Deal for Williams proving to be one great steal for Cavs

So how come no one raised a stink when the Cavs acquired Mo Williams last summer?

When the Celtics got Kevin Garnett from Minnesota for Al Jefferson, two first round picks and other pieces a year earlier, there were plenty of complaints about Kevin McHale sending a future Hall of Famer to the team for which he played for 13 seasons. And when the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol from Memphis last February for the rights to Marc Gasol, a few short-term contracts and two first round picks, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called for "a trade committee that can scratch all trades that make no sense."

But Jefferson is a borderline All-Star, a stud that the Wolves are building around. And the younger Gasol has been one of the bright spots in Memphis this season and one of the best rookie big men we've seen in the last few years.

Does anyone remember what the Cavs gave up for Williams?

You may have to look it up. They sent Damon Jones to Milwaukee and Joe Smith to Oklahoma City as part of a three-team deal. No draft picks changed hands in either deal. Jones has played a total of 87 minutes (less than an hour and a half) this season, and Smith... Oh yeah, he's back in Cleveland now.

By the way, that trade just needed Anthony Johnson to be the ultimate common-name transaction. If you saw the headline "Williams, Smith, Jones and Johnson Swap jerseys in four-team deal," you'd have no choice but to keep reading.

Williams, like Garnett and Gasol, has taken his team from solid playoff squad to championship contender. He's the only real difference on the roster between the 45-win Cavs of last season and the 63-win team (with four more to play) of this season.

"When I knew he was coming here," says Delonte West, Williams' Cleveland backcourt-mate, "all I could think about was how much better we were going to be."

While Williams may have been flying under the media radar with a Bucks team that averaged just 27 wins over the last two seasons, his opponents never overlooked him.

"He's been in this league six years now, and he's been killing guards," says West. "He's been getting numbers up, and he's one of those guys that you know when you go to play Milwaukee or whatever team he was on, they may not have had the best record, but you knew you had to go against Mo Williams that night."

That's how Williams, though he averages just 4.0 assists per game (14th among starting point guards in the East), makes things much easier for LeBron James. He makes defenses guard him. Load up on LeBron at your own risk, because Williams will make you pay.

He ranks third in the league with 176 3-pointers, shooting them at an efficient 43.5 percent clip. He can get to the cup and he can stop on a dime for one of the best mid-range jumpers in the game today. Williams is another weapon at coach Mike Brown's disposal that can get his own shot (or create shots for others).

"The offense is based around guards that can create," West says. "As many guards as we have, we just fill the lanes. It's fun having another guy that can run the plays and create shots for other people."

James' production hasn't diminished with the addition of Williams. The ball is still ends up in LeBron's hands most of the time and he's averaging the same 7.2 assists that he dished out last season. His scoring has dipped 1.7 ppg, which is solely due to a decrease in playing time.

But Williams, along with some tweaks to how the Cavs play, has turned Cleveland from a below-average offensive team to one of the most efficient offenses in the league. Last season, Cleveland ranked 20th offensively, scoring 107.6 points per 100 possessions. This season, they rank fourth, scoring 113.6 points per 100 possessions.

Garnett is 6-foot-11. Gasol is a 7-footer. The addition of a skilled big man would help any team. But the Cavs needed a player like the 6-foot-1 Williams more. Not only does he punish you for paying too much attention to James, but he also simplifies the roles of the Cavs' other guards.

Without Williams, Cleveland had West and Daniel Gibson playing point guard. Both are at their best when they're playing off the ball, not when they're asked to handle it. West especially has improved his play in moving to the two guard position.

"I'm normally the recipient of passes," says West, "which is real easy. Whenever you can have someone help you out [with playmaking], you can focus a little bit more on putting the basketball in the hole."

"With these guys, it's better for me to find the open spot and try to make some shots," Gibson said.

In addition, when James is resting, the Cavs are far less susceptible to scoring droughts with Williams on the floor. Not coincidentally, James is averaging a career low of 37.8 minutes per game.

The other end of the floor can't be ignored either. The Cavs have the fourth-best offense in the league, but they're also the third-best defense. Defense was probably the biggest question about Williams as Milwaukee was the NBA's worst defensive teams in terms of efficiency last season. But Cleveland's defense, with Williams on the floor or off it, has been at an elite level.

And what may be most remarkable about the Cavs' improvement this season is that it came so quickly, despite adding a major piece to their lineup. After starting out the season 1-2, they won 25 of their next 27 games. Without that quick start, they wouldn't be in the position where they are now: sitting atop the NBA standings and in line to have home-court advantage throughout the postseason.

There were seemingly no growing pains with this team. And that speaks not only to Williams' skills as a player, but his personality as well. Team's chemistry is a big part of the Cavs' success and their new point guard has fit in from Day 1.

"For you to be able to come in and fit, and not have the team miss a beat on the floor or off the floor, says a lot to your character and your overall abilities," says Brown.

So again: Where was all the complaining when the Cavs got this guy for basically nothing?

Maybe it will come in June.