The Return to Cleveland
I've been a Cavs fan for as long as I've followed the NBA, and obviously it has been a bit of a struggle. Losing the best player in the world just to watch him win somewhere else is like watching an ex-girlfriend happier with a new guy. So LeBron coming back was great and all, but it also felt like he had gotten what he wanted in Miami, so he was just coming back to us out of pity. That's why LeBron isn't my favorite player that has recently returned to Cleveland.
Monday, Mo Williams and the Cavs agreed to a 2 year, $4.3 million deal. This was the best news I had heard all offseason. This excites me more than picking up Mozgov's team option, Shumpert re-signing, and the potential Joe Johnson trade. It doesn't excite me because I think Mo is a better player than any of those others, he likely is the worst of the four at this point in his career, but because I, like most Cavs fans, loved Mo when he played here before. The city of Cleveland loved Mo so much because he was the first player that was truly a star beside LeBron. Prior to Kyrie Irving this year, Mo and Zydrunas Ilgauskas were the only two players to play with LeBron in Cleveland and make an All-Star game appearance. In the 2008-09 season, Mo helped the Cavs achieve arguably their best regular season ever. The team went 66-16 that year, including a 39-2 record at home. When you only lose two games at home the fans are bound to love you.
Maybe the best part about Mo is that he was who Cleveland fans looked to when LeBron abandoned us. The day after LeBron's dreaded "Decision", Williams took to Twitter and posted this:
"Love u bron and always will. I know u made your decision for the rt reason but we could have got it done here and u would have enjoyed it in cle a whole lot more. But I have no idea what went on behind closed doors but I can sit here today and say that I am truly blessed."
Mo believed in Cleveland and he stuck with us for two seasons, before eventually being traded in a package to the Clippers for a pick that ended up being Kyrie Irving.
Mo may be 32 years old and past his prime, but I believe he can be a strong contributor to this team. He already knows the ropes in Cleveland, he is an experienced leader in the league, and before you think he is washed up, remember that on January 13th he scored 52 for the T-Wolves, and over a four game stretch for the Hornets last season he averaged 19.5 points and 10.8 assists en route to winning the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Mo has never been to the NBA Finals so I'm sure he'll do everything he can to help the Cavs return next year. I think this sharpshooting journeyman has at least one more valuable stop under his belt.
