Williams finds his way with Cavs
Former all-star turning into perfect bench player for LeBron and company
CLEVELAND— For nearly two months, Deron Williams appeared lost with his new teammates — an outsider among the Cavaliers.
Well, he found the perfect time to fit in.
The former all-star guard came up big for Cleveland during its firstround sweep of Indiana, providing scoring and another option for LeBron James on the Cavs’ second unit. Williams averaged 8.3 points, made of 10 of 13 field goals — 7 of 9 on three-pointers — and did not commit a turnover during 63 minutes on the floor.
It took longer than expected, but Williams, who arrived with plenty of accolades and post-season experience but without an NBA championship ring, finally played the way the Cavaliers envisioned when they signed him in late February.
“Every day he’s getting more and more comfortable with what we want to do,” James said. “With his ability and getting comfortable, getting back to being D-Will.”
At his peak, Williams, the No. 3 overall pick in 2005 whose previous stops included Utah, Brooklyn and Dallas, was one of the league’s elite point guards — a playmaker capable of making the right pass and a ball-dominant scorer who could take over a game.
When the Cavaliers signed the twotime Olympic gold medallist as a free agent after Dallas bought out his contract, Williams was seen as an ideal backup for all-star Kyrie Irving and someone to share the ball-handling duties with James, who typically starts the second quarter with four reserves.
However, until his breakout against the Pacers, Williams struggled. Slowed by injuries over the past few seasons, he was sluggish, looked out of shape and couldn’t defend. Coach Tyronn Lue lacked confidence in him, and there was a time when it appeared he might be dropped from the post-season rotation.
Looking back, Williams said, the challenge of joining an established powerhouse was more difficult than he envisioned.
“Any time you go to another team in the middle of the season it’s going to be an adjustment. Add to it, it’s the defending champs, a lot of pressure and, you know, it was a different situation for me than I had ever been in in my career: coming off the bench, playing short minutes, trying to figure out how to stay confident and be aggressive sometimes when you don’t have the ball in your hands.
“I feel like I’ve . . . adjusted and figured things out.”