Who was a better forward:Billy Owens or Kenny Williams?

Answer 1

Being a Golden State fan, I remember Billy Owens but I'm not very familiar with Kenny Williams. Kenny only played 4 seasons with the Indiana Pacers, averaging no more than 6.5 points per game. He eventually left the NBA or got released by the Pacers and went to play in Europe. He was never heard from again. On the other hand, Billy Owen's career lasted at least 3 times longer. Golden State traded Mitch Richmond for Owens, who was Sacramento's 3rd pick in the draft at the time because he was a player Don Nelson deemed as the next Magic Johnson / Scottie Pippen type of forward but he couldn't be any more wrong. After the Warriors traded for the rights to Chris Webber a few years later, they traded Owens to the Miami Heat for Rony Seikaly, who was supposed to be the final championship piece to complement Webber. Unfortunately, Owens was Webber's closest friend on the team and the trade made him no longer want to play for the Warriors and when his 3 year contract expired, he only wanted to sign for one year so he could opt out and become a free agent. Golden State ended up trading Webber to Washington for the rights to Tom Gugliotta. Here are some additional information regarding these two players.


Kenny Williams

Kenneth (Ken, or Kenny) Ray Williams (born June 9, 1969 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina) is a former professional basketball player, most notably with the NBA's Indiana Pacers.

Williams, a 6'9" forward, attended Elizabeth City State University and Barton County Community College in Barton County, Kansas. He was selected 46th overall by the Indiana Pacers in the 1990 NBA Draft. He played four seasons, from 1990–1994 averaging 4.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 260 total games.

He was also a contestant in the 1991 NBA Slam Dunk Contest but failed to qualify into the second round.

Williams was a prep sensation at Elizabeth City(N.C) Northeastern High School.His senior year, he average 31 points per game and was named state player of the year for North Carolina in 1988.He was named first team USA Today( over such players as Shawn Kemp and Stanley Roberts), and was named first team Parade All-American.He participated in the McDonald's All-American and Capital Classic games.He was one of the top four players in the class of 1988, along with Alonzo Mourning, Billy Owens, and Shawn Kemp.He signed with North Carolina, but due to failure to graduate with his class, could not go and attended Barton County Community College in Kansas.

Following his NBA career Williams went to Europe and played for a number of teams in Italy and Israel. His most productive stint in Europe was with Israeli side Hapoel Jerusalem. In January 2007 he sign in the team of the second league of Israel Maccabi Shoham.



Billy Owens

Billy Eugene Owens (born May 1, 1969, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania) is an American former professional basketball player. The 6' 9" small forward/shooting guard from Syracuse University was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the 1991 NBA Draft but after Owens remained a holdout beyond the start of the regular season, he was traded to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for high-scoring guard Mitch Richmond, a trade that has been regarded as one of the most lopsided in NBA history.[1] Owens spent ten seasons with the Warriors, Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings, Seattle SuperSonics, Philadelphia 76ers, and Detroit Pistons. He ended his career in 2001 with career totals of 7,026 points, 4,016 rebounds, and 1,704 assists.

As a prep senior, Owens averaged 34 points per game, and helped lead Carlisle (Pa) high school to four consecutive state titles. He was considered to be the second best prep player of 1988, behind Alonzo Mourning.

He played for the US national team in the 1990 FIBA World Championship, winning the bronze medal.[1]

The Next Larry Bird? He was barely the Next Ken Norman. Owens was a jack of all trades, master of none, unless you count floating through practices and tipping the scales to be admirable qualities worth mastering. Drafted by the Kings, Owens became part of a Danny Ferry-esque deal between Sacramento and Golden State that saw the Warriors give up future Hall of Famer Mitch Richmond for Owens' rights.

Answer 2

Billy Owens was a very good team player but his career was limited by injuries and the fact that he really did not play on teams good enough to use him properly. I think he stuck around for about 10 years despite the injuries, after his fourth or fifth year in the league he could barely make it up and down the court but still made teams and managed to contribute. If not for injuries he would have made a great fourth option for a championship contender, he helped in many ways even hobbled as he was. Was a tough rebounder for his size early in his career and did not take bad shots, was a good passer but late in his career when he could not score easily did have to many turnovers as he became easy to defend but most of the teams he played for needed him to produce more than he was able to. If not for injuries Owens would have made a few all star teams and maybe an NBA all league 2nd or 3rd team at least once. He also played a little guard but only because he played for teams that lacked depth.

Kenny Williams never got enough minutes in the league to prove what he could do I cannot recall why, I think he only lasted four years. I am sure that if you look at the numbers for the two for Owens first four years and Williams only four years you will see that Owens contributed while Williams never got the chance. Williams did as I recall hit over 50% of his FGA, that goes along way in my book.

Answer 3

Alright! Billy Owens by far Z. Billy Owens when he played w/Warriors had skills for real. He had handles out of this world for a forward. Good question Zebbie! Not to many remember BO coming out of Syracuse. An all-time favorite Orange Man.

Answer 4

Both were insignificant.