"Sometime last weekend, Terrence Williams says he heard what he needed to hear, and he insists that it was so direct and illuminating, he'd be a fool to deviate from its message.

The message came from Nets president Rod Thorn, who essentially told the rookie to get his act together - immediately - before he wastes perhaps the most valuable learning portion of his career.

No, The Boss didn't make it sound negotiable.

And perhaps it is no coincidence that while nothing has really gone right for the Nets on this road trip, Williams has used its first three games to get his game - and attitude - where it belongs.

"When you sit down with the president of the team, and the president is telling you what to do because you're not doing it right - and the head coach is telling you what you need to do to play - you do it," Williams said. "We're young guys, and young guys in the NBA all want to play. I listened."

This is not necessarily about Thorn, who has always been touted by players (Richard Jefferson and Jason Kidd, among them) as a wise and inspiring advisor, if also a bit intimidating when the situation calls for it.

The Nets want this to be about Williams, who was closer than he knows to being tagged with the kind of labels that no player wants just three months into his career.

Essentially, he was turning into a malcontent and miscreant - the kind of kid who would blow off a shootaround, get rewarded with a few minutes that night anyway because he's the top rookie, and still play like he didn't want to be there."