I write this in anticipation of the “what’s wrong with Mo Williams” barrage of pieces that is sure to be coming our way throughout the interweb. I am by no means a sports psychologist, nor Mo Williams’ personal physician, so to ask what is wrong with Mo just doesn’t seem practical. Is he still bothered by the shoulder injury? Could be. Has he lost some of his confidence? Maybe. Is he struggling with his role on this team? Wouldn’t surprise me. Let’s face it, the team rattled off 10 straight wins without him, including wins over the Lakers and Magic. Since his return the Cavs have acquired Antawn Jamison, who is now the second scoring option on the team.
I thought perhaps more important than speculating about what has Mo Williams off his game would be to figure out what exactly the Cavaliers need from Mo in order to succeed.
Last season Mo Williams was the second scoring option, and the go to guy when LeBron was on the bench. When the Cavs were ousted in the Conference Finals, many pointed fingers at Williams, including Mo himself, who had struggled mightily during the series. With the addition of Shaq and Anthony Parker to the starting line-up the pressure seemed to be off Williams, and he responded quite favorably early on in the season. His scoring average has now dropped each month of the season. After averaging less than 12 points per game in his six February appearances, he is averaging a mere 9.5 points in March.
What do we realistically need from Mo to win a title? Back before the trade deadline, when we were passing out grades for each player Andrew had this to say about Mo’s role-
This one’s too easy. He needs to show up, primarily in the later rounds of the playoffs. Look, while his comments in the postseason about the Magic were unfortunate, it’s not a reason to write the guy off permanently. Mo Williams is great teammate, a great presence in the community, and by all indications, one of the genuine good guys in the NBA. Sure, he uses his swagger as fuel, and when he disappears like he did in the ECF last year, he looks foolish. But we have way too small of a sample size to write the guy off as a perennial playoff choke artist. If the Cavaliers are going to win an NBA title as currently constructed, they are going to need Mo Williams to be an integral part of that, doing many of the very same things we’ve discussed in this report.
If the Cavaliers are not going to make a trade for another premier scorer, that means the Cavaliers will live or die with Mo Williams as their 2nd option. It’s one thing to win 13 games without your 2nd best player (talent-wise) and starting PG, it’s an entirely different thing to do so in the playoffs. We saw first hand what happens to the Cavaliers in the post season when games tighten up. Suddenly, role players disappear and LeBron is left shouldering the load. Last year, LeBron only had Delonte West to consistently rely on, and that’s why the Cavaliers did not win the title. In addition to needing help from at least one role player, LeBron will need Mo Williams to be the Mo Williams that we know and have grown to love.
The Cavs did make a trade for a scorer however. Plus, in the playoffs they will have their low-post Shaq presence back (hopefully). I don’t think that the Cavs have to have a 18 point scoring Mo Williams in the playoffs.
What the Cavs need from Mo Williams on the offensive end (in my opinion) is for him to be aggressive with the ball. Mo is not the primary ball handler on this team. That is LeBron. When Mo does have the ball he needs to be able to attack the basket more. At the very least draw the defense in and make the right pass. But the area that he can improve on most is playing without the ball. If I were Mike Brown I would give Mo some film on Ray Allen and Reggie Miller. He needs to learn to be a pest to guard. Get yourself into position to receive the ball and put up a rhythm shot. He needs to shoot his way out of this funk. Yes, this is going to be frustrating in the short term, but it will be rewarding in the long term.
Defensively there are some facts that fans have to come to grips with. Mo Williams is not quick enough to play tight on guys like Jennings or Westbrook. Asking him to do so is setting yourself up to fail. It is not unreasonable to get Mo to play better on screens. One thing that impressed me about Daniel Gibson when Mo was out was how he fought through screens. Mo needs to get some of that attitude or toughness or whatever it is. At the very least, he needs to stop going over top of screens leaving our big men to try and stick with a point guard that even Mo couldn’t keep up with. I’ll live with Rondo and Nelson trying to beat us with jumpers off of screens. Beats them getting to the rim with a chance for an and 1.
I think that if Mo can relish the role of sniper, meaning he is efficient with his opportunities to shoot then the Cavs will be fine. Want more shots? Get open off the ball more often. If Mo can catch and shoot effectively, that will open the lane for a cutting Varejao, Hickson or Jamison. With LeBron on the wing, nobody can come off of him to help. Draw it up. Use it.
(Photo Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Author: Rick
Rick is a co-founder and editor of WFNY. His love of Cleveland sports is surpassed only by his faith and love of his family. Follow him on Twitter- @rickwfny.Rick has written 887 articles for Waiting for Next Year.
The Cavaliers need Mo Williams to be more of a point guard who quarterbacks the team he should be looking to setup LeBron more then he does that’s my problem with Mo. I seem to remember a much more aggressive guy in Milwaukee I know against the Cavaliers he seemed to tear us apart BY DRIVING which setup his outside shot. With the Cavaliers it seems like he’s become just like everyone else in that all he can do is shoot. I for one am tired of all of the jump shots this team takes entirely to many jump shots. Jump shots are an excuse not to work on offense because you can take a jump shot anytime, anywhere. When the Cavaliers move the ball, move bodies and penetrate the game is so much easier not only for them but to watch.
Watch a game and watch the plays they run and count how many times a Cavalier is left to go one on one and I’m not even talking about being close to the basket most times it’s from 15+ feet out. This is ok for LeBron but not the rest of these guys.
I think the heart of the Cavaliers inconsistencies is coaching, coaching, coaching. Mike Brown might be able to coach defense (which if you ask me is far easier to teach then is offense because lets remember this is the professionals not college) but it’s clear he’s clueless when it comes to offense. The other issue I have is how much better has any Cavalier gotten under Mike Brown? I know rookies never prosper in Cleveland which is why Ferry has to go out and get veterans. The vets can play through the shortcomings of Mike Brown, rookies and young guys can’t.
It’s really a testament to the individual talents on the Cavaliers namely #23 that this team has the best record this season especially with all the injuries. LeBron leads this team while his coaches are just followers I just hope come the playoffs teammates like Mo, Delonte, Parker and Shaq step up because if you ask me outside of LeBron, Andy and Jamison I’m skeptical.
I realize that the grass is always greener on the other side, but when I see Rondo drive the lane I can’t help but wonder what it would be like if we had a PG that could get to the rim… Sigh.
I can live with his horrid shooting because lord knows we have plenty of guys that can pick up the slack. My worries are on the defensive end. Point guards are averaging what seems like 20 points a night on him. And this doesn’t stop at the starting point guard, the backups are getting theirs as well. On top of that the pg’s for the other team penetrate way too easily against Mo and leave the rest of the guys high and dry on the help defense leaving their man wide open for a 3 or a very high percentage jumper. We may be able to withstand this against the poor shooting teams or even scoring a 100 plus points a game but what happens when we run into a hot shooting team in the playoffs. Ex: See Orlando Magic.
great write up (and I love the reference to “a cutting Varejao,” which has become regular Cleveland parlance.).
I recall during the Orlando series the way Orlando would loosen the floor with perimeter passing (I like to call it “throw it around the horn”). It seems part of the repertoire of every NBA team EXCEPT the Cavs. When it is done TO the Cavs, they start gang-chasing the ball and get worn out, en masse. And then their shooting begins to stink. It is as though it is never part of their practices, and, thus, they have no defense for it. It is also how a guy like Mo can get better driving opportunities and more rhythm shots.
In the game against the Bucks, the Cavs ALMOST started a nice ’round the horn thing, but Anthony Parker swallowed the ball (for AP, by the way, every basketball move has a telltale “wind up” which tells the world exactly what he’s about to do.). They never went back to it.
The Cavs do (often) have a nice interior-to-exterior and exterior-to-interior passing game. but that’s different.
boogey, ditto on the following:
“I for one am tired of all of the jump shots this team takes entirely to many jump shots. Jump shots are an excuse not to work on offense because you can take a jump shot anytime, anywhere.”
“I think the heart of the Cavaliers inconsistencies is coaching, coaching, coaching.”
@Matt yep I agree isn’t it amazing how a player with the quickness and lift like Jamario Moon is more of a three point shooter? Watch him in a game he never and I repeat never goes to the hoop unless he’s on a fast break or might be on the receiving end of an alley-oop pass most likely from LeBron James. He and someone like Parker have the size to do more then just stand outside basically like a statue waiting for a pass to take a shot. This starts and ends with coaching. One thing I have to say though is neither of these guys did much differently in either Toronto or Miami but they sure did more of it then I’ve seen with the Cavaliers.
Perhaps it’s some sort of syndrome or complex where these guys come to the Cavaliers and instead of playing with LeBron they just can’t get past watching and waiting for him to do something. Antawn Jamison is a perfect example. I hope once he becomes more accustomed to the Cavaliers I see him down in the paint more where he should be given the ball. Instead he’s becoming a 6’9″ 3 point shooter, as if that is what this team needed. I liked and wanted AJ for his ability to hit an outside shot but I didn’t want that to be all he did. With his ability to throw one handed shots up and his various low post moves this guy should be inside instead he’s outside. Heck Hickson runs more pick and pops then Jamison does, someone explain that to me.
You’re right, Rick, we don’t know if he is still hurting. Seems to me, though, that Mo is a rhythm type player. Takes him a few games to get going at the beginning of the season and he’s said things about thinking too much in new offensive sets. Maybe he’s getting anxious with fewer shots now that Jamison is around. But man, in the tight playoff games we will absolutely need his shot as the ball is swung around, the clock winds down and the defense picks its poison.
Re his defense, to me it’s the same as it ever was. Sometimes he appears to focus, especially after he’s hit some big shots and his adrenaline is going, but generally just doesn’t look like he consistently brings the commitment to moving his feet and would rather reach in for a steal.
Btw I wasn’t a big Varejao fan before this season especially when he got that contract but I can’t take issue with a guy who brings his lunch pail to work every game and just flat out busts his you know what. It’s a shame a guy who doesn’t have the skills that alot of his teammates can find a way to factor in the game yet you have guys like Mo, Delonte, Parker, Gibson and Moon who when they finally do something people/fans think they are amazing. It should be the other way around. Don’t think despite what he says LeBron James hasn’t noticed believe me you can only carry a team for so long before enough is enough.
So to get back to Mo while I appreciate his admission to being less then his normal self I’d rather he shut up and start doing more then continue to just shoot the basketball. You’d think Mo would have learned his lesson about talking from last years playoffs but I guess not.
Did Mo strain a pec?
Comment section blogging! wall of text is wall of text.
1. Mo’s role on this team will always be to score and space the floor for Lebron. Currently, however, he is struggling mightily with the one thing he does well; shoot. While his scoring average has dipped dramatically, his shooting percentage has dipped even further. In February, he shot a Larry Hughesque 37% from the field. He did managed to shoot 45% from deep, but that was clearly the product of two quarters; the 4th quarter against Boston and overtime the next night vs. Toronto. In March the numbers are even more putrid. He’s shooting 28% from the field and 26% from downtown. This despite hoisting an average of 9 shots a game. His performance on Saturday was one of the worst games I’ve seen a Cavs guard play in recent memory, which is saying something since players like Larry Hughes, Eric Snow, and Amon Ones have previously played the point.
2. Maybe even more disconcerting is Mo completely eschewing his ability to put the ball on the floor and score. Instead he seems intent on hoisting quick trigger jumpers without even allowing the offense to set up. I just had a flash back of Larry Hughes returning from his finger injury and taking a similar offensive strategy and puked in my mouth.
3. Yes, his defense has never been good, but last year Coach Brown did a good job of hiding him on that end until we played Orlando. For whatever reason, Mo’s lateral quickness is much slower than earlier this year. Not only that, but he continues to make ridiculous fouls. One that comes to mind is the Cavs had cut the lead to 7 with 2 minutes left on Saturday. Shot clock winding down and Mo fouls Jennings 30 feet from the hoop putting him at the line.
4. I have argued that this teams weakness is the guards, not the forwards and that should have been the position addressed at the trade deadline. AP is statistically one of the worst starters in the league, and his PER of 9.5 is well below league average. Mo’s performance in last year’s play-offs can’t be ignored and expecting a better performance is not something I would be expecting. Then you have West’s legal status hanging over the team, coupled with his mood swings, and I think one would be hard pressed to count on West for every game of the playoffs. Finally, Boobie apparently has incriminating photos of Mike Brown and is in the dog house and can’t even sniff playing time, despite shooting the lights out when he started, and playing defense no worse than Mo.
Add it up and I think Mo’s recent struggles are legit causes for concern.
Mo is trying to find his rhythm right now coming off an injury. Better in early March than in late April. If Mo continues to struggle for an extended period of time, Mike Brown may have to make a rotation adjustment, but I think we’re at least 2-3 weeks away from that if not longer.
Rick – having Mo watch tape of Ray Allen and Reggie Miller would be pointless. Those two thrive off of all sorts of screens being set for them. The Cavs’ offense is just not set up to function that way. It’s more of a drive and kick type of offense because of what LeBron brings to the table.
@7 – I agree with your frustrations about the jump shooting tendencies. AP had a much more diversified offensive game in Toronto than he seems to now. But when you have LeBron and Shaq, you’re not going to worry about running plays for AP. Wholeheartedly agree about using Jamison’s diversified offensive game though. He’s devastating around the basket, and he hasn’t been shooting well from 3 since he’s arrived in CLE, so they might as well use him around the basket more (especially since the Cavs have no true center).
@2 Remember when we had a guard who could get to the rim a few years ago? He played pretty good defense too… yet he was a terrible fit with LeBron.
While I think Rondo is way better than Mo, I think having a point guard who can shoot off of LeBron is more valuable than having a guard who can drive to the basket. We have Shaq, Wildthing, RimMaster JJ, Brotha Red, and LeBron to get to the hoop. Rondo would be overkill and would limit our perimeter game.
Mo is a shooter. He should never be relied on, but he can certainly win some games with his shot. He will come around. Better now than May and June.
The whole Rondo-Mo comparison is a little pointless. Rondo is better than 95% of the PG’s in the leauge. That’s the reason the C’s didn’t move him a few years ago.
In less than 12 months Mo Williams has fell out of fan favor. His playoff performance hurt the Cavaliers severely. Now he has still yet to pick it up during the regular season.
A guy like Mo Williams should be driving to the lane much more getting the easy bucket and taking the foul. Instead Mo’s shooting 42% for the year.
Come time for the playoffs, Mo has to shape up, we all know he is a shooter, but his shooting is costing everyone.
As I said… MO Drive to the Lane!!! Take the easy bucket and/or the foul! Your shooting 89% from the line!
I don’t think Mo has fallen out of favor he’s clearly struggling the problem I see with Mo is the only solution he seems to be able to come up with is to continue to shoot. I may not be an expert but I believe there are a number of other things a professional PG can do to help his team other then continue to shoot with the hopes he starts to make more shots. This is the problem I have with Mo and really the Cavaliers as a whole and I think it all stems from a lack of COACHING. Mike Brown lets these guys do whatever they like/want on offense as long as they give him his defense. It’s not until his defense worsens that you ever see him react.
I’ll be watching closesly tonight unlike alot of people who post around here to see what Mo and the other Cavaliers do especially if LeBron doesn’t play. If LeBron doesn’t play it would be a perfect opportunity to feature Jamison and really work on things preferably from within 18 feet of the basket.
Since there isn’t a game section has anyone else thought that Mike Brown should have LeBron dress even if he doesn’t play? Why give the Spurs any solace in knowing the MVP won’t play, let them guess, better yet before the game talk as if LBJ might see some time which would make Popovich and the Spurs wonder. Personally with the next game not being until Friday I’d play LBJ unless of course his ankle or ailments are to severe that the rest is necessary. Based on what Brown said prior to the Bucks game it wasn’t injury related which is why I continue to repeat that even though the much smarter people around here saw fit to enlighten me that maybe Brown had been less then truthful. Nawwwwww, really?
[...] all a little worried about Mo Williams. Rick at WFNY discusses what we really need from Mo this [...]
@14 I’m not saying I want Rondo and I am not asking Mo to be Rondo. If he’s hot from deep, great, feed the man. But when you have a game where you start out 1-14 from the floor maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to occasionally drive to the hoop or do something to get to the line. Like “TS T 2B Cavs Dude” mentioned he is our best free throw shooter and has taken 140 fewer FT attempts than he has 3pt attempts…
Nice of you to explicitly say that people don’t pay attention to the Cavs, boogeyman.
Outside of the Orlando Magic “magically” acquiring the ability to make every 3-pointer again, I believe the up-and-down play of Mo Williams is the single greatest threat to the Cavs’ chances of appearing in the NBA Finals.
I believe Mike Brown will have an interesting dilemma if Williams continues to struggle. He’s a defensive liability and if he’s not hitting shots, he really shouldn’t be on the floor in my opinion.
Brown can always use West’s off-the-court troubles as a reason to keep him from starting but if you remember, it was West who was Cleveland’s best guard last season (at least in the postseason) and not Williams.
Think Boobie SG + West PG > Mo PG + West SG ????
I’m trying to get banned from the site with a pro-Boobie comment.
@20 Denny I know your paying special attention to what I say so I didn’t want to let you down but obviously I wasn’t speaking about you since you write about the games. Usually when someone responds to a blanket generalization I make I say “if the shoe fits” but in this case clearly that doesn’t apply.
I am, in all sincerity, curious to exactly what people who post here about games are watching because some of the time I wonder if I’m watching the same game.
@Ike what about starting Delonte West at PG and bringing Mo off the bench, you think Gotti’s ego could take it? Someone mentioned this earlier and I thought it wasn’t a bad idea. To answer my own ?, no, I don’t think Mo’s ego could take it but I personally think Delonte West is a better PG then Mo Williams.
It seems like Rick has just explained that Mo’s role is one that would be better filled by Daniel Gibson.
If the point guard on this team just needs to defend and make the open shots that are created for him, then Gibson is the better answer. While Mo being able to knock down a 16-footer off the dribble with relatively high efficiency used to be an improvement for the Cavalier offense, it is now far less efficient than the shots they can get through Shaq or Jamison.
I’m not saying that the Cavs should ship him off, but if Mo doesn’t adjust to his new role – and if Mike Brown and Co. don’t do a good job of explaining that role to him – then he will continue to be a disappointment.
I’m not gonna freak out yet about Mo’s recent poor play. He is back from the shoulder injury and we’re still fitting in Jamison. I agree he should drive more, but Delonte is way better at that than Mo is. Mo also may have reached his peak with us, I don’t think he’ll ever be a real go to guy after Lebron! He is what he is. A streaky shooter, and a pg who usually thinks shot before drive and dish. Lets just hope he hits a good streak in his shooting in this years playoffs. In the end I do believe he is expendable. I would rather have Darren Collison! Anyways the Cavs have other weapons in the arsenal!!GO CAVS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rick is it possible for you to send your article to Mo Williams? He needs to read it!
Don’t you just love when you write an article like this and get all of us fans who don’t follow the Cavs as closely as we should to start thinking, “Yeah, Mo hasn’t been playing that great since he’s been back,” and then that same night the guy leads the team to a win without LeBron?
a poster earlier in the week brought up the idea of playing Mo as the first man off the bench, in a Jason Terry type role. Allowing Delonte to start, use his penetration ability to start up Parker and Jamison at the start of games and lock down quick PGs that give their teams huge advantages with quick starts against Mo ( Rondo, Nelson, Billups).
Any thoughts fellow Clevelanders?
cont…
it would also free up backup PG minutes for Boobie since Parker and Mo would be essentially splitting the minutes at the 2. I feel like this move would be better served as an offseason change as opposed to right now; too late in the season and too close to playoff time. But in the future it could help us get more out of Delonte, Boobie and Mo, in particular his offensive ability that we don’t always see on the court in a starting role.