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A Similar Path
By: Brian Gleason

Dickau (left) had 11 points in the Hawks 32 point opening day victory.

Playing point guard in the NBA can be a tough job, it's one of the hardest positions in sports. It becomes even tougher for a rookie drafted in the first round that is tabbed as the point guard of the future. It can be similar to entering the NFL as the savior quarterback. A point guard has to run the show and keep everyone else happy, not an easy task.

Two point guards from the 2002 NBA Draft have returned to Boston this summer in hopes of proving that their selections as first round point guards was not a mistake. Frank Williams was drafted 25th overall by the New York Knicks, while fellow point guard Dan Dickau was selected 28th overall by the Sacramento Kings. Dicaku was later traded to the Atlanta Hawks in a draft night trade.

Both came to their teams with plenty of experience expecting to make an immediate impact, but as the course of the season unfolded, neither of their expectations were met. Their paths as rookie point guards almost seemed to mirror each other.

Both Williams and Dickau suffered injuries and struggled to find a spot in their teams' rotation. Williams was slowed by an injured wrist, which he hurt at last years summer league, and struggled to get time playing behind experienced point guards like Charlie Ward and Howard Eisley.

When he finally became healthy he had another battle to fight. While sitting out he lost important conditioning and became out of shape, so with the rotation set,

Williams (right) dropped in 23 points in game 1 of the Reebok Pro Summer League.

Williams spent most of his season on the bench or on the injured list. He would go on to appear in just 21 games averaging 1.3 points per game.

"Last year was real tough", commented Frank Williams. "Once you get to this level and know you can play, but your not getting the time, it kind of bothers you. It was just a difficult season."

Dickau's situation was similar in that he was playing with injuries, but he was also in an uncertain situation. The Hawks fired Head Coach Lon Kruger early in the season and were going through many management issues, which made it even more difficult for a rookie point guard coming into the league.

With all of the uncertainty surrounding the Hawks, Dickau found it challenging to make the adjustment to the NBA. He played in only 50 of 82 games averaging 3.7 points per game.

"It was tough as a rookie to come in and get minutes", said the Hawks Dan Dickau. Then on top of that it was even more difficult to be real productive with limited minutes."

Both Williams and Dickau are still on similar paths. They're both trying to put last year behind them and prove their worth, but neither wants to forget how difficult it was. They know they must use last year's struggles to help them improve their games.

"I try to take last year as a learning experience and try to make myself better", said Williams. "Learning from it will only improve my game and make me a better player."

With difficult times hopefully behind them, both Williams and Dickau are looking towards 2003-04 with high hopes and optimism. They're eager to show that their draft position was not a fluke. And the Reebok Pro Summer is the perfect starting place.

"I need to prove this summer and show that I can do some different things other than what I did last year", commented Dickau. "I want to become as complete a player as I can. I'm definitely looking forward to this year."

With the season beginning in a few months it should be fun to see how both Williams and Dickau have improved their games and regained some of the swagger that made them college standouts. With a season under their belt both will certainly get the opportunity that eluded them last season. And if the work both players have put in is any indication, then they should continue on the same path for many years to come.

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