Bedeviled

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen

By

Tomorrow night Jay Williams is scheduled to make his first appearance at Chicago's United Center since the Bulls guard was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in June.

This would have been Williams' second NBA season, but now he is just visiting. His teammates have not seen him since the accident, and it will be an emotional occasion. Once hyped to the max after joining the Bulls as the No.2 pick in the 2002 draft, Williams will sit on the bench in street clothes watching his team play the latest big thing, LeBron James, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. When Williams will return to the court is anyone's guess.

If Bobby Hurley has anything to do with it, it will be later rather than sooner.

"Just take your time and get yourself together" was the essence of Hurley's message to Williams when the two met recently.

As former All-American point guards from Duke who grew up in New Jersey, won national championships, had their numbers retired and became high NBA draft picks, Hurley and Williams have a lot in common. Too much, it turns out.

Hurley was nearly killed in an automobile accident Dec.12, 1993. He had been the No.7 pick in the NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings' point guard of the future. Nineteen games into his rookie season, Hurley was leaving Arco Arena after a home game when his Toyota 4Runner was broadsided by a station wagon. He was not wearing a seatbelt and flew 100 feet into a ditch.

Hurley recovered, but his NBA career was inexorably altered.

Now Williams is facing the same reality.

Known by his given name, "Jason," until he left Duke after three seasons, Williams bought a red-and-black Yamaha R6 motorcycle six months ago. On June19, while riding through Chicago's north side to a friend's house, he lost control and slammed into a pole.