Steve Aschburner Special to The Plain Dealer CHICAGO -- Mo Williams was adamant last spring and summer that he wanted to remain with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After the disappointment of the Cavs' second-round elimination by Boston, through the uncertainty of LeBron James' whereabouts, Williams made it clear via the Twittersphere and otherwise that he hoped to stay right where...
View full sizeCavaliers guard Ramon Sessions (right) explains a play to forward Alonzo Gee during the first quarter of Saturday night's game in Chicago.Steve Aschburner
Special to The Plain Dealer
CHICAGO -- Mo Williams was adamant last spring and summer that he wanted to remain with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After the disappointment of the Cavs' second-round elimination by Boston, through the uncertainty of LeBron James' whereabouts, Williams made it clear via the Twittersphere and otherwise that he hoped to stay right where he was as part of the Cavs' solution.
But now, after two dismal months? After a 1-14 December? With the NBA's annual trading deadline about six weeks away?
Same answer.
"It's still the same," Williams said before the Cavs faced the Chicago Bulls Saturday night at United Center. "Because I've got a lot of trust in the organization that we're not going to go backwards. Just a minor setback. We'll be back on top."
Williams, with a $9.3 million salary this season and a player-option for $17 million in 2011-12 and 2012-13, sees brighter days ahead. No cracks, please, about how one victory since Nov. 27 couldn't get much bleaker.
"The organization knows how I feel," the 28-year-old guard said. "It's been documented. I'm happy. I know the organization will do whatever it can to get this team back to where we all want it as fans, as players. ... I'm pretty sure they're going to make the right moves to better this team."
On that topic, Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said Saturday that one key is not making the wrong move.
"The one thing I love about [General Manager Chris Grant] is, he's not trying to do something right now out of panic," Scott said. "And then it ends up biting us in the butt, something stupid. He's really, really trying to take his time and makes sure whatever deal we do -- if we do a deal -- it's going to be right deal."
In addition to a revised agenda for the balance of 2010-11 from what they began the past several seasons with, the Cavs have a $14.5 million trade exception from James' sign-and-trade deal with Miami. They have been mentioned recently in speculation about a Carmelo Anthony trade as possible facilitators for Denver and a destination team for the Nuggets forward.
Waiting for his mask: Injured center Anderson Varejao will wear a protective mask -- in the style of Detroit's Richard Hamilton, but with a lot more hair to navigate around -- when he does return to action, according to Scott.
Varejao, who suffered a fractured cheek when he got hit accidentally by Charlotte's DeSagana Diop Wednesday, was inactive against the Bulls and also will miss Sunday's home game against Dallas.
"They're waiting for the swelling to go down on that side of his face so they can fit him for a mask," Scott said. "Hopefully he'll just miss two games."
The limping wounded: Both Williams (left hip strain) and Daniel Gibson (thigh bruise) stretched and tested their injuries in warm-ups before being held out of Saturday's game. They remain day-to-day for the Mavericks' visit to The Q Sunday.
D league paid off: Guard Ramon Sessions put his time in the NBA Development League to use when he spent 24 games there in 2007-08 while property of the Milwaukee Bucks. It was there, Sessions said, that he realized the importance of attacking the basket, now a staple of his game.
"It's something I picked up in college, but I picked it more up when I was in the D League," said Sessions, who started in Williams' spot at Chicago. "I figured out there was a lot of pick-and-rolls in the NBA and I tried to tell myself, what can stand me out the most? I was just trying to get to the rack as much as I could. It's something that's stuck with me and it's worked for me."
Sessions, who has started seven times this season, scored 22 points in 31 minutes off the bench at Charlotte Wednesday.
Steve Aschburner is a writer with NBA.com