This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Excerpts from Jazz guard Deron Williams' interview Friday afternoon with the media during All-Star player availability at a hotel in downtown Los Angeles.Comparing Sloan to Corbin, and what type of coach Corbin is: He's got a lot of the same characteristics that coach [Sloan] did, because he's been here and been under him. Same system. Just a little younger and can relate a little bit better to us as players and the evolution of the game. … You talk about relating to players. I'm 26. Coach was [68]. So that's a big difference. Different eras, different generations. It's bound to be something. I can't just go and have the same conversation with my grandma that I would have with my friends. It's nothing bad. It's just how it is. I think coach Corbin, he's younger and has kids our age, so it helps a little bit.Star players teaming up, and whether it's becoming harder for small-market teams to compete: It's hard to get free agents [in Salt Lake City]. It is. You look at our team the last couple years, we really haven't — besides Booz — we really haven't had any big free agents. Most people have either got traded or drafted. We've had some great second-round picks that have blossomed for us — Paul Millsap and Jeremy Evans — we've had some of those. But for the most part it's hard. I've tried. I recruit the heck out of people. … Why wouldn't I? Legally. No tampering.Jimmer Fredette: I just went a game last week in Utah. I've seen him on TV a lot. He struggled a little bit in the first half of the game. But in the second half he came alive and took over. He's a good player. … I think [he can make an impact in the NBA]. He can score the ball so well, shoot so well. You're always going to need scorers. I think his passing's underrated. He was struggling a little bit shooting the ball, and I thought he passed the ball great when things went bad with his shot.— Brian T. SmithTwitter: tribjazz