Grant Williams kept repeating the same motion, using both hands more than someone guiding in a 777 parking at an airport gate.
Williams made an imaginary letter multiple times as the Charlotte Hornets trudged toward the bench at one point during their 115-107 win against Utah at Delta Center on Thursday night.
It was the forward’s way of taking up for his teammates after Tre Mann and Nick Richards each got slapped with technical fouls earlier, drawing the attention of Williams and the rest of the Hornets. Protection mode was activated.
“Yeah, especially when frustration builds up,” the former Providence Day star said. “Referees are human the same way we are.
And when you are irate and go at them, they tense up the same way. So, sometimes another voice can help. And also I’m just very big on making sure everybody is consistent.
In the situation that Tre was dealing with, ‘I was like, ‘Bro, keep your head. I got you. Go to the bench and don’t say another word to him.
I’ve got you.’” And indeed. Williams took matters into his own 25-year-old hands.
“I went up there and talked to Mark (Davis),” Williams said. “
He’s one of those officials you can communicate with. He’ll hear your perspective and give you his. And I just told him what I saw and he said, ‘Ok, I’ll keep a look on it.’
And Jordan Clarkson had just got a dunk, and after his dunk he kind of swung on the rim. The argument could be that he had someone under him, which I didn’t agree.
“But it wasn’t the fact he was swinging on the rim, it’s the fact that I remember Keyonte (George) was pointing across floor on the court. And I was saying, ‘We have two technical fouls.’ …
And they were receptive and they did a great job of communicating.
And I just want to give them credit, too, because it’s a tough environment as officials.. Players are going to be on you, fans are going to be on you, social media.
So, I always acknowledge that it’s a difficult job, but it’s all about keeping it the same way between those 13 guys that are on the court.”
Williams is more than a pseudo referee for the Hornets, though. He’s quickly woven himself into the team’s fabric since arriving with Seth Curry after being traded from Dallas to Charlotte for PJ Washington.
