For Williams and Daniels, The Present Is All That Matters

Marquis Daniels and Shelden Williams want to move forward this season with the Celtics. That's why they won't look back this weekend when they play against their former teams.

On Friday, Williams will face the Hawks, the organization that selected him with the fifth pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. His name was called before players such as Rajon Rondo, Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay, and with that high pick came high expectations.

Despite earning Rookie of the Month honors and leading all rookies in double-doubles during his first year in the league, he did not live up to the standards many had set for a lottery pick out of Duke. Williams averaged 4.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in less than two seasons in Atlanta. The Hawks traded him to the Kings in 2008 as part of the Mike Bibby deal.

But Williams has moved on — making stops in Sacramento and Minnesota before landing in Boston. In fact, he says, his time with the Hawks has been behind him since he got traded.

He isn't worried about shaking any criticism he received during his time with the Hawks, either.

“Honestly, it's like people are put in good positions, people have things tailored or changed for them, and then you have people have to go in there and find a different path, and that's just the way that the NBA is,” he said. “It's not like you're choosing a college or choosing a school that fits your style, so it's kind of like now I'm going through that all over again.”

Now Williams is focused on helping the team that has given him another shot at establishing himself. He is averaging a career-high 6.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 16.4 minutes per game with the Celtics.

Williams isn't concerned with showing off to his former teammates — “They know what I can do; I've showed them what I can do given the opportunity and extended minutes,” he said — and is simply focusing on Celtics basketball.

“Honestly, [it's] just me going back to just going back being me. Hustle plays, running the floor, rebounding the basketball, playing defense, taking opportunities that are given to me and not just overdo things, overthink things, or try to do too much of anything,” he said.

“It's more of a structured system [in Boston],” he added. “It's similar to being back at Duke. Things are run a certain way, things are expected to be run a certain way. Here everything is very structured. When anybody comes in, you know what your job is and what you have to do and it kind of makes everything else pretty much simple.”

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A day after Williams faces the Hawks, Daniels will play against his former teammates when the Celtics travel to Indiana.

Daniels spent three years with the Pacers from 2006 through 2009. He boasted the best numbers of his career last season when he averaged 13.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 54 games, 43 of which he started. But for Daniels, who played the first three seasons of his career with the Mavericks, returning to his former stomping grounds is part of the game.

“There are always memories there, but it's a profession. You've got to be professional about whatever it is,” he said. “You've still got to go out there, you've still got friends there, but at the same time you've got to go out there and do your job.”

While Daniels will be returning to familiar territory, wearing a visitors jersey in Conseco Fieldhouse will be unfamiliar to him. He was sidelined with injuries for several matchups during his time with the Mavericks, and Saturday will be only his fourth game against the Pacers, his fewest against any team in the NBA.

He seems unaffected by his return to Indiana, though. He doesn't feel any anxiety about playing against his former teammates or in front of his former home crowd.

“It's the same game no matter who you're playing,” he said. “It's always good to go out and play against friends. But other than that, they're not friends between the lines, so you've just got to go out there and play your game and have fun.”

This weekend Daniels and Williams will leave their pasts behind as they focus on moving forward with the Celtics.

“I'm just going to go out there and play basketball, continue helping the team get better,” Daniels said. “I mean, we're striving for something that's bigger than one game, so I'm just taking it one game at a time, going out there helping the team, whatever it is Doc asks me to do.”