As Mo Williams Goes, So Go the Cleveland Cavaliers

Since coming back from injury, Mo Williams has been channeling his inner Larry Hughes to the horror of Cavs fans everywhere.  In six games in February, Mo averaged an abysmal 37 percent from the field for 11 ppg. He did shoot a solid 45 percent from deep in February, somewhat making up for his overall poor play. 

However, most of that production was the result of two quarters; the fourth quarter against Boston on Feb. 25, and the overtime period against Toronto the next night. 

Unfortunately, rather than improving, Mo's numbers have continued to dip in March. Thus far he is shooting 28 percent from the field for 9 ppg, numbers the offensively inept Eric Snow produced at his time starting for the Cavs. 

Even Mo's three-point stroke has gone crooked as the snow has begun to thaw, averaging just 26 percent on his three's in March.  Coinciding with his shooting slump was the Cavs first three game losing streak in almost two years.  As the excellent Cavs:theblog writer John Krolik puts it, "As Mo goes, so go the Cavs."

For this team to be successful, it needs offensive production from the one. The Cavs are at their best when the guards are able to space the floor for Lebron, something Mo Williams has done extremely well in his two seasons with the Cavs. When Mo isn't hitting his shots, he becomes a liability on the floor as the rest of his game isn't exactly the stuff dreams are made of.

Simply put, Mo is a sieve on defense, taking too many chances and making boneheaded fouls at critical junctures of the game. His defense has been covered up well by Mike Brown's superb defensive scheme (anyone who can make Shaq look average at that end of the floor deserves credit) and was really only palatable to begin with because of his scoring ability. 

He also makes questionable decisions with the ball, turns it over too often for a point guard, and disappears in big games. Lately, however, he has become Amon Ones (no D, no J) part II.  

As the trade deadline approached, I argued that the Cavs' real need was for an upgrade in the back court.  Anthony Parker is statistically one of the worst starters in the league, Delonte West is mired in legal issues that will eventually result in a suspension, Boobie Gibson apparently has incriminating photos of Mike Brown and is in the dog house, and I question Mo's ability to perform when on the big stage.

His recent shooting slump has exacerbated my fears. My hope is Mo's shoulder is still sore and that is why his shot has been so flat because for the Cavs to be successful, they need solid production from Mo.

Unfortunately, Mo's shooting slump has begun to affect the rest of his game.  Rather than putting the ball on the floor and challenging the opposing defense, Mo has begun to settle for far too many twenty foot jumpers, as evidenced by his "performance" Saturday night against the Bucks (going 3-17 from the field against Brandon Jennings is absurdly bad). 

In fact, Mo's decision-making lately with the ball is eerily reminiscent of Larry Hughes's shot selection when he returned from breaking his finger.

At some point if Mo's performance doesn't improve, this team will have no choice but to begin looking internally at other options.  Specifically; the return of Boobie Gibson. Many critics claim Boobie's defense is the reason he gets no run with Mike Brown, but realistically, it is no worse than Mo Williams's. In fact, one could argue that Boobie has been performing better at that end than Mo.  

What is undeniable, however, is that Boobie shot the lights out when he started at the one.  In five starts at the point in January, Boobie shot a solid 45 percent from the field, and almost 50 percent from deep, averaging 12 ppg.

Then in February Boobie shot an excellent 52 percent from the field and 48 percent from deep, averaging a little over 10 ppg as a starter. In other words, Boobie got better the more time he played. Then Mo came back and Boobie disappeared to the end of the bench with Darnell Jackson.

Numbers don't lie and it's clear that Boobie has been out-playing Mo Williams in almost every facet of the game as of late.  Additionally, we know that Boobie shows up for big games, as evidenced by game six against the Pistons in 2007. Add it up and the Cavs would clearly be better served by playing Boobie over Mo right now.

However, Mike Brown has clearly decided to stick with Mo through his struggles in hopes of bringing his shot around for the playoffs as evidenced by Boobie Gibson routinely getting DNP-CD's.

Yet at what point does a team with championship aspirations decide to go with the more productive player if Mo doesn't improve? Unfortunately, as Mo goes, so do the Cavs, and right now Mo's struggles are serious cause for concern for the Cavs as they gear up for the playoffs.