The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Deron Williams excited for chance to join the Cavs
Since the start of this season, the Cavaliers have been looking for a veteran point guard to take some of the load off Kyrie Irving, and, to a lesser extent, LeBron James.
They finally have their man in three-time NBA All-Star Deron Williams.
On Feb. 27, shortly before the Cavs took on the Milwaukee Bucks at Quicken Loans Arena in Game 58, the team made official what had been widely reported for five days.
Williams, the 13-year veteran who last week negotiated his release from the Dallas Mavericks, signed with the Cavs on Feb. 27. The three-time All-Star will practice with the Cavs on Feb. 28 and make his on-court debut March 1 in Boston.
Williams signed for the rest of the season for the veterans minimum. The bill for
the Cavs will be $900,000 in salary and luxury tax.
“I definitely looked at a couple of other teams, but the Cavs were the first team that jumped out at me,” Williams said while meeting with
reporters outside the Cavs’ locker room before the game against Milwaukee.
“Some times, you can overthink things,” Williams added. “I went with my first thought.
“At this point of the season, at this point of my career, I felt like this was the best place for me.”
Williams was selected by the Utah Jazz with the third overall pick in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft. He’s also played for the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets (2011 to 2015) and the Mavericks (2015-17).
The former University of Illinois standout has career averages of 16.6 points, 8.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds. He shoots 44.4 percent overall from the floor, 35.6 percent from 3-point range and 82.2 percent from the free-throw line.
In 40 games with Dallas this season, he was averaging 13.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Williams, who lives with his wife and their three children in the Dallas area, said he was on his way to practice when he was contacted by the Mavs and told he no longer was with the team.
“I didn’t ask for a trade or buy-out,” Williams said. “They said they wanted to go in a different direction. There are no hard feelings. I had a good time in Dallas, playing in front of family and friends. This is a business and they made a business decision. I can respect that. It allowed me to come to the Cavs. I’m really excited about the opportunity.”
Williams said he has relationships with many of the Cavs including James, with whom he played on Team USA in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.
“Obviously, any team with LeBron James is going to be relevant,” Williams said. “From top to bottom, the Cavs are really deep. They have a lot of championship experience and all things you need to make a run in the playoffs and try to repeat.”
Williams, a starter in 767 of 821 career games, said he knows he’ll be coming off the bench with the Cavs and has no problem with that. He added that he’s looking forward to playing with a second unit that includes newly acquired forward Derrick Williams, veteran center/forward Channing Frye and shooting guard Kyle Korver, who was traded by Atlanta to the Cavs on Jan. 9.
Williams and Korver were teammates in Utah from 2007 to 2010.
“I really think it’s an incredible fit,” Korver said of the Cavs’ newest addition.
“Deron is someone who can play with the ball. He can get us into sets. He’s been a great point guard for a lot of years,” Korver added. “He understands the whole team concept, getting guys into their spots and executing an offense. He’s got size and can switch on defense. He can play with the ball and off the ball. There aren’t a lot of point guards who can do both. He’s a veteran guy who wants to win.”