Think back to when the Cavaliers traded for Mo Williams. Whom did they give up? It was Joe Smith and Damon Jones. That wasn't much for a 17-point scorer, but Milwaukee suddenly thought Williams was too expensive, as he had five years and $45 million left on his contract. Why was that? Partly because they didn't like his defense....
Think back to when the Cavaliers traded for Mo Williams. Whom did they give up?
It was Joe Smith and Damon Jones.
That wasn't much for a 17-point scorer, but Milwaukee suddenly thought Williams was too expensive, as he had five years and $45 million left on his contract.
Why was that?
Partly because they didn't like his defense. Partly because they saw him as a pretty good player, but not great. And partly because they had salary cap troubles.
Williams came to the Cavs and made an All-Star team. Part of that was playing next to LeBron James, who can make any good jump shooter look great in certain games where he's left open. The Cavs and media embraced Williams because he was good-natured, could make an outside shot and was thrilled to be in Cleveland -- everything the brooding Larry Hughes was not.
But Williams' weaknesses were exposed in the playoffs, especially his defense against top-flight point guards. His shooting was streaky, his confidence sometimes shaky.
So the Cavs need to dump the 6-foot-1 guard, right?
Wrong.
Obviously, if Williams is a part of a mega, Chris Paul-type deal, everything written here is null and void.
But simply dumping Williams as Milwaukee did in summer 2008? Bad idea.
At the very least, Williams can be an instant-offense guard coming off the bench. He doesn't need to dominate the ball to be effective, which helps when playing next to James. He did seem to fall in love with his jumper, forgetting that he's savvy enough use his dribble and drive to the basket.
Can he do a reasonable defensive job against Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, Paul or other elite points?
You know the answer to that.
What really hurt the Cavs' backcourt defense was Delonte West looking utterly lost in some playoff games. Before his recent run of problems, he was the Cavs' best overall guard, capable of defending the point or opposing shooting guards. He also could play both backcourt spots on offense.
In the four playoff losses to Boston, West shot 2-of-16 in 74 minutes. He was so passive that the coaches stopped using him, despite needing someone to try to slow down Rondo. The Cavs' other guards are Daniel Gibson, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon.
This backcourt needs a major upgrade, and trading Williams doesn't necessarily improve the situation.
Yes, Williams shot only 41 percent and averaged 13.3 points in the Boston series. In 25 playoff games with the Cavs, he's averaged 15.4 points, shooting only 41 percent. That compares to 16.8 points and 46 percent shooting in the regular season.
Parker started next to Williams all season. In the Boston series, he averaged 8.3 points and shot 50 percent. But he took only six free throws in the six games, averaging 33 minutes of court time. He simply is not a scoring threat.
For the Cavs fans who believe Mo must go, think again.
What the Cavs need to do is keep Williams, and add some better guards so that he's not the only scorer in the backcourt.