What Number Should Mo Williams Wear?
July 9, 2015He’s back: LeBron James agrees to two-year max deal to stay with Cavs
July 9, 2015On Monday the Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to terms with free agent point guard and former Cavalier Mo Williams. Mo only played in Cleveland from 2008-11, but he made a measurable impact and quickly became a fan favorite. Supporters remember him as a quick point guard with a penchant for threes who arrived via trade to play Robin to LeBron James’ Batman.
Cleveland is no doubt happy to see the veteran point guard in Wine and Gold again — that feeling goes both ways, it seems — but before he suits up let’s take a look back at what he has been up to since he was traded away from the Cavs back in 2011.
Los Angeles Clippers
(2011-12, 74 games, 13.8 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.1 rpg, 14.6 PER)
After James left for Miami in 2010, Williams took it upon himself to become more of a playmaker in Cleveland. His determination could not save a lost season, however. On February 24, 2011 the Cavaliers traded Mo Williams and Jamario Moon to the Los Angeles Clippers for Baron Davis and a first round draft choice.1 Williams immediately entered the starting lineup for the Clippers. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 15.2 points and 5.6 assists in 22 games. Unfortunately, Mo’s arrival could not save the Clips’ season; the club finished 32-50 and missed the playoffs. He did enjoy some highlight reel plays with the powerful Blake Griffin, and you could argue that he helped establish a Lob Township in LA.
The following summer, Los Angeles acquired elite point guard Chris Paul from New Orleans. Paul became the starting PG and head coach Vinny Del Negro relegated Williams to the bench. Mo shone as a sixth man and averaged 13.2 points per game, mostly coming off the pine. With Paul in place, Williams rightly suspected that he would receive a new uniform in the near future.
Utah Jazz
(2012-13, 46 games, 12.9 ppg, 6.2 apg, 2.4 rpg, 14.4 PER)
On June 29, 2012 the Clippers traded Williams back to the team that drafted him – the Utah Jazz. Williams played well for the first two months, but a thumb injury suffered against the Miami Heat caused him to miss 32 games. Mo returned to form in the last six weeks of the season, but it was not enough to get Utah back into the playoffs. The Jazz missed the No. 8 seed in the West by two games, and Williams left for the Pacific Northwest.
Portland Trail Blazers
(2013-14, 74 games, 9.7 ppg, 4.3 apg, 2.1 rpg, 11.8 PER)
In August 2013, Mo signed as a free agent with the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite remaining healthy throughout the year and playing in more games than any season since 2008-09, Williams’ numbers dipped across the board. He failed to average double digits in scoring for the first time since his rookie season. Playing mostly backup point guard, Mo averaged 24.8 minutes per game. The Blazers, however, enjoyed a successful season. The club made the playoffs and defeated the Houston Rockets in the first round before falling to the San Antonio Spurs in a five game Western Semifinal series. Now 31 years old, Williams was understandably under scrutiny that his best ball might have been behind him. Undaunted, once the season ended he moved east to play in the Twin Cities.
Minnesota Timberwolves
(2014-15, 41 games, 14.2 ppg, 6.4 apg, 2.4 rpg, 14.4 PER)
Williams rose reborn from the Minnesota snow. Paired with dynamic rookie Andrew Wiggins, Mo resuscitated his stats from the previous season in all major categories. His peak moment came on January 13, 2015 when he scored a career-high 52 points against the Indiana Pacers. This outburst also set the Timberwolves franchise single-game scoring record. While he flourished individually with the Wolves, the club was losing at a historic pace and wanted to make a deal before the trade deadline. Take one guess who was on the move.
Charlotte Hornets
(2014-15, 27 games, 17.2 ppg, 6.0 apg, 2.8 rpg, 16.9 PER)
On February 10, 2015 Williams joined the Charlotte Hornets via trade. He continued to play well, even earning Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors in early March — he was the first player to win the award in both conferences in one season. Mostly starting at point guard, Mo recorded a strong second half of the year. While Charlotte did not reach the playoffs, Mo’s stock at season’s end rose to its highest point in years. With the Cavaliers in need of a backup point guard, the reunion seems a perfect fit.
The Mo Williams returning to the Q will not be the same one who left. Turning 33 years old in December, Mo now finds himself one of the older players on the roster with a few more jerseys in his closet. Still, he remained relatively healthy during his sojourn away from Cleveland and averaged 12.3 points and 5.0 assists per game since the 2011-12 season. Mo’s role with the Cavs is also clear. Kyrie Irving will undoubtedly be the starting point guard and receive the bulk of the minutes, leaving Williams to relieve him from the bench. However, as we learned this year, Kyrie is prone to injuries and I could conceivably see Williams starting upwards of 20 games in the coming season. He will rejoin LeBron and play with arguably the most talented roster of his career. Now a few years older, Williams should work as a veteran leader and solid backup point guard. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing Mo Gotti back at the Q.
- The pick famously became the No. 1 pick in the 2011 Draft, which became Williams’ soon-to-be teammate Kyrie Irving. The NBA is funny sometimes. [↩]
3 Comments
MoFest 2015 rolls on!!!
I wasnt a huge fan when he was here the last time but in his current capacity I think its a great sign
how do the moderators even let people like you post on this site? it’s against the site rules.