Cleveland Cavaliers bolster bench by signing former No. 2 overall pick
LeBron James' public plea for help from the Cleveland Cavaliers led to a whole lot.
Hot takes from Skip Bayless. A war of words with Charles Barkley. A free-agent tryout for less-than-legendary players like Lance Stephenson and Kirk Hinrich.
The Cavs can only hope their signing of forward Derrick Williams causes a fraction of the reaction. Williams, who was selected No. 2 behind Kyrie Irving in the 2011 draft, signed a 10-day contract with the defending champs Thursday. Not the playmaker LeBron wanted, but a 6-foot-8 defender coming off the bench, and he scored 12 points in 22 minutes in his Cavs debut Thursday night, a 118-109 loss at Oklahoma City.
Williams was released this week by Miami, where he averaged 5.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 15.1 minutes in 25 games. He's a career 43 percent shooter who's played for four teams since being drafted by Minnesota. The Cavs now have eight lottery picks on their roster, including three of the top four picks in the 2011 draft; Tristan Thompson was the No. 4 pick.
Despite outside drama and persistent trade rumors involving Kevin Love, the Cavs have won four straight and seem to have regrouped following a 7-8 January. They still may try to add a backup point guard or another playmaker before the Feb. 23 trading deadline.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
