A Mo Williams Reunion With Cleveland Could Rectify His Past

Most Cavalier fans recall the late 2000’s in a negative light.

After getting swept by the Spurs in the 2007 NBA Finals and losing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics in seven games the very next year, the Cleveland Cavaliers held the best record in the league for two consecutive seasons. In 2008, the team won 66 games, and the following season won 61.

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One would think that things were great in Cleveland, and they were, except for when it mattered the most.

In the 2008-09 playoffs, the Cavs swept their way through Detroit and Atlanta before being bounced out of the Eastern Conference Finals by the Orlando Magic. The following year, they were shockingly taken out in the second round of the playoffs by the Celtics once more.

Now if you were looking for a reason as to why this happened, you could point the finger at the likes of these people: Rafer Alston, Hedo Turkoglu, Mickael Pietrus, Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard.

Or these guys: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.

Maybe even LeBron James, for some.

But the person that was truly underwhelming and not himself in those two years in the postseason was Mo Williams.

In his first season with Cleveland, “Mo Gotti” made his first and only All-Star team, averaging 17.8 points and 4.1 assists and shooting 43.6% from long distance in the regular season.

However, his first playoff stint with the Cavs ended on a sour note, as Williams shot and frankly played poorly in the series with the Magic. In six games against Orlando, he went 36-97 from the field and 15-40 from three. Williams also committed 12 turnovers in the series, five of them in a crucial game three.

Fast forward one year and again, Williams failed to deliver, this time against Boston in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals, going 4-19 from deep, which was a lowly 21.1% from beyond the arc.

Of course, every Cleveland Cavalier fan knows what happened after that series. Things went downhill fast when LeBron James left for Miami, and the Cavs were left with a starting lineup consisting of Williams (Ramon Sessions when Mo was hurt), Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, J.J. Hickson and Anderson Varejao.

The potential move would be a second chance for Mo Williams to prove his worth and get another shot at a title with a team and city he grew to love during his time here.

With Cleveland reeling at 10-46 nearing the trade deadline, then-general manager Chris Grant pulled one of the biggest fleecings in NBA history. He traded Williams and Moon to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Baron Davis and an unprotected 2011 first-round draft pick that turned into Kyrie Irving, thus ending Williams’ time in Cleveland.

Since then, Williams has bounced around the league, having stints with the Clippers, Jazz, Blazers and now, the Minnesota Timberwolves.

So why should the Cavaliers consider Williams?

This season, the veteran guard is averaging 12.5 points and a solid 6.4 assists in 28 minutes per game. Williams has also had eight games with 20 or more points, including a random 52-point outburst in Indiana a few weeks ago.

Even with the recent successes Cleveland has had, the backup point guard position has seen its struggles with inconsistency. Matthew Dellavedova has proven to be best in spurts off of the bench rather than in a large role. With Dellavedova out earlier this season, the Cavs had the likes of Dion Waiters, Will Cherry and A.J. Price running the floor while Kyrie Irving was getting rest. None of those three are even on the team anymore.

Acquiring Williams would mean the second unit would probably take a hit defensively, but it would be a solid upgrade on the offensive end of the floor. And for those who argue about his current field goal percentage, look at what a change of scenery has already done for J.R. Smith.

Now this is not saying the Cavs HAVE to go and get Williams, but they should at least think about it. He clearly has a decent amount left in the tank at 32 years old, and it wouldn’t take much to pry him out of Minnesota, especially with Ricky Rubio‘s return looming.

The potential move would be a second chance for Mo Williams to prove his worth and get another shot at a title with a team and city he grew to love during his time here. And who knows, maybe he would bring the goosey back with him too.

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