Tyreke. I’ve been playing against him since we were in seventh grade. That being said, all of the guys mentioned had a great year. Look at the playoffs though, look what Brandon did in the postseason. He lead his team. He really showed people the real Brandon, his character, the type of player he is. Either of those guys would have been deserving, though. It’s just big, watching all of the guys I came into the league with. I want them to succeed. We all grew up together. It feels good watching them in the postseason now. I hope they get the most out of their experience. I know I wish I was there.

Now that the season is over and I look back at my rookie year as a Toronto Raptor, it was a learning experience. With the highs and lows,it was definitely a learning experience. Now that I have this first year under my belt, it feels kinda like a weight has been lifted off of my back. I know what to do now. I know what’s expected of me.

Being an NBA player was everything I thought and more. Playing the 82 games, all of the traveling and playing against the best players in the world night in and night out, you really learn from it, you gain something from it. You appreciate the game for everything it’s worth and it makes you want to get that much better at it.

I’ve never taken anything for granted in my life, I just want to get better. To be an NBA player, it’s a blessing. Just being recognized by putting on an NBA jersey, that was a big deal for me and my family. At the same time, it’s been a year and, it still feels like a dream. It still is the dream. You love it. You just love the game.

It’s crazy to go on Youtube and see that I was in the dunk contest, or see the videos people make of me. Sometimes I can’t believe I’m watching video of myself playing against my favorite players. My family really gets a kick out of it. When I’m hanging with them, we look stuff up and they still trip out over a lot of things. Like, playing against Shaq. When Shaq was at LSU, I was a baby! My dad, he trips out.

Highlights From Year One

There we so many great moments for me this year, you know? Being in the starting five for most of the season was big. It’s not about starting, but that shows that the team knew how hard I worked and how hard I wanted it. Beating a hometown rival when the Lakers were in town was probably my favorite victory. That was my team when I was little! The opportunity to be a part of All-Star weekend was big, I could go on for days.

My New City
Toronto is a great, great city. It’s a city in its own city. It’s not too big and it’s not too small. I didn’t really know anything about it before I came, but it’s cool. The people of Toronto show a lot of support. Every time I would be out, they always supported me, showed a lot of love and always had something nice to say. That’s what is so good about it and what makes Toronto, Toronto. And the winter? It wasn’t even that bad this year. I’m not even going to lie, people had me expecting a lot worse, but I survived, I got through it and it didn’t bother me too much.

All season, the Keg Steakhouse was my spot. I loved that place. I can’t tell you why, but that was my number one spot. When all else failed, the Keg was always there. That’s where I took my visitors when they were in town, there and the CN-Tower. That place is crazy. I’ve been there like five times and just eating in that restaurant where the whole tower is turning while you’re eating, it’s crazy.

The Tough Stuff
I think the craziest thing this year was being away from home. I didn’t leave home to go to college because I knew if I was going to make the NBA there would be no telling where I’d end up so this was my first time being away. It was really tough at first. I didn’t know what to expect basketball wise, but even other stuff, like, I would go grocery shopping and wondering, ‘how am I ever going to figure this out?’ but it got easier. I’m good at it now. I know how to do it all…. No laundry or any of that, though. I got a housekeeper for that stuff!

The tough stuff about the league is just realizing very quickly that you are expected to be grown. In college they make you run when you mess up. Here, they fine you! It’s your money. It’s really a business. No one is going to baby you and you have to be accountable for all of your actions. Being away from my family was tough when I was frustrated on the court. I wished they were there just to ease it up a bit, but I got through it. There was a period where I went through what y’all call the rookie wall. Nothing was going my way and that was tough for me. Chris Bosh really helped me out with that. He told me you can’t let your last game affect your next game. You have to learn how to brush it off and keeping going. He told me he went through the same thing. He really helped me out a lot with that.

My Partner in Crime
Coming into the league, people told me year in and year out that you’re going to have different teammates. That guys can be here one month and cut the next. I didn’t know what to expect, but I didn’t expect to find a friend like Sonny. Sonny is my right hand man. This is basketball, but at the end of the day, Sonny is still going to be there for me through anything. We do everything together here in Toronto. From going out to eat to going to the gym late night to get shots up, I think we push each other and that’s a positive. I see him working hard and it makes me want to push myself that much harder. It’s funny because, it’s like we’re family now. His brothers, they know all of my people. I talk to Sonny’s mom, it’s a family thing. He’s going to come out here, come to the house and work out. Before the summer is over I gotta get out to Memphis to see what he’s doing out there.

Downtime in Toronto
There’s a ton of things to do in the city, but I don’t really go out too much so I’m pretty boring the night before games. I just sleep. I’ll get dinner, chill at the house, watch basketball if it’s on and then play the PlayStation and go to bed. I like Call of Duty, God of War II, those are fun. You play online with thousands of people, it’s crazy. I’m pretty good at it.

When we were in Toronto for a few days at a time, Sonny and I would help pass the time by just exploring. One time we drove like 40 minutes outside of Toronto and we didn’t know where we were. Didn’t have a clue. It was nighttime, we didn’t know anything, but it was cool, driving back into the city and seeing all of the city lights. It’s a great city.

Rookie Duties
I managed to get through the season without rookie duties. I didn’t have none. I know everyone asks what rookies have to do and the whole season, I was hoping the media didn’t say anything to the vets and they wouldn’t make me do anything. I got lucky. I don’t know how I managed it, but I guess I was just cool with everybody. I got past it, made it through the season and when training comes, I’m no longer a rookie anymore.

Since I’ve been home
I’ve been listening to The Game’s new album a lot. I grew up in the neighborhood where he was shooting his video and I was there with him for a couple of hours. It’s crazy, because, now that I’m an NBA player, if you want to meet someone, you can. And even if you haven’t met someone and you see each other at an event, it’s like you already know each other. I met Mary J. earlier this year, that was cool. I always wanted to meet Charles Barkley and when I did, that was so entertaining, he’s funny. One person I haven’t met yet, is Keri Hilson. If I can meet her, then I’m good. I don’t care about nobody after that. Ciara, too. One thing that was real cool, I met my favorite actor, Denzel, when I was in college. He came to one of my games. I really would like to meet Obama. How cool would that be?

Plans for getting better
As most of you know, Sonny and I worked with our assistant coach, Eric Hughes all season. We call him our second dad. He really takes care of us, he keeps us on the right path. Sometimes, we drive him crazy but he tolerates us and that’s what makes him such a good person. He just wants to see us get better. This summer, I’m going to work out with Eric and my trainer who trained me last year. I want to look at all of the stuff I didn’t do well this season. Defense, especially at the wing position, I need to get better at that. That’s the area we as a team need to get better. I’m going to get better, get stronger, really understand the game more. I’m thinking of going to the Bahamas before my real intense regimen begins again, but shoot, I can’t stay out of the gym. I can’t sit around the house all day, I’ve been going to the gym to get up shots anyway.

I’m excited because, I’ve been through a whole year of a season that I was trying to get used to. Now that I know what to expect, knowing that finally, I’m in a stable position, it’s going to be easier. The last three years I went from high school to college to my first year in the NBA and it was a tough adjustment. Now, I’m in a stable position and I know what I’ve got to do.

Let’s wrap this up because I’ve probably talked more in this one blog post than ya’ll have heard from me all year. To sum up my rookie season, I want to look forward. I tell you, my next year will be 100 times better.

Thanks for following along this season. Thanks for the tweets, the facebook love and all of the dunk contest votes. I’m living my dream and I’m going to work harder to make sure it only gets better.

Catch ya’ll soon.

—DeMar

Fans: Be sure to check out DeMar on Facebook and Twitter.

What’s up guys!? It’s the offseason and I’m enjoying my time off.

I’ve just been at my Mom’s house watching Everybody Hates Chris and playing with my little cousins. This is the first time I’ve been home in Seattle where I can just relax and stay here for a period of time. In college, I could only be here for a little bit and then would have to go back to school.

Most of the time me and the fam’ just chill at home. I have a movie theater in my house and they come over and watch movies and we chill like that. Nate Robinson’s mom was over here until about 4 a.m. on Sunday. I’m close with his entire family, so we all like one big family. My mom came over and cooked for everyone, and that was the first time in a while that I had my mom over to cook. She made me soft beef tacos. Those are the best.

I’m also getting a little work done on my house. I got a new poker table and other little stuff, but other than that, I’m moved in and everything is good. Here’s just a light recap of my season, my crazy teammates and the life and times of a rookie in the NBA.

Our Tough Season
We went through a lot this year. We started off 0-18, switched coaches, had eight players for about 10 games and finally started playing our best basketball of the year towards the end of the season.

After a while it became hard to handle all those losses. After a loss, sometimes I’d go home and play some basketball video games where I could win and feel accomplished.

To be honest, I’ve never lost that much in my life. And after losing so much I kind of evaluated myself to see how I could make myself better and help the team win. If I’m getting better every game and learning something different, I don’t take it as a waste of a season. Even though the overall record speaks of that, I take it as time for me to grow and make myself a better player.

After this season of struggle, I found out that I can actually play basketball in this league. The average lifespan of an NBA player is 4 ½ years. That’s why making it to this league is a huge thing! But staying and playing well is a whole other story. In the last two months I proved that I can do both. By getting time and gaining my confidence in the NBA, I was actually able to show what I can do. Once you find out you can play in this league and gain confidence, it seems like the things that got you to the league are easier to showcase. I’m going to use my same game that got me here, as far as passing, scoring, rebounding and playing D. I’m just going to show it on a bigger stage.

Shinning Moment of the Season
When we played Cleveland in our house I guarded LeBron and he guarded me the whole game. I finished that game with 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists. I thought to myself, I just played against the best or second best player in the world and I held my own with time and minutes in the game. After that game, every game started to be about showcasing what I can do. I knew that I had made my statement in the league. I could do this.

Rookie Duties
I honestly thought it was going to be a lot more hazing and stuff, but it was a lot easier than I thought. Basically every time we got on the plane to fly somewhere I had to get Popeye’s chicken for the team. Other than that, if they needed something while we were on the road, as far as walking to the store or something, I would do it. Other than that, it wasn’t really that hard.

The way I am, if you do some ridiculous rookie prank stuff like fill my car with popcorn and play tricks on me, I’m going to go ahead and do something back to you. Jokes are OK, but that old saying “what goes around comes around” is pretty true, and I live by it. Even as the lone rookie on the team, I’m not afraid to give them a taste of their own medicine. Guys know my personality and what type of person I am, so a lot of that didn’t go on. Plus, it’s hard to haze someone when we are losing. Losing feels like hazing as it is.

And guess what? I didn’t bring the chicken the last game in Miami! CDR tried to clown me and say “Damn, rookie you get triple-doubles and you think you don’t have to bring the chicken?” Nah that wasn’t the case. I just had a lot to do, so I couldn’t do it. I mean, what was the point of bringing it anyway? It was the last game!

If we were winning and in the playoffs and I was getting hazed, I wouldn’t care. Go ahead, fill my car up with popcorn do whatever you want. We would still be playing and I’d be fine with that.

Rookie of the Month Award
The award was totally unexpected. I was told that if I had a good game against Miami there was a soft chance that I could get Rookie of the Month. I was like “How?” You got Brandon Jennings and these other guys who keep winning and they are going to the playoffs. Why would they give somebody on the Nets, Rookie of the Month?

But the day we had our exit meetings with Rod Thorn is when I found out I won. I really appreciated it.

Winning that award shows you what confidence will give you and that hard work does pay off. So the times I was getting DNP’s or playing just eight minutes a game, I was still the first and last one in the gym working on my game. And when I was playing 30 to 35 minutes and I got a triple-double, I was still in the gym. Against Chicago, I played 49 minutes and I still played 3-on-3 with the guys at practice the next day. I think it just shows you that I’m willing to put in the work.

Favorite Teammates
Besides CDR (Chris Douglas Roberts), Bobby Simmons has got to be my favorite guy on the team. He taught me everything as far as basketball at this level. He taught me the part about basketball that most don’t teach…Like how to pay attention to other greats. Instead of watching Kobe and guarding him and trying to stop him, he advised me to learn him. He told me to learn what he does good and try to mimic it.

I’m also still really close with my boy CDR because there was a large part of the season last year (his rookie season) where he didn’t play. So it was easy for us to relate on that. With him I always know I am dealing with a real person who is from the same type of background I come from. So it’s definitely a lot easier to talk to him. He is also always one to speak his mind.

Although he’s not my teammate, another guy I have a great relationship with is Nate Robinson. He is from the Seattle area too (there must be something in the water that breeds us ballers!). Right now, I’m just giving him his space for the playoffs. But anytime he wants to vent or talk, I’m here.

Good Times
Though we had lots of losses this season, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. We have a lot of funny guys on the team — whether it’s CDR, Bobby Simmons, Keyon Dooling, Trenton Hassel or Jarvis Hayes — we kept each other smiling. We also played so hard in practice and went so hard at each other. Those moments were worth everything. It just seems like when we got in the games our brains just went dead. But other than that, we actually loved practice and we played hard.

We also did a little team bonding in the beginning of the season where we want to an Army base camp and we got to play army games. We had to be on teams of seven against the Army guys and try to capture them. It was like a video game and you are in the field. We had to be stealth and talk to each other about positioning and things.

That definitely was the start of everything, and it was my first time at a team event. That day I gained a lot of respect for my teammates.

Twitter “What if”s
I wrote something on my Twitter earlier in the season and folks took it the wrong way. I paid the price. But my whole thing was “What if…What if I got drafted five minutes earlier or later to Toronto or Charlotte? How would my life be?”. I wasn’t trying to say I want to be out of New Jersey. I know I don’t control that, and why would I want to leave? I love New Jersey. That was just me thinking about how life would be different. I went from being “The Man” on the court in high school and college to not playing at all, and that’s tough. When all you know how to do is play basketball and you end up sitting as a rookie, you don’t know what to do.

I really didn’t have any other rookies that I knew who could understand my situation either. My close friend DeMar DeRozan went to Toronto. He started the first and third quarter the entire season. Brandon Jennings is the Man in Milwaukee and Steph Curry, he went to a perfect situation where he is the Man there too. Same thing with Johnny Flynn. All these rookies that I knew went to teams where they played big minutes. So I turned around and looked at myself and said “Can I play this game?” Because if I can’t play this game on a team that’s losing, then what does that say about me? So I just had this “What if…” question to the world. Like, “what would have happened if I got drafted here or there.” Some people took it as “I don’t want to be here” or “I want to get out of here”. It was just a legitimate question they took the wrong way.

Thoughts On Moving to Brooklyn
I went over to Brooklyn for an appearance at a hospital and the only thing I can tell right now is that there’s going to be a lot of traffic around that new arena. If the team moves there, I might move to Brooklyn or to Long Island because I’m not going to commute from Jersey to Brooklyn. Especially since you can’t predict traffic in New York. I live right by the Lincoln Tunnel in Edgewater, NJ and sometimes when I’m going to the city to grab some sneakers it may take an hour just to get to the city. My New Yorkers out there got any suggestions on spots in Brooklyn to live or visit?

NBA Playoff Predictions
I am really not into the playoffs right now. First of all, because I’m not in it. Secondly, too many of my guys are in it right now. I don’t know who to root for. I want Nate to do well and Jamal and Jason Terry. Basically all my Seattle guys. Who do you guys think I should root for? Let me know!

Well, thanks for following me here on Rookie Chronicles throughout my rookie season. And make sure to follow me on my twitter and my facebook page.

—T-Will

Ben Couch wrote a great article about T-Will’s rookie season with the nets on NJNets.com. Here’s a preview of it. You can read the rest here.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—He said we hadn’t seen everything.

Nets swingman Terrence Williams was breaking down his rookie season before playing the Bulls on April 9, and allowed that through 78 games, he’d offered enough glimpses of his abilities to sense the NBA player he could become. But without a triple-double to his credit, the full range had yet to be displayed.

Four quarters, two overtimes and one victory later, we’d witnessed it all.

Williams hung a 27-point, 13-rebound, 10-assist line on several Chicago defenders, notably victimizing Kirk Hinrich on the fast break with a 360-degree aerial spin before scooping a layup off the glass. He shot 15-for-25 (.600) and deftly handled the point, creating transition opportunities aplenty and allowing Devin Harris (17 points, six rebounds that night) to play extended stretches off the ball.

Read the rest here.

During the month of April, Williams ranked first among Eastern Conference rookies in scoring (14.3 ppg) and minutes (34.2 mpg), while also leading all Eastern Conference rookies in points + rebounds + assists average (27.7) and ranking second in rebounds (7.1 rpg), assists (6.3 apg) and free throw percentage (.889). The Louisville product shot .455 (45-99) from the field and recorded his first career triple-double on 4/9/10 vs. Chicago with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. He also averaged a triple-double over New Jersey’s three home games in April with 20.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 10.0 assists.

Williams finished the month tied for first among Eastern Conference rookies with three double-doubles, highlighted by his triple-double vs. Chicago and his 14 point, 14 assist game vs. New Orleans on 4/3. Throughout the month of April, Williams set career-highs in the following categories: points (27), assists (14), minutes (49) and field goals made (12), while tying career-highs in rebounds (13) and blocks (1).

Williams is the seventh Nets rookie to win the award joining Brook Lopez (Jan. 09, Feb. 09), Richard Jefferson (Jan. 02), Kenyon Martin (Nov. 00 & Mar. 01), Kerry Kittles (Dec. 96), Derrick Coleman (Nov. 90, Jan. 91, Apr. 91) and Buck Williams (Feb. 82).

What’s good everybody? I got a chance to experience my first All-Star weekend in Dallas two weekends ago. Raptors TV was nice enough to follow me around and track my experience there as part of my One Rookie series they’ve been doing. Take a look at all of the videos from my first All-Star game below.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

—DeMar

Fans: Be sure to check out DeMar on Facebook and Twitter.

What’s good everyone? We’re back in T-Dot after a short 3 game road trip. We started off a little rocky in Atlanta, but bounced back to win two in a row. It’s a long season, so we just gotta keep playing hard and playing together.

Here’s part 3 of my Rookie Documentary for Raptors TV called “One Rookie”. In this one you get to see what an NBA Rookie goes through in training camp. Let me know what you think of it. Thanks for the support.

—DeMar

What’s good fans? Here’s Part 1 of a behind the scenes documentary of my rookie season I’m doing for Raptors TV called “One Rookie”. Check it out and tell me what you think.

—DeMar

Fans: Be sure to check out DeMar on Twitter.

Wassup up Blog Fam? My rookie season started last night. We came up just a little bit short. We got 81 more games to go, so we’ll get back in the lab and work harder. I know I gotta give more effort for us to get those W’s!

Anyway, I recently sat down for a talk with Harvery Araton of the New York Times. We talked about my childhood and how I was able to get through poverty and make it to the NBA. I think after you read this, you’ll understand why I wear #8. Here’s a little bit of the interview:

Many a young male has surmounted a difficult childhood, as did Mr. Williams, to become a millionaire professional in the National Basketball Association. The transformation from poverty and displacement to wealth and comfort can be jarring, as Mr. Williams discovered when he and his girlfriend, Sara Lambo, moved in last July. Mr. Williams, 22, found it hard to break old habits, and leave behind the memory of his impoverished Seattle childhood, when he lived in a house jammed with relatives after his 20-year-old father was murdered when he was 6.

Read the rest of the article HERE

—T-Will

Fans: Be sure to check out Terrence on Twitter and Facebook.

What’s good fans? Yesterday I took part in my first media day, and today is the start of my first training camp.

Media day yesterday was exciting. Besides all the traditional photo and interviews, I also got to participate in the live chat with fans on Raptors.com. If you missed it, you can replay the chat HERE. Exciting time for all of us.

Alright, I will get at y’all on here and on my twitter after camp.

—DeMar

Fans: Be sure to check out DeMar on Twitter.