Before Mo Williams returned to Cleveland, he and LeBron had to bury the hatchet

When LeBron James left Cleveland for Miami, no Cavalier took it as hard as Mo Williams. The point guard found his greatest success alongside James in Cleveland, making the 2009 All-Star Game and seeing his first playoff action as a starter. Those Cavs were a close-knit, exuberant bunch, known for their pregame photo routines as much as their in-game alley oops.

Then came The Decision. James was off to South Beach, the Cavs were thrown into disarray, and a city of sports fans felt betrayed. Williams seemed to understand the reasoning for that last part better than anyone. It isn’t that LeBron left, a great many people have said, but how.

The only thing, and I mean the only thing I disagree with is…. If he knew somewhere else was the destination. He should have spared cle

— Mo Williams (@mowilliams) July 9, 2010

Williams’ late-night tweeting gave him credibility and made him a sympathetic figure among Cavs fans; He gets it. Mo’s bonafides were only enhanced when he blew LeBron off before James’ first game in Cleveland as a visitor.

Things changed after that. Williams was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Baron Davis and the pick that became Kyrie Irving, while James’ decision — lowercase — was validated as he won two titles with the Heat. LeBron returned to the Cavs last summer, and a citywide healing process was underway.

This summer, Williams signed a two-year deal to return to the city that he calls home. Before that happened, NEOMG’s Chris Haynes writes, Williams and James had to bury the hatchet. That process started with Williams reaching out to his most famous ex-teammate. The notion of James as GM is occasionally poo-pooed, but Williams said that LeBron’s approval is an important step before the Cavs acquire any new talent.

“Yeah, you have to call. This is his team,” Williams told Northeast Ohio Media Group. “That’s no secret. The conversation was made and the feeling was mutual. It was a good conversation.”

The James-Williams friendship took a hit after LeBron left Cleveland. Williams reportedly reached out to mend the fence a few years back, and the two joked around during a Cavs game in Minnesota last year when Williams (then injured) played for the Timberwolves. Williams called James again last summer about possibly reuniting in Cleveland, to which James is said to have been amenable.

“It wasn’t any animosity during the talk,” Williams said. “I thought when we conversed about the opportunity of me coming back, he was excited, I was excited and we got it done. It was basically simple as that.”

Williams is not the first one with the Cavs who’s had to smooth things over with James. Team owner Dan Gilbert famously wrote a letter condemning James’ Decision — uppercase — and promising that the Cavs would win a championship before “the self-titled former ‘King.'”

James told Haynes that he isn’t always quick to let personal business go. In the cases of both Williams and Gilbert, however, he saw taking the high road as a means toward working something greater.

“With Mo, it’s all about progress over pride,” James told NEOMG. “It’s something that I learned over the years. But still, I’ll hold grudges for a long time. But if it’s something that can be a betterment not only for myself but for a group that’s trying to do something special, as in this case study with myself and Dan and myself with Mo, I’m for it.

“This is something bigger than just two individuals and I recognize that. But if it’s just something between me and some other individual and it doesn’t affect nobody else besides me and that individual, then it’s on.”

Now both are back in Cleveland, and with a supporting cast undoubtedly stronger than their first tour together. They have star teammates (Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving), talented big men (Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson — pending contract, of course), wing depth (J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Richard Jefferson), and willing bit players (James Jones, Matthew Dellavedova, and Sasha Kaun).

Both James and Williams are older now. They’re different, more mature players — and perhaps people — than they were five years ago. The cold shoulders, upset tweets, and personal grievances are in the past. A new challenge lies ahead.

“We’re good,” Williams said. “Obviously we’re both grown men and that other stuff is in the past. We’re together to win a title. That’s all that matters.”