West sparks Cavs to 90-79 win

By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer Oct 31, 11:26 pm EDT

Preview | Box Score | Recap
  • Print

CLEVELAND (AP)—Before Delonte West(notes) headed to the locker room, Mo Williams(notes) grabbed his troubled teammate and pulled him close.

Williams wanted West to hear something and whispered in his ear.

“I told him, ‘Stay with us’,” Williams said.

West scored 13 points—all in the second half—in his delayed season debut to spark Cleveland, Williams had 24, and LeBron James(notes) added an unselfish 14 as the Cavaliers, finally at full strength, beat Charlotte 90-79 on Saturday night.

Williams made four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and James added nine assists and seven rebounds for the Cavs, 2-2 after an 0-2 start.

West’s turbulent offseason finally brought him back to the floor. After missing all eight preseason games and Cleveland’s first three of the regular season to deal with personal issues, West was cleared by team doctors, ending more than a month of drama.

He went 5 of 7 from the field and had rebounds, two assists and a technical in 24 minutes.

“I thought he played terrific. He’s been off and we had to walk him through a few plays here and there,” Williams said, chuckling. “But besides that, he’s just a basketball player. He knows the game. He knows the spots on the floor. He’s familiar with us and it was great to have him back.”

Vladimir Radmanovic(notes) scored 12 points, and D.J. Augustin(notes) and Gerald Wallace(notes) 11 apiece to lead Charlotte, which has never won in Cleveland.

West’s off-court issues have threatened to derail the Cavs’ plans to make a strong run at an NBA title. As much as the team has tried to downplay West’s absences and insisted that he has not been a distraction, his cloudy and delicate situation has lingered.

Cavs general manager Danny Ferry has been working closely with team doctors and a support team around West. The team had “loosely” targeted Cleveland’s second home game as West’s return date, Ferry said, and the parties came to a consensus before Saturday’s game.

“Steps were followed and this is the next step of his process,” Ferry said. “We’re taking it one day at a time, but he’s doing well.”

West, who has not spoken to reporters since media day last month, was not available for comment following the game.

His teammates were more than happy to do that for him.

“He’s important to our team,” James said. “He can sit out for two weeks and he comes back in and he’s right in the flow. I’ve said it before, he’s just that type of guy.”

“It’s vital that we have everybody as we take this journey,” Shaquille O’Neal(notes) said.

The 26-year-old West, who has been treated in the past for bipolar disorder, was arrested in September for carrying three concealed weapons. He reported to training camp on time but missed the Cavs’ first four practices without an excuse. He came back but then left for a week to deal with his personal matters.

Last week, West’s wife filed a domestic violence report against him.

But that was all in the past—for at least one night.

West hardly looked like he had missed any time, and his return had Cleveland’s offense playing better than it has so far in this early season.

“We had a nice flow, and I think that helped him a lot, that we weren’t struggling,” Williams said. “He just came in and did what he did. He was confident. He made his plays. He made all the right decisions.”

The Cavaliers trailed 46-45 early in the third before going on a 21-8 run— much of it with O’Neal on the bench—to open a 14-point lead entering the fourth. West was a factor in helping the Cavs distance themselves from the Bobcats, who were understandably exhausted after playing two overtimes Friday in a win over New York.

The Cavs are still getting used to playing with O’Neal, who made his first free throws of the season after 10 consecutive misses. He added eight points and five rebounds in 26 minutes. Zydrunas Ilgauskas(notes), coming off the bench behind O’Neal, went 5 for 5 from the floor and had five blocks.

“Myself and him,” O’Neal said. “We are the best center in the game.”

James didn’t have to dominate—not that he couldn’t have.

“LeBron got 14, but he could have had 50, the way he played,” Bobcats coach Larry Brown said. “He’s so unselfish.”

NOTES: Bobcats Raymond Felton(notes) had eight turnovers, one night after playing 49 minutes and needing IV fluids. … Cleveland’s defense gave up just two fast-break points. … Charlotte is 0-10 in Cleveland and the Bobcats have lost seven straight overall to the Cavs. … The Bobcats remain without Gs Raja Bell(notes) (sprained wrist) and Flip Murray(notes) (shin), who have yet to play this season. Brown said Bell may play Monday at home against New Jersey and Murray could return Friday against Atlanta.

Updated Oct 31, 11:26 pm EDT
digg del.icio.us
more

Next Opponents

Cleveland at Detroit

Wed Nov 25, 2009, 8:00 pm EST

Charlotte vs Toronto

Wed Nov 25, 2009, 7:00 pm EST

NBA

50 Comments

Post a Comment
  1. meechie08
    50. Posted by meechie08 Tue Nov 3 6:17pm EST

    Report Abuse

    no matter what these cavs haters say ,cleveland cavs going 2 make it... it an't the cavs they hate it's CLEVELAND
  2. <i>cavslandrocks</i>
    49. Posted by cavslandrocks Sun Nov 1 7:28pm EST

    Report Abuse

    @ Kevin....until you can actually talk basketball, instead of name calling to cover up your obvious lack of language, social, and perception skills, stay on the Celtics blogs where you can be as classless as you want to be...I suppose playing from behind the entire first half isn't being in a hole.....your team was lucky to win that game and you know it
  3. Kevin
    48. Posted by Kevin Sun Nov 1 5:31pm EST

    Report Abuse

    Cavslandrocks:

    Are you kidding me? Come from out of a hole? We played like ass, and the player your city screws in the ass had a stellar game. It just showed that Lebron can't do it all. The Cavs have a long way to go before they will beat the Celts in the playoffs.

    Seriously, your a moron. Get real, the Cavs are good, but not great. Offense sells the tickets, but defense is what wins games. The Cavs need to get their priorities straight. Idiot.
  4. lakeshow
    47. Posted by lakeshow Sun Nov 1 3:50pm EST

    Report Abuse

    Oh well....Lebron will be in the Big Apple next year. f*ck the Heartland
  5. G smacktalk
    46. Posted by G smacktalk Sun Nov 1 1:51pm EST

    Report Abuse

    Hopefully the Cavs make better adjusments but they better hurry up and get these guys as a cohesive unit.
  6. Alex K
    45. Posted by Alex K Sun Nov 1 1:14pm EST

    Report Abuse

    Cleveland and Cavs fan all the way here, and being realistic is sometimes hard to do when you've been hungry for a championship all your life. Fact is if this Cavs team is going to get through Chicago, Boston, Orlando, and LA, they've got a loooong way to go. The good things I have seen so far have been Z's energy coming off the bench, Delonte's return was huge in that his energy pushes his team's performance upward, Mo is attacking inside and his defense may have improved, and LeBron is feeding the ball and doing it all (as always). Varajao looks improved as well and ready to go this season. Parker's shot from the baseline is money, his IQ as a veteran is undeniable, but his hands and passing aren't all that great. It won't be long until Delonte is starting over him at the 2. As far as having a long way to go, I'm talking specifically about the bench. Other than Z (who is mind you well beyond his prime), the 2nd team is way out of sync on both sides of the court (although the Offense isn't as bad as the D). Without at least 3 starters on the court, the Cavs go completely flat due to missed assignments. So there are some positives that have carried over from last year, some surprises that have improved us (Varajao and Z's contributions are going to be key), and some obvious areas that they need to work on (That bench is not good at all against powerhouse teams, namely the Cs). Gonna be a long season, but fun nonetheless. Gonna chear them on the whole way, and maybe this is gonna be Cleveland's year. This year we are going to see how the 4 best teams from last year (Orl, LA, Bos, Cle) got even better, and each of these teams will be more challenged than ever by the improvements of one another. I'd love nothing more than for the Cavs to come out on top. Welcome back West! Cleveland loves ya
  7. king of the court 17
    44. Posted by king of the court 17 Sun Nov 1 12:39pm EST

    Report Abuse

    i hope the cavliers make to the nba finals this year vs the portland trail blazers
  8. Sean
    43. Posted by Sean Sun Nov 1 12:21pm EST

    Report Abuse

    you people are dumb. as shaq. me and him??? really??? 8 ppg for what 40 mil. bench him you might win???? lebron is a chump, a new york type chump.
  9. <i>cavslandrocks</i>
    42. Posted by cavslandrocks Sun Nov 1 11:41am EST

    Report Abuse

    @ Kevin....
    It doesn't matter how many points you beat CHA by...what matters is Boston had to climb out of a hole to defeat the Cavs by SIX....can't wait til they get to smack the Celtics down the next three games before the playoffs....also can't wait til a nobody team whips the Celts and that story gets flooded with taunts from ORL an LA "fans"

    WELCOME BACK DELONTE!!!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlsdqOKTkpY
  10. Kevin
    41. Posted by Kevin Sun Nov 1 11:17am EST

    Report Abuse

    Didn't the Celtics just beat the Bobcats 92-59...?

    You beat the Bobcats, congratulations. I guess it is a big deal when you start 0-2 though. It's all good, as long as you all know who the best team in the East is.
  11. Kevin
    40. Posted by Kevin Sun Nov 1 11:17am EST

    Report Abuse

    Didn't the Celtics just beat the Bobcats 92-59...?

    You beat the Bobcats, congratulations. I guess it is a big deal when you start 0-2 though. It's all good, as long as you all know who the best team in the East is.
  12. Steven
    39. Posted by Steven Sun Nov 1 10:26am EST

    Report Abuse

    i wonder why people hate lebron so much is it because he hasn't won a championship yet. i remember before michael jordan won a championship people used to hate on him so much calling him overrated and all that.people need to stop hating on him so much i know he could be a little arrogant at times but people have said the same thing about michael before like he would never be good as wilt or kareem .next thing i know there will be somebody saying nobody would ever be good as lebron. you don't know for sure lebron will never win a championship or even be as good as michael was.
  13. Dan G
    38. Posted by Dan G Sun Nov 1 10:04am EST

    Report Abuse

    So ya beat the bobcats, here's a lollipop. Cavs bench is horrific like always.
  14. Steven
    37. Posted by Steven Sun Nov 1 9:42am EST

    Report Abuse

    great to have you back delone.you gonna make the cavs a lot better this year.
  15. aj
    34. Posted by aj Sun Nov 1 7:40am EST

    Report Abuse

    @18 omg another kobe kiss a$$ homer. Cleveland vs CHA is the title of this thread. Go start posting on the MAVS crushed LAL thread. lolmao. get lost.
  16. ColinB
    33. Posted by ColinB Sun Nov 1 5:16am EST

    Report Abuse

    I can't wait till the Cavs come to Orlando on the 11th!
  17. MatthewH
    32. Posted by MatthewH Sun Nov 1 1:14am EST

    Report Abuse

    "Cleveland should start Anderson Verajao @ center, Hickson @ power forward, Lebron @ Small Forward, Parker @ Shooting Guard & Maurice Williams @ the PG."

    Only if they don't like defense. Hickson's a good shooter, and an OK shot blocker, but he doesn't get how to rotate to the right guy and leaves people wide open. Varejao's a good defender agains forwards, but his only move to stop guys bigger than him is the flop.

    In two years, when both Z and Shaq have retired, we're going to see a lot of that lineup. Hopefully JJ or D-block will be good enough to defend the center. You don't need to be 7 feet if you've got the muscle.
  18. Annie
    31. Posted by Annie Sun Nov 1 1:10am EST

    Report Abuse

    Welcome back Delonte, my 2nd favorite player in the league on my least favorite team. :).
  19. Aaron S
    30. Posted by Aaron S Sun Nov 1 1:05am EST

    Report Abuse

    Watch out for the Wizards!!!!!!! If they stay healthy for the most part...they will be there in the end....
  20. den c
    29. Posted by den c Sun Nov 1 1:04am EST

    Report Abuse

    LOL at Todd S.
    Do some research !
    Lebron not only ''has been league leader in points, assists, and rebounds'' for the last two years, but he ALSO won the Kerntucky Derby and the PGA Championship.
  21. Nate P
    28. Posted by Nate P Sun Nov 1 1:20am EDT

    Report Abuse

    Cavs should be fine but there bench is very questionable.

    Magic and Boston have the deepest bench in the league though.
  22. Todd S.
    27. Posted by Todd S. Sun Nov 1 1:12am EDT

    Report Abuse

    bendgod,

    do some research. Lebron, for the last two years has been league leader in points, assists, and rebounds. Not really the MVP? ok, that's just silly.
  23. pedalpoetman
    26. Posted by pedalpoetman Sun Nov 1 1:02am EDT

    Report Abuse

    CPP #34, 5-5 for 15 of 20 …3rd quarter... points. Oh baby.
    Le(new)Born had better get born again or Chicago's gonna run him in circles, not to mention Orlando.
    CPP + RayJesus = what, 15 for 21? Rondo with what, 16 assists? In half an hour each, or less?
    Shaq you better bust out a can o whoop ass & forget about that sheriff bad-ass b.s.!!!
    And welcome back, Mr West. Rise and shine. Listen to the woman, Billy.
Sign in to post a comment, or sign up for a free account

Top Performers

 Top Performers
 Charlotte
B. Diaw Boris Diaw
2-5,  7 Pts
3 Rebs, 9 Assists
 Cleveland
M. Williams Mo Williams
9-14,  24 Pts
0 Rebs, 3 Assists

Team Stat Leaders

Points
Rebounds
Assists

Scoreboard

Saturday, Oct 31

YAHOO! SPORTS

ALSO ON YAHOO!

THINGS YOU CAN DO

- Site Map

Copyright © 2009 2009 STATS LLC and The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the STATS/AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of STATS LLC and The Associated Press.