BY THE BROOK: Deron Williams — with new backcourt mate Joe Johnson behind him — takes a break during Nets training camp yesterday. (
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There wasn’t much about last season that was easy for Deron Williams.
The Nets and their star point guard spent the campaign in a temporary home playing in front of a disenfranchised fan base with a roster ravaged by injuries on their way to a 22-44 record in their final season in New Jersey.
At times, Williams let those frustrations boil over and show themselves. He admitted yesterday, following the team’s first practice of training camp, that at times he couldn’t help it.
“It’s hard,” he said. “I’ve never been in that position before so, yeah, man, at times I showed frustration but I think anybody would have. Nomatterwho it is, no matter how good of a leader you are, in that situation, if you were there every day and you sawwhat was going on and heard what was going on in the locker room, you’d be [angry] sometimes.
“You’re getting your [butt] kicked and then you [have guys] in the locker room laughing about the game afterwards. I don’t think that stuff’s funny. That’s what we had to deal with last year, and that’s what I don’t think we’re going to deal with this year because just talking to the guys, the guys we have now, that’s not what they’re about.
“We’re talking about not trying to lose two games in a row…we were just trying to fight to win two games in a row last year.”
The issues that stoked those frustrations for Williams last year are now far behind him. Gone are the questions about whether he will be with the franchise for the long haul after he agreed to a fiveyear, max contract with the Nets in July. Gone are the days of being surrounded by an injury plagued and unstable roster after the Nets upgraded the talent around him by resigning free agents Brook Lopez, Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries and bringing in several other new players, including six time All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson, creating a core that should be in place for the next few seasons.
And gone are the days of playing in front of fans who knew their team would soon disappear, now that the Nets are less than a month away from officially opening their season at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Williams looked anything but frustrated yesterday, as he was the loudest voice in the gym during the team’s opening practice of camp.
Both on the court and in huddles, Williams was vocal in working with teammates, telling them where to be and what to do — all of which was music to the ears of Nets coach Avery Johnson.
“Love it,” Johnson said. “It really helps me focus on other things when he’s taking the reins there. He’s confident. He knows the system, he’s back, he’s been a part of two gold medal winning teams, [and] that gives him a lot of confidence.
“He knows his role, it’s a big responsibility, but he’s embraced it and I love it.” Williams initially took on that responsibility once he came back from winning his second gold medal in London this summer. He began rounding up his teammates for informal workouts over the last few weeks at the team’s practice facility.
But the fact he and the Nets already have been in the gym didn’t make him any less anxious to finally get things officially started.
“It’s exciting,” Williams said. “I’ve been ready for this week since I signed. “I’m excited about this year’s team, the chance we have to be good. I think these first weeks are really important, and kind of set the tone for the season and how hard we work in training camp.”
tbontemps@nypost.com