Cavs Guard Mike Wilks is Making the Most of His Opportunity
Little Big Man
by Joe Gabriele - cavs.com
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Chat with Mike Wilks live on cavs.com - Monday, Jan. 23 at 2:00 p.m.
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The 2005-06 NBA season isn’t even half over and the twists and turns have already been abundant for the Cavaliers. This was supposed to be a year without drama, but it hasn’t worked out that way. It never does.
The most seismic event of the campaign was when Larry Hughes was placed on the inactive list in order to have surgery on his right middle finger. Before that, Hughes was the Cavaliers’ Mr. Everything, and the perfect sidekick to LeBron James. With the rock-solid Eric Snow at the point, Hughes stabilized what had been an unstable backcourt during the LBJ Era.
The Cavaliers haven’t exactly found the right replacement for Hughes and, realistically, his numbers and intangibles are nearly impossible to replace. But Mike Brown and his staff have worked to ready other guards to pick up some of his backcourt slack.
One of the unlikely players to come out of the fray is third-year point man, Mike Wilks.
Wilks, like his current teammate Zendon Hamilton, made the Cavaliers as a training camp invitee and after seeing exclusively garbage time minutes through the first quarter of the season, has been an integral part of Mike Brown’s guard rotation since Hughes went under the knife.
“We really miss Larry and we hope and pray that he gets back soon,” said Wilks. “But I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity that I’m getting right now.”
Wilks numbers certainly aren’t eye-popping, and they never will be. He’s averaged 2.7 points and 1.5 assists in 72 NBA games with Atlanta, Minnesota and Houston. The only Cavalier under six feet tall – Wilks is listed at 5-11 – hasn’t lit the world on fire offensively this year, either – checking in at 1.2 points per contest through 26 games.
But Wilks’ true value isn’t in his offense; the Cavaliers have players for that. Mike Wilks’ value is in his quickness, his tenacity and his ability to make good decisions when Snow is getting a blow. Wilks is especially important when the Wine and Gold run up against a smaller, quicker guard. Eric Snow can tangle with Kobe; T.J. Ford, on the other hand, can present a problem.
“Guys are going to come at you and if they smell any fear or intimidation they will eat you alive,” quipped the soft-spoken point man from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “I just tell myself just to play as hard as I can and compete as hard as I can and execute the defensive principles that coach teaches.”
Wilks played a season-high 27 minutes against Ford earlier this month and netted four points, five boards and a pair of assists off Mike Brown’s bench. And he’s checked players from Knicks’ rookie Nate Robinson to the league’s reigning MVP, Steve Nash, since then.
When Hawks guard Tyronn Lue had his way with the Cavaliers in a home loss over a month ago, it became evident that the Cavaliers would need to combat small, penetrating guards with one of their own. Cleveland’s blessed with a pair of big points in Snow and Damon Jones, but it’s a sweet luxury to have a versatile and tenacious small guard of their own if the situation fits.
“I just want to make the best of the situation and improve each game,” said Wilks. “I want to earn the confidence and trust of my teammates and help our team in any way I can.”
Link
Little Big Man
by Joe Gabriele - cavs.com
------------------------------------------------------------
Chat with Mike Wilks live on cavs.com - Monday, Jan. 23 at 2:00 p.m.
------------------------------------------------------------
The 2005-06 NBA season isn’t even half over and the twists and turns have already been abundant for the Cavaliers. This was supposed to be a year without drama, but it hasn’t worked out that way. It never does.
The most seismic event of the campaign was when Larry Hughes was placed on the inactive list in order to have surgery on his right middle finger. Before that, Hughes was the Cavaliers’ Mr. Everything, and the perfect sidekick to LeBron James. With the rock-solid Eric Snow at the point, Hughes stabilized what had been an unstable backcourt during the LBJ Era.
The Cavaliers haven’t exactly found the right replacement for Hughes and, realistically, his numbers and intangibles are nearly impossible to replace. But Mike Brown and his staff have worked to ready other guards to pick up some of his backcourt slack.
One of the unlikely players to come out of the fray is third-year point man, Mike Wilks.
Wilks, like his current teammate Zendon Hamilton, made the Cavaliers as a training camp invitee and after seeing exclusively garbage time minutes through the first quarter of the season, has been an integral part of Mike Brown’s guard rotation since Hughes went under the knife.
“We really miss Larry and we hope and pray that he gets back soon,” said Wilks. “But I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity that I’m getting right now.”
Wilks numbers certainly aren’t eye-popping, and they never will be. He’s averaged 2.7 points and 1.5 assists in 72 NBA games with Atlanta, Minnesota and Houston. The only Cavalier under six feet tall – Wilks is listed at 5-11 – hasn’t lit the world on fire offensively this year, either – checking in at 1.2 points per contest through 26 games.
But Wilks’ true value isn’t in his offense; the Cavaliers have players for that. Mike Wilks’ value is in his quickness, his tenacity and his ability to make good decisions when Snow is getting a blow. Wilks is especially important when the Wine and Gold run up against a smaller, quicker guard. Eric Snow can tangle with Kobe; T.J. Ford, on the other hand, can present a problem.
“Guys are going to come at you and if they smell any fear or intimidation they will eat you alive,” quipped the soft-spoken point man from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “I just tell myself just to play as hard as I can and compete as hard as I can and execute the defensive principles that coach teaches.”
Wilks played a season-high 27 minutes against Ford earlier this month and netted four points, five boards and a pair of assists off Mike Brown’s bench. And he’s checked players from Knicks’ rookie Nate Robinson to the league’s reigning MVP, Steve Nash, since then.
When Hawks guard Tyronn Lue had his way with the Cavaliers in a home loss over a month ago, it became evident that the Cavaliers would need to combat small, penetrating guards with one of their own. Cleveland’s blessed with a pair of big points in Snow and Damon Jones, but it’s a sweet luxury to have a versatile and tenacious small guard of their own if the situation fits.
“I just want to make the best of the situation and improve each game,” said Wilks. “I want to earn the confidence and trust of my teammates and help our team in any way I can.”
Link
