DALLAS _ Deron Williams doesn't want anyone thinking his offseason sports hernia surgery is something that will linger into the upcoming season _ something that will have him bouncing in and out of the lineup.
While the aftereffects of the surgery limited Williams' mobility for the majority of the summer, the Dallas Mavericks point guard said after Thursday's practice at American Airlines Center that he would be "great by the time the season starts."
That validation by The Colony native is precisely what the Mavericks want to hear from the 11-year veteran.
"I actually think that D-Will at times last year was our best player," forward Dirk Nowitzki said. "When he was healthy he was moving well, he made big shots for us, and he was actually our crunch-time player. At times we ran big, big plays to him and he delivered for us."
Williams was the Mavericks' second-leading scorer last season at 14.1 points per game, and also led them in assists at 5.8 a game. But he missed 17 games _ plus two of the team's five first-round playoff games against Oklahoma City _ with a left hamstring and later a left abdominal strain.
"It was unfortunate he got hurt," Nowitzki said. "He hobbled at the end, he tried to go, but he was just not 100 percent. In this league if you're not 100 percent, it's going to be tough. Hopefully the surgery helped him out and he's going to have a healthy year for us."
With training camp only three days old, the Mavericks see no need to push the 32-year-old Williams.
"I see him continuing to make progress," coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's doing well, health-wise. Unfortunately, he was unable to work out much this summer. With his recovery from the hernia surgery he didn't get to work out and run, so he's got to drop a few pounds here, but he's on track to do that."
Williams (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) estimates that he's 7 pounds overweight. But part of that is because he said he couldn't do anything physical for two-to-three months after the surgery.
"The last month I've been trying to get back in shape, rehab, make sure my core is back and strong and make sure I was ready to go to camp," Williams said. "I couldn't do anything _ lifting, cardio, anything. I got cleared [to practice] and I've been able to participate in everything we've done. I'm feeling pretty good."
Williams can still occasionally take over a game.
"I had great teammates and we had the team concept," Williams said of last year's squad. "We don't have necessarily just one guy who is just going to go out there and scoring 30 for us every night.
"As a point guard you naturally are going to have the ball in your hands. So you've got to create for yourself and others."
The Mavericks will depend on Williams' creativity to help them get out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since they captured the 2011 NBA title.
"He's tough, he's a big guard, we can post him, he can run pick-and-roll, and he shot the ball well from three," Nowitzki said. "So he's a very versatile point guard. Hopefully, like I said, he can play injury-free and he'll have a heck of a season.''
