PHILADELPHIA — Since returning to the starting lineup last week, Deron Williams has been superb for the Nets.
But Williams also took a significant leadership step for the Nets off the court last week, when the star point guard agreed to be the team's player representative for the National Basketball Players Association.
"I think we need some of the higher-echelon players to step up and be the voices of the team, and sometimes, a lot of times, teams just designate rookies or guys to go," Williams told The Post earlier this week. "I wanted to be involved, especially because I wasn't that involved last go-round, and I didn't like how the negotiations went."
If you go to the NBPA's website and peruse the list of player reps, many of them are players who either have little standing in the league, like Cole Aldrich (Knicks) or Garrett Temple (Washington) or have just arrived on their team like C.J. Watson (Pacers) or Robbie Hummel (Timberwolves).
That doesn't mean any of those players don't care about their job, or the role the union plays in trying to do its best to protect the players' interests. But it certainly will generate more attention when players like Williams, the Thunder's Russell Westbrook or the Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge are engaged and involved in what is going on.
Williams, who had 17 points and 14 assists in the Nets' 121-120 overtime loss to the Sixers Friday, is far from the only player who has voiced his concerns with the way the union handled its business during the 2011 lockout, one that saw the union give back significant concessions while also leading to it eventually ousting former union chief Billy Hunter.
With Hunter and former president Derek Fisher both out, the union is still in the process of hiring a new union chief, but has installed Clippers star — and close friend of Williams — Chris Paul as its new president.
But Williams said that his friend's ascension to the presidency, after serving as part of the executive committee during the lockout, didn't factor into his decision to get involved.
"That really had nothing to do with it," he said. "I think it's great he's the president, and I think he's going to do a great job, knowing Chris and he's a smart guy, very intelligent, so I
know he'll be on top of things. But that wasn't really one of the reasons. A lot of the guys thought I should be the rep as well, me or Brook, seeing that we're the two who are probably going to be here the longest. So it just made sense."
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