Too much of a good thing means Mo Williams will be moving to Milwaukee.
With Carlos Arroyo and Raul Lopez ahead of him at the point-guard position, the $5.5 million over three years turned out to be just a bit more than the Jazz were willing to pay to keep a player everyone agrees has many good years ahead of him.
"It was a difficult decision to make, but we will not be matching the offer sheet given by the Milwaukee Bucks to Mo Williams," said Kevin O'Connor, the Jazz senior vice president of basketball operations, in a prepared statement Saturday morning. As soon as O'Connor called Williams' agent, Mark Bartelstein, the point guard headed to Milwaukee where he's expected to finalize his contract on Monday.
"He's on his way there now," Bartelstein said. "We knew it was a tough decision for the Jazz, and Mo has nothing but great feelings about the Jazz and Jerry Sloan . . . He loved every minute of being in Utah. But they had an unusual situation of having three really good young point guards in Utah."
The decision wasn't entirely financial, although money was a consideration.
"He had an opportunity there that he wouldn't have had here," said Jazz president Dennis Haslam, referring to playing time. Last year, Williams averaged 13 minutes in 57 games, and Haslam said his play definitely made a difference for the Jazz.
"Mo probably won five, six or seven games for us last season," Haslam said of the second-round pick. "Because he was so full of energy and just a spark at the right time. Nobody really wanted to let him go, but a three-year contract was not the right decision for the team."
Haslam and Bartelstein acknowledge that Williams will see more minutes in Milwaukee.
"They didn't sign him to a contract like that for him not to play," Bartelson said. "He's going to play an awful lot there."
With the Bucks' starting point guard, T.J. Ford, recovering from surgery to his neck, Milwaukee may need a third point guard more than the Jazz do.
"We learned this morning that Utah would not be matching the offer sheet we extended to Mo Williams on Aug. 6," said Bucks general manager Larry Harris in an online story posted on Milwaukee's team Web site. "We're excited to have him join our team, and on Monday we'll bring him to Milwaukee to finalize his contract."
The Bucks were unsure how quickly Ford would recover and also acquired Mike James from the Pistons to be Ford's backup. Bartelson said Ford and Williams are extremely close friends and Williams is excited to be playing with his childhood friend again.
"They played AAU basketball together," he said.
Like most athletes, Williams wanted to play but hoped to find those minutes in Utah.
"He definitely wants to play, but he enjoyed everything about Utah," Bartelson said.
The admiration seems mutual: "Mo Williams is a talented young player and we wish him all the best with his new team," O'Connor said.
E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com