Coach Byron Scott decides to hold out Mo Williams for the second straight game to make sure he's completely healed from the groin injury that bothered him throughout most of training camp.
View full sizeThe Cavaliers are being cautious with Mo Williams as he recovers from a groin injury.Scott decided to hold out Williams for the second straight game to make sure he's completely healed from the groin injury that bothered him throughout most of training camp.
The coach indicated he'd had some personal experience with a similar injury, which led to his decision. He said Williams was "50-50" for tonight's game against Sacramento.
"It's more me," Scott said before Friday night's game against the Raptors in Air Canada Centre. "I'm probably analyzing it a little too much, being a little too overcautious. As I told Mo, the one thing I want to make sure of is when he takes the floor that it's completely gone and that he's there for the duration of the season. I don't want any lapses."
Scott said he normally leaves such decisions up to his players.
"But I know how this thing can affect him throughout the season if it's not com pletely gone," he said.
The coach said Williams had picked up the new things he'd added to the offense while Williams was away to attend the funeral of his father-in-law. "He's good with the offense," Scott said. "Mo is pretty intelligent as far as what we're doing. You show it to him once or twice and he's got it. It's just a matter of getting in game condition, and he can only get in game condition playing games.
"It's just me. I'm being too protective. I just want to make sure I give this a few extra days to make sure he's OK."
Family ties: The Cavs also were without starting center Anderson Varejao, who remained in Cleveland with his father, who had heart surgery. Early indications were that the surgery went well, and in all likelihood, Varejao should be back against Sacramento tonight.
It has been a tough month for Varejao, whose grandfather died at the start of training camp.
"I told Andy hopefully we'll see him [Saturday] night for the game against Sacramento," Scott said. "He has to be there for his dad. His dad is in Cleveland. Andy's the only family he has [there]. Going through what he just went though a month ago, we thought it was very important for him to stay at home and be with his father."
Ryan Hollins started in Varejao's place.
Remember when: Back in the spring of 2008, the Raptors took a hard look at a young forward out of North Carolina State -- J.J. Hickson. Toronto had the 17th pick in the draft and worked Hickson out twice. The Cavs took Hickson with the 19th pick.
"He's gotten better," Toronto coach Jay Triano said. "He's obviously practiced hard and built himself into a very good player. He's a guy who finds a way to score. He's active. He's long. Look at that stats and what he's done so far, he's done well.
"I remember him being here for draft workouts. I remember watching him in summer league and thinking how live he was."
Teams' bond: The Cavs and the Raptors are trying to move on after losing LeBron James and Chris Bosh, respectively, to the Miami Heat.
But there are distinct differences. Bosh isn't a Toronto native, and he didn't go on national television to dump the Raptors.
Still, the teams share a unique bond now.
"They are in kind of the same boat," Scott said. "But I don't hear them crying up here about Chris Bosh not being here. I think they've moved on as well. This is the NBA. You're going to have changes. You're going to have things happen that you're not real happy about or not excited about. But it's life. It's how you deal with it after it happens."
Added Triano: "Both teams are probably expected to be in a so-called rebuilding-themselves stage, or a finding-themselves stage. It's probably more different in Cleveland, being that Byron wasn't there last year. So he's coming in as a new coach with a new team."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: mschmitt@plaind.com, 216-999-4668