Is Williams Enough for LeBron?
Friday, August 15th, 2008 by Steven Mitchell
Mo Williams is now LeBron’s sidekick in Cleveland, and I am sure it was good news to LeBron. I am also sure he is wondering if it is enough. Between last year and this off-season, the East has gotten tougher. The Cavs are much better with Williams, but do they need more?
Williams is something that LeBron has not had, and that is a legitimate, consistent scorer; someone who can handle the ball and create his own shot. Williams can score from anywhere on the floor and shoot for a high percentage. Last year with the Bucks, Williams shot 48% from the floor, which is excellent for a perimeter player. He also gets other players involved; averaging over 6 assists per game in 3 of the last 4 seasons.
I don’t like the rest of the Cavs team. Ilquaskas is a quality center and hasn’t missed many games over the last few years, but that injury bug still looms over his head. He is also more of a finesse player than a strong inside presence. Daniel Gibson is a nice spark off the bench and can provide some quick points from a few threes, but that’s about it. The rest of the team is really garbage. Ben Wallace is an overpaid offensive burden that is no where near the defensive and rebounding presence of a few years ago. Pavlovic is nothing special and Szczerbiak is maybe the softest player in the league other than Mo Peterson.
The Cavs will have a better regular season record than in 2007-08, and will be a tougher draw in the playoffs, but they still have to contend with the World Champs, the Pistons, an improving Magic team, and don’t forget about the Elton Brand led 76ers. Add in the Wizards and you have 6 teams in the East with the potential to win 50 games next season. This is not even considering how good the Heat could be with a healthy Wade and Shawn Marion.
Williams is a great addition to the Cavs, but the player that may make the biggest difference as to whether the Cavs can overcome the Celtics is J.J. Hickson. This kid has tons of potential and is already showing signs of greatness in the pre-season.
Hickson could be the steal of the draft and may force Ben Wallace to the bench by the end of the season. That is the only way I see the Cavs seriously challenging the Celtics come playoff time.
Williams is a step in the right direction, and Hickson was a great draft choice, but I still think the Cavs will fall short. They are one strong inside presence away from matching the Celtics.
