Ex-Boston Celtics big accused of being annoying sends strong response to critics, credits Jays for defending him
Grant Williams had the strongest response possible to Boston Celtics play-by-play announcer Mike Gorman's accusation that he was annoying in the locker room: indifference. While speaking with The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn, Williams addressed Gorman's "report" and hat-tipped Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for defending him.
“You can’t control people’s opinions or what they say,” Williams said (h/t NESN). “It meant the world to me that Jayson (Tatum) and Jaylen (Brown) came to my defense without me asking. It was pretty cool seeing that. It showed the person that I am. I had a lot of great years in Boston. I thought I had a great relationship with Mike, and maybe I still do. Maybe he was commenting on what he thought was happening. I always loved watching him and Tommy (Heinsohn) when I first got there, and now him and Scal (Brian Scalabrine). I try my best to keep up with Scal.
“(Gorman’s comments) definitely caught me off-guard, but there are things they’re going to say and you can’t control. I try to treat people with grace and care. It kind of hurt but at the same time, you smile through it.”
Mike Gorman accused Grant Williams of being an annoyance in Boston Celtics locker room
If Tatum and Brown were being good friends to Williams, that's laudable. They had no reason to show him loyalty anymore considering Williams is now on his second team (Charlotte Hornets) since leaving the Celtics last summer in a sign-and-trade with the Dallas Mavericks.
But if they were telling the truth and Gorman was lying? Well that's another issue entirely. Gorman shared extremely harsh criticisms of his time with the team.
“He was annoying to everybody. I think, initially, everybody thought he was kind of a wise-ass, but he’s kind of cute, and he’s kind of funny,” Gorman said of Williams (h/t Boston.com). “Then it just kind of wore thin. It got thin in Dallas, obviously. …He had some issues in that area that if he doesn’t get rid of, he doesn’t have enough for teams to say, ‘Well OK, but despite that, we’re going to keep him here because he’s a great player.’ He’s not.
“He’s an extra. An eighth, ninth, or 10th guy on your roster, so those guys are very replaceable. The guy’s a bad locker room guy. If you’re a bad locker room guy, you’re an eighth or ninth guy, you’re not going to be the eighth or ninth guy for long because you’re not going to be on the team for long.”
Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the middle. But if it's anywhere close to the Tatum/Brown side of the equation, then Gorman's actions need to be put under a microscope.
Because that'd mean the team's play-by-play announcer is doing way too much.