At 33 years old, veteran point guard Mo Williams is still capable of providing quality minutes off the bench for the Cleveland Cavaliers. That is, when he’s actually healthy enough to play, of course.
Over the course of the Cavs’ 82-game season (one game left), Williams has played in just half of its games (41), largely due to injury. In his 13-year career, Williams has never sat this many games before in a single season. Ever. There comes a time where one must wonder, “Is it that time to hang it up for good?”. But according to Mo Williams, he is far from interested in contemplating retirement yet despite recent speculation.
Following from Jason Llyod of the Akron Beacon Journal:
Williams told me a couple weeks ago he has been fighting problems with the knee for the last couple of years. Surgery has always been an option, but it would eliminate him from the postseason and the rehab could even bleed into next season. Williams insisted to me he has no intention of retiring after the season, even though I heard that from multiple people.
The Cavs talked to Williams in February and encouraged him to get the platelet-rich plasma injection and take time off then so that he would be ready for the postseason. Williams got the injection and sat a month, but it didn’t seem to do much good.
In 41 appearances with the Cavs this season, Mo Williams has averaged 8.2 points per game and 2.4 assists per game in 18 minutes per contest. Williams has spent thirteen seasons in the league, previously playing for the Utah Jazz, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New Orleans Hornets. This past offseason, Williams signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second stint with the team on a two-year pact worth $4.3M.
Mo Williams is set to visit Dr. James Andrews, again, in the near future as a result of his latest knee soreness. Depending on the severity of his injury, Williams may be forced to watch the NBA Playoffs from the bench, something the Cavaliers are certainly hoping against hearing.
