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Cleveland Cavaliers: Was Mo Williams Biggest Signing Of Offseason?

By Will Reeve

Apr 4, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Mo Williams (7) sets up a play during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Time Warner Cable Arena. Hornets defeated the 76ers 92-91. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Mo Williams (7) sets up a play during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Time Warner Cable Arena. Hornets defeated the 76ers 92-91. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the recent report that Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving may be out until January, the acquisition of Mo Williams looms large for this Cavs season.

Williams is now 32 years old, has played for seven franchises (including a stint with the Cavaliers before) and has never been a traditional point guard.

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That said, the Cavs don’t need him to be that, and likely prefer him not to be.

Matthew Dellevadova went from NBA Finals hero, to a completely exposed bench player masquerading as a starter in what felt like a blink of the eye last year.

In fact, “Delly” finished the series shooting under 30 percent overall and less than 15 percent on shots not created by LeBron James — which sadly wasn’t even the worst on the team (James Jones shot 0 percent on shots not created by James).

Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) looses control of the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Leandro Barbosa (19) during the fourth quarter in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) looses control of the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Leandro Barbosa (19) during the fourth quarter in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

The Cavs were indeed in desperate need of someone who could create their own shot and Williams gives them exactly that.

The 6’2″ guard finished his final 27 games of last year with the Charlotte Hornets averaging 17.2 points per game; he even had a 50-point-game last year, demonstrating that on any given night he can still be one of the most streaky scorers in the game.

Dellevadova doesn’t have a perimeter shot, has trouble finishing at the rim and simply looked completely gassed at the end of the series against the Golden State Warriors last year.

To put it mildly, Delly isn’t a starter.

The Cavaliers need Williams to: score in bunches at times, stay healthy, start and play about 30 minutes per game (which he did last year and is his career average) until Irving’s return, and to take some of the load off of James at times so he can preserve himself for the postseason.

Simply put, they just need Mo to be Mo.

While all the buzz has been around the re-signing of Kevin Love, J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson’s pending contract negotiations, the Cavaliers least spoke about offseason acquisition may end up being the most vital in the end for the 2015-16 title run.

Next: Cleveland Cavaliers: Will Kevin Love Return To Old Form In 2015-16?

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