Williams sees opportunity to shine in Denver

J.R. Smith was labeled as an uncoachable malcontent who would never contribute meaningful minutes for an elite playoff team.

Chris Andersen was labeled as someone who flew too close to the sun and saw his NBA career melt in the process.

Arron Afflalo, Dahntay Jones, Johan Petro. All three came to Denver carrying figurative labels that said they couldn’t do this or they couldn’t do that.

One by one, they all proved otherwise while playing for the Nuggets, and Shelden Williams is hoping to be the newest member of the Denver chapter of the Diamonds in the Rough Club.

“There’s a number of players who came in and turned things around,” Williams said this week. “Hopefully I can add my name to the list.”

Fulfilling a need for more size, defense and rebounding, the Nuggets signed the 6-foot-9, 250-pound Williams to a free-agent contract on July 15. He was the No. 5 overall pick out of Duke in 2006, but he has struggled find consistent minutes while playing for four teams in four seasons.

“It’s not what I expected, but different players have different paths,” Williams said. “Hopefully I’ll be able to turn things around and stick around one place for a while.”

Denver certainly qualifies as a turnaround town.

Through trades and free agency, the Nuggets have been able to identify undervalued talent in recent years and cultivate it accordingly.

Smith, acquired from Chicago for Howard Eisley and two second-round picks in 2006, has averaged 14 points and made more three-pointers than anyone in Nuggets history in his four seasons in Denver.

Andersen, who signed a minimum free-agent contract in 2008, resurrected his career in Denver after returning from a two-year suspension that would have doomed most players.

Jones, another free-agent castoff in 2008, started 71 games and became an indispensable defensive stopper while helping the Nuggets reach the 2009 Western Conference Finals.

Afflalo, acquired last summer from Detroit for a second-round pick, played sparingly in two seasons with the Pistons before stepping in for Jones last season. He averaged career highs in nearly every statistical category and finished eighth in the NBA in three-point percentage.

“Our coaching staff is outstanding – not just good – at helping guys reinvent themselves,” Nuggets vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien said. “Here’s Shelden who was the No. 5 pick. We know he’s a solid guy and we know we have an outstanding developmental coaching staff. The hope is that he can also reinvent himself.”

As he prepares to join the Nuggets, there are certain things Williams doesn’t need to reinvent as much as rediscover.

Williams was the NCAA Defensive Player of the year in 2005 and 2006 and left Duke as the school’s career leader in rebounds and blocked shots. With power forwards Andersen and Kenyon Martin recovering from knee injuries, Williams figures to get an opportunity to show what he can do.

“Not everything I do shows up on the stat sheet,” he said. “I bring energy. You’ll get me playing defense, rebounding the basketball and being a tough player. I’m able to guard both (the power forward and center) positions, so that’s another thing that I think is my strength.”

Given his productivity at Duke and his No. 5 draft position, Williams had high expectations for himself when he began his NBA journey four years ago. Since then, he has averaged 4.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.41 blocked shots as a role player for Atlanta, Sacramento, Minnesota and Boston.

While his early career has been nomadic, Williams has found stability off the court. He married Los Angeles Sparks star Candace Parker in 2008 and the couple welcomed a baby girl in 2009.

“It’s a true blessing to have her running around,” Williams said of his daughter Lailaa. “No matter what happens on the court, she’s the biggest thing in my life.”

Williams and Parker nearly had reason to celebrate again when the Celtics took the Los Angeles Lakers to seven games in the NBA Finals, but Boston fell short in the final game. Williams enjoyed his first playoff experience and hopes to add more memories with the Nuggets.

“I feel like I have proven myself when given the opportunity,” he said. “Given extended minutes, I can perform at a high level.”

Based on Denver’s recent track record, that would hardly come as a surprise.

Contact Aaron J. Lopez at alopez@pepsicenter.com