Mo Money, Less Problems?

Will Mo Williams be the missing piece to the puzzle for Portland?

The Portland Trail Blazers finished 11th in the Western Conference with a record of 33-49. They finished 12 games out of the playoffs and only 8 games above last place Phoenix. To say that a recently strong team needs help is quite an understatement. However, their record is a bit deceiving. They were 33-36 and not too far out of the playoff race until they ended the season on a 13-game losing streak. In fact, they were 25-23 in early February before dropping 7 in a row and changing the course of their season. So what were the missing pieces? Veteran leadership is one key piece of the puzzle.

Enter Mo Williams. He is a seasoned veteran that has been in the playoffs four times with three different teams. He’s played around stars such as LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Blake Griffin. He’s a scoring point guard, but is capable of dishing a few assists with the right supporting case. In a backup role to Damian Lillard, the reigning Rookie of the Year, he is set to flourish. He immediately improves a somewhat lackluster bench and gives this young team the veteran leadership they will need in order to make a playoff run next year.

The Trail Blazers have signed Williams a one-year deal with a player option in 2014-15. This is a great move for the Blazers just in case Aldridge becomes too irritated with losing or if the team decides to do a major rebuilding project and let’s Aldridge walk (the far less likely scenario).  If so, then they would have Williams on for only two years at best, although I’m sure that a team option would have been more pleasing to the front office. However, Williams is an established and proven veteran that knows how to play the game well. For Williams, he can decide to ride a potentially hot Portland team into next year or test the market yet again as a veteran backup PG, a type of player that is uncommon and desirable for most teams in today’s game.

By Jon Elliott
Follow @TheJontlet