OKLAHOMA CITY: Mo Williams will visit with noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews on Tuesday to receive a second opinion on his ailing left knee.
Williams said the knee has been bothering him all season and an injection in December didn’t help. The team is calling Williams’ injury a sore left knee for now.
“I don’t know what it is yet,” Williams said.
He was unavailable during Sunday’s 115-92 win against the Thunder because of the knee. He has appeared in 34 games (14 starts) and is averaging 9.1 points and 2.7 assists, but he hasn’t appeared in either game since the All-Star break. The Cavaliers host the Detroit Pistons on Monday, but Williams will likely be unavailable again.
With so much uncertainty surrounding his backcourt right now, coach Tyronn Lue isn’t sure yet who will even be available when the Cavs host the Detroit Pistons on Monday.
“Maybe you can tell me,” he joked.
Frye not cleared
Newly acquired forward/center Channing Frye, meanwhile, still hasn’t been cleared to play. He has until Tuesday to pass his physical, and it’s unclear yet whether he’ll play Monday against the Pistons.
Multiple sources have said the Cavs aren’t concerned Frye won’t pass, they’re just being extra cautious since he missed a whole season previously with an enlarged heart. After Randy Foye debuted for the Thunder on Sunday following a deadline deal, Frye remains the only player traded on Thursday who has yet to play for his new team.
Getting defensive
In two games since the All-Star break, the Cavs have limited opponents to 40 percent shooting and an average of 93.5 points. The Thunder shot 23 percent from 3-point range Sunday after the Chicago Bulls shot 38 percent from deep Thursday night.
Lue and the players seem to agree it’s the more physical mindset the Cavs have adopted at both ends. For all the focus that has been placed on the Cavs’ trying to play faster, Lue has been concerned with the defensive slippage since he took over as head coach.
“We stayed physical the whole game,” Lue said. “LeBron was physical with Durant. R.J. [Richard Jefferson] was physical with Durant. I thought Delly was being physical with [Russell] Westbrook all night. If we can continue to play like that, we’re going to win some games.”
Thompson’s glass
Thunder coach Billy Donovan singled out Tristan Thompson prior to the game as someone they’d have to watch after Thompson hurt the Thunder with 15 rebounds in the first meeting in December.
They didn’t do any better against him this time: Thompson grabbed 14 in Sunday’s win. As a result, the Cavs outrebounded the Thunder in both meetings this season.
“Thompson is always on the weak side, and a lot of times you are having to pull over for some help,” Donovan said. “Being able to get back across the lane and get him is tough because he is always on the move. That’s what he does, he is special at that and he is great at that.”
Up next
The Cavs will host a Pistons team that lost Sunday at home to the New Orleans Pelicans when Anthony Davis scored 59 points and grabbed 20 rebounds. James doesn’t think Davis’ performance will have any bearing on Monday’s game.
“What someone did the night before cannot determine what we do,” he said. “We’ve got to go out and play. You can talk about the game, you can write about it, you can study about it, but the game is played in between the four lines, and that’s where the game is won or lost.”
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at www.ohio.com/cavs. Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ.