Mo Bang from the Bucks
Joe GabrieleCavs.com Beat Writer
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In the swap, the Cavaliers give up the expiring contracts of Damon Jones and Joe Smith. The Bucks will end up with Jones, guard Luke Ridnour and guard/forward Adrian Griffin while Oklahoma City will receive Joe Smith – who the Cavaliers acquired in an 11-player trade just six months ago –and swingman Desmond Mason.
Williams, the five-year pro from Alabama, is a notorious Cavalier-killer – something that’s even been acknowledged by Coach Mike Brown. After a March 22 loss to Milwaukee, Brown quipped: “Good thing we don't play them 82 times a year. Mo Williams is an excellent player, but against us he has more than our number.” In that game, Williams was 9-of-11 from the floor for 29 points. In the previous game against Cleveland, he netted 37.
On Thursday, Mike Brown was quick to point out that it's nice to have Mo Williams on his side from now on.
"When people look at his numbers they see his scoring ability; they see his ability to set his teammates up and what he shot from the field. And yes, that is very exciting to us," said Brown. "But we also watched tape of Mo and talked to some people and we feel that he has the ability to affect the game on the defensive end of the floor."
Not known for his defensive prowess, Williams was quick to address the issue.
"I know what it takes to win, and it's no secret that it takes defense," said Williams. "I'm going to speak with my actions."
On Thursday, in Williams' first meeting with the media, he joked about swapping houses with CC Sabathia and even humorously likened his career in Wisconsin with Brett Favre's.
Drafted in the second round (No. 47 overall) by Utah in 2003, the 25-year-old Williams has averaged 17.3 and 17.2 ppg over his last two seasons, respectively. In 2004-05, Williams started 80 games for the Bucks, but came off the bench the following season. The former SEC freshman of the year started 68 games in 2007-08.
"I think we’re acquiring a talented player who’s about to hit his prime," said Danny Ferry. "I think he can be a traditional point guard for us, as well as bring the added dimension of scoring – being able to set up for himself and setting up for other people. He’s a talented player in transition and he’s a very good pick-and-roll basketball player.
"I think he can be part of the ‘now’ and also part of the foundation going forward."
Williams shot 48 percent from the floor last year – and nearly 39 percent from beyond the arc. He shot 85 percent from the stripe and is .845 lifetime from the line. The Jackson, Mississippi native ranked 13th in the NBA last season with 6.3 assists per contest.
Numbers aside, Williams gives the Cavaliers something they desperately need – and have needed: a crafty perimeter player who can create his own shot, and be able to can it consistently when he gets it. He can score in bunches and, combined with Daniel Gibson, gives the Wine and Gold a potentially deadly one-two punch at the point. And he may be even better off the ball.
"I think that I can take a load off of (LeBron) handling the ball, at times," offered Williams. "He's a guy that kind of sets his teammates up a lot. And I think I can relieve him from that. That'll help him as far as being a little fresher at the end of the season."
The acquisition of Williams, however, does cast a strange light on Delonte West’s restricted free agent situation – although Ferry insisted he'd still like to see West back in the wine and gold.
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Damon Jones departs after three memorable – albeit uneven – years with the Wine and Gold. After drilling the series-clinching shot in the Cavs Game 6 win over Washington in 2006, Jones seemed to slip in and out of Mike Brown’s rotation. During Cleveland’s most recent playoff run, the DJ played just 13 total minutes in each of the first two rounds.
Over the course of his quick but colorful career in Cleveland, Jones averaged 6.6 ppg – playing in nearly 70 games per season after inking a free agent deal back in 2005.
The Cavaliers will replace Damon Jones’ 6.6 points per game. Replacing that personality in the locker room is another story.
Joe Smith’s stay in Cleveland was far too short. He was a locker room, fan and media favorite and a rock solid contributor on the floor. In the final five games of the seven-game Semi-Final series with Boston, the former No. 1 overall pick shot .714 (20-of-28) from the field.
The Wine and Gold obviously take on some contract with the deal for Williams. But the Cavaliers also now have a truly dangerous point guard with a proven track record – one they’ve witnessed first-hand.
It’s not one number that illustrates Williams’ value – it’s a combination of them. Only five other players in the NBA (Andre Miller, Baron Davis, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, and LeBron James) averaged at least 17.0 points, 6.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds per contest last season.
"I still think we’ll play through LeBron quite a bit," said Ferry. "When you have a player like LeBron, you’d be crazy not to play through him – he’s not a scorer, he’s a basketball player who makes plays for himself and other people. But I think (Williams) can help push the tempo and help LeBron and other guys get easy baskets. And Mo also has the ability to space the floor – mid-range and around the basket, but also from three-point range."
Williams, a father of three has also been tireless in his work in the community – holding a Christmas toy drive for kids of incarcerated parents, hosting Mo's Back-to-School Celebrity Softball game that provided 400 backpacks to needy students, and traveling back to his homestate of Mississippi to assist victims of Hurricane Katrina.
"Something else that’s exciting for me is just finding out more and more about him as time goes on," praised Coach Brown. "You can tell that he’s a high-character guy. You like his presence; you like his demeanor. And you can see he’s got leadership abilities to help a team achieve the ultimate goal."
Mo Williams added: "There’s always one goal. And Mike Brown can correct me if I’m wrong – but the goal is to win a Championship."
Williams joins what is shaping up to be a talented-rich point guard situation for the Cavaliers – a position of weakness through the first few years of the LeBron James Era in Cleveland.
With the rapidly-improving East and the Cavaliers looking to get back to the Finals, Danny Ferry is going to be looking to improve the roster, and on Wednesday he pulled off the Wine and Gold’s first big move of the summer. It might not be the last.
