As part of ESPN's 5-on-5 series, bloggers were asked to list the five biggest surrprises of 2011, and although the lockout wins hands down, Deron Williams' two moves this year --the trade to the Nets and his decision to sign with Besiktas-- get a lot of attention.
We certainly can't disagree with the D-Will trade. It resulted in our biggest day ever. As John Krolik writes, "The team that's about to call Brooklyn its home got a player most consider better than Carmelo, and there was nothing approximating a pre-trade soap opera".
As for the Besiktas move, which surprised even the front office, Jonathan Santiago of Cowbell Kingdom wrote, "Williams' decision to go overseas not only seemingly came out of the blue, it came very early in the lockout, paving the way for many other NBA players who followed him abroad."