No Mo Excuses: Cavaliers Need Better Play from Williams
The question of what's wrong with the Cavaliers brings a two-word answer: Mo Williams. Now, the blame game doesn't stop at Williams alone. But some in Cavs colors do deserve more blame than others. Coach Mike Brown fits into that group, and his peculiar substitution patterns make some wonder if Brown's the man to lead this franchise to an NBA championship. Why does he sit J.J. Hickson and use Shaquille O'Neal so much? The Shaq situation presents a singular issue of its own. The Cavs picked this incredible bulk up in the offseason to give Brown the muscle inside his team needed. Yet where the heck was Shaq's muscle when victory stood in the balance Sunday? To find the answer to this puzzler, look no farther than the end of the Cavs bench. Brown had Shaq's butt planted firmly next to the butts of Daniel Gibson, Leon Powe and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Sprinkle blame on Antawn Jamison for his uneven play, because if Jamison had performed to his pedigree, if he had shown more of the talent that made his midseason acquisition so discussed, the series with the Celtics wouldn't stand at 2-2. Pardon Jamison for his shortcomings if you'd like, but you can't excuse LeBron James. Throw plenty of criticism his way. James deserves it.
