A few weeks ago Mo Williams predicted that the Los Angeles Clippers would make the playoffs this season, and it looks like he’ll probably be right.
Since he went Namath on that prediction, his front office backed him up by acquiring both Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups, ensuring that there would be plenty of All Star caliber lobbers in Lob City this year.
What the addition of Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups also did, both of whom started at the point and shooting guard spots respectively in the Clipps preseason opener, is move Mo to the bench now though. Something that took Williams a minute to get used too after the Paul trade was finalized.
This according to The Los Angeles Times:
Williams said before the Clippers played the Lakers at Staples Center on Monday night that he needed time to collect his thoughts.
“Obviously, man, your pride is hit,” Williams said. “Then once you get outside of the pride part of it, you start looking at the basketball aspect of it.
“And everybody in the world knows I want to win. Everybody in the world knows that it’s a good move for the city of Los Angeles. It’s a good move for the Clippers organization. Outside of that, outside of my pride, that was just me getting over it.”
After talking to his friends and his wife, Kesha, Williams said he’s more than fine with the situation.
“You just got to be a pro, first of all,” Williams said. “Some guys never recover from this. I talked with my closest friends and even my wife. You’ve got to be strong and you’ve got to be confident in yourself to get over this and I know I’m confident. I know I’m going to earn minutes, so I’m not really too concerned.”
I do realize that Chris Paul will never be coming off the floor all that much, but I do also see Mo adding value to this team coming off the bench in relief of both the SG and PG positions. He has combo guard skills, along with the ability to provide instant offense off the bench, and this might even be a better situation for him than he thinks right now. Meaning maybe it can be the beginning of a Jamal Crawford type chapter in his career.
He has the opportunity to essentially play like he did in Milwaukee again in some ways, but for what looks to be a good team that people will actually care about. He doesn’t have to carry the pressure of leading the team into the game with him, just has to hit the floor every night looking to get hot from three point range early. If he can knock down a deep one or two right out the gate, the rest of his game will come and he’ll end up playing a lot more than people think right now. Despite the two new players who play his position.
