Veteran point guard Jason Williams”nicknamed White Chocolate earlier in his career for his flamboyant play”is returning to the NBA after a season away from basketball. Williams announced that hes re-entering the league this season, and will do so in an Orlando Magic uniform. Williams is tentatively slated to be the backup for starting playmaker Jameer Nelson.

Williams signed a one year NBA contract to play for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2008, but walked away from it without playing a game. At the time, his wife was facing some complications during her pregnancy with their third child and Williams wanted to be able to spend time with her and his family. His attempt to be reinstated late in the season was rebuffed by the NBA, and he ended up sitting out the entire campaign.

When the Clippers relinquished their rights to Williams earlier this summer, he became an unrestricted free agent. Magic General Manager Otis Smith provided these comments on the signing:

“Jason provides depth and leadership to our backcourt. He is a veteran point guard that knows what it takes to help us reach our ultimate goal.”

Williams has become more of a consistent player as hes matured, and should provide some valuable depth in the Magic backcourt. When asked to reflect on his NBA and college career”marked by several suspensions and countless other controversies”Williams sounded a philosophical tone:

“Let me tell you this: If I could go all the way back [to the beginning], I wouldn’t do a damn thing different. I know I messed up here and there along the way, but those things I didn’t do right helped me become the person I am now.”

Williams played a crucial backup role during the Miami Heats 2005-2006 NBA championship run, and will be expected to play a similar function as the Magic try to get over the hump and unseat the reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.

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Veteran point guard Jason Williams”nicknamed White Chocolate earlier in his career for his flamboyant play”is returning to the NBA after a season away from basketball. Williams announced that hes re-entering the league this season, and will do so in an Orlando Magic uniform. Williams is tentatively slated to be the backup for starting playmaker Jameer Nelson.

Williams signed a one year NBA contract to play for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2008, but walked away from it without playing a game. At the time, his wife was facing some complications during her pregnancy with their third child and Williams wanted to be able to spend time with her and his family. His attempt to be reinstated late in the season was rebuffed by the NBA, and he ended up sitting out the entire campaign.

When the Clippers relinquished their rights to Williams earlier this summer, he became an unrestricted free agent. Magic General Manager Otis Smith provided these comments on the signing:

“Jason provides depth and leadership to our backcourt. He is a veteran point guard that knows what it takes to help us reach our ultimate goal.”

Williams has become more of a consistent player as hes matured, and should provide some valuable depth in the Magic backcourt. When asked to reflect on his NBA and college career Williams sounded a philosophical tone:

“Let me tell you this: If I could go all the way back [to the beginning], I wouldn’t do a damn thing different. I know I messed up here and there along the way, but those things I didn’t do right helped me become the person I am now.”

Williams played a crucial backup role during the Miami Heat’s 2005-2006 NBA championship run, and will be expected help the Magic win the sport’s ultimate prize. They’re expected to face a tough test in their own conference, with Cleveland, Miami and Boston all having upgraded their lineups during the offseason. Boston got an additional boost recently with the news that Kevin Garnett had returned to practice and is likely to be back in the lineup when the season begins.

After a month long free agency soap opera, both Lamar Odom and the Los Angeles Lakers got what they really wanted all along. The Lakers retained the services of their valuable sixth man, and Odom will return to the team after an intense recruiting pitch from the Miami Heat. Odom officially signed his new contract with the NBA Champions and along with the addition of Ron Artest the Lakers may actually be stronger than last years title winning squad.

Terms of the deal werent immediately released, but both player and team appeared relieved that things had worked out. In early July, negotiations broke down after some miscommunication between Odoms agent and Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss. While Odom worked to mend fences”including several personal phone calls to Dr. Buss”his agent was receiving interest from Miami, Portland and Dallas. Miami, in particular, was extremely interest bringing out the big guns in the personage of Dwayne Wade and Pat Riley to make a recruiting pitch.

None of the competing offers were as compelling as returning to the NBA champion Lakers. At the official signing ceremony, he hinted that a dynasty could be in the making:

“I guess basketball-wise, I feel complete. I want to feel it again. It’s kind of an overwhelming feeling. I get goose bumps when I think about it, and as long as I continue to play professional basketball, I want to always feel that. The way I feel during the summer, I always want to feel that. If we can win six, seven, eight, nine, 10 championships in a row, I want to experience that.”

While talk of 10 straight championships may be mere hyperbole, theres no reason the Lakers cant run off a repeat or better with their current lineup. The only significant loss to last years NBA title winning team was Trevor Ariza, but the teams signing of Ron Artest is likely an upgrade. Artest brings not only his infamous swagger and intensity, but an element of toughness and versatility that Ariza lacked. Such was Odoms commitment to the Lakers is that even during his free agency, he helped recruit Artest to sign with the team:

“I spoke to Ron two days before he signed, and I told him how important I think it is for him to come here. Because I know how hard he works, he needs to experience basketball at its best, at the highest level, and he needs to become a Laker. Two days after that, he signed.”

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak was understandably pleased that he could not only bring back the nucleus of last years championship team but very possibly an improved roster:

“Three or four months ago, I didn’t think it could be possible that we could basically bring this team back in whole. Lamar had a wonderful season that ended on the best possible note you could have, and Lamar had a lot of options. … Here it is, July 31, and we have brought back everybody that we wanted to bring back.”

Odom noted that his perception of L.A. as his home made a big difference in his decision:

“I didn’t want my kids to have to change schools — just the little things. I’m comfortable here. I’ve been here since I was 19 years old. I’m proud to be playing for what I think is the most popular brand in sports.