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Cavaliers easily defeat Bobcats
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Published: November 1, 2009
Updated: 11/01/2009 01:05 am
CLEVELAND
Before Delonte West headed to the locker room, Mo Williams 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 added an unselfish 14 as the Cavaliers, finally at full strength, beat Charlotte 90-79 last 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 scored 12 points, and D.J. Augustin and Gerald Wallace 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.
General Manager Danny Ferry of the Cavs 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 last night'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.
CHARLOTTE -- Wallace 4-11 3-4 11, Diaw 2-5 2-2 7, Chandler 3-5 2-4 8, Felton 5-12 0-0 10, Graham 3-5 0-0 6, Mohammed 2-7 0-0 4, Radmanovic 4-9 2-2 12, Augustin 2-5 6-8 11, Henderson 3-8 0-0 8, Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Ajinca 1-1 0-0 2, Diop 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-68 15-20 79.
CLEVELAND -- James 5-11 4-6 14, Varejao 3-4 0-0 6, O'Neal 3-7 2-4 8, M.Williams 9-14 1-2 24, Parker 5-8 0-0 13, Ilgauskas 5-5 0-0 10, West 5-7 2-2 13, Hickson 1-2 0-0 2, Gibson 0-3 0-0 0, Moon 0-1 0-0 0, J.Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Jackson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 36-62 9-14 90.
Charlotte 21 20 13 25 -- 79
Cleveland 25 20 21 24 -- 90
3-Point Goals--Charlotte 6-13 (Radmanovic 2-3, Henderson 2-4, Augustin 1-2, Diaw 1-2, Graham 0-1, Felton 0-1), Cleveland 9-16 (M.Williams 5-8, Parker 3-4, West 1-2, James 0-1, Gibson 0-1). Fouled Out--None. Rebounds--Charlotte 39 (Wallace 9), Cleveland 36 (Varejao 8). Assists--Charlotte 19 (Diaw 9), Cleveland 22 (James 9). Total Fouls--Charlotte 13, Cleveland 20. Technicals--Ilgauskas, West. A--20,562 (20,562).
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