INDEPENDENCE — Delonte, Boobie and Mo aren’t three stooges.
They know there are only 48 minutes in an NBA game, but Cavaliers point guards Delonte West, Daniel “Boobie” Gibson and Mo Williams swear they aren’t worried about playing time.
How to divvy up that time — one or more could end up seeing significant time at shooting guard if Wally Szczerbiak and/or Sasha Pavlovic don’t prove worthy of major minutes — is coach Mike Brown’s decision.
So for now, the three are amigos involved in a mutual admiration society.
West: “It doesn’t matter where you play or how much time you get. It’s all about what is best for the organization.”
Gibson: “There’s no competition between the three of us. We’re all looking to help one another and motivate each other.”
Williams: “You talk to anybody and we all have one goal. That’s to win a championship. And that’s not just talk.”
Actually, that’s about all it is since the team held its first real practice Tuesday night, but there’s reason to believe everything will work out.
Williams, acquired from Milwaukee over the summer, will unquestionably be the starter and play major minutes. The Cavaliers didn’t assume the final five years and $43.5 million of his contract to have him serve as a bit player.
Third-year pro Gibson, who signed a five-year, $20.9 million deal in the offseason, is also going to get decent minutes. He’s not only the best pure shooter on the team, he’s one of the best in the league, as his .440 mark from beyond the arc (118-of-268) last season and Long Distance Shootout championship over All-Star Weekend prove.
The tricky part could be finding enough minutes for West, who was a fairly solid contributor as the team’s starting point guard after being acquired at the trade deadline last season.
Even that could work out, however, because the strengths of each player – West and Williams are decent shooters who can break people down, while Gibson stretches opposing defenses – will give Brown a lot of options. That’s why the Cavaliers rewarded West with a three-year, $12.7 million deal in the offseason.
Williams is at his best in the open court and when he’s playing aggressively at the offensive end. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder will have to tone his act down a bit from his days in Milwaukee, where he had the green light to shoot at all times, but he vows that won’t be a problem.
“I played in Utah,” Williams said of his 2003-04 rookie season under Jerry Sloan. “As far as a structured system, I don’t think it can get more structured than that. You’re talking right down to the fastbreak was structured.
“It’s not going to take away from my game. In this system, I will find where my shots are and where to get the ball. I’m very coachable. You go as far as your coach wants you to go.”
History backs that up, as Williams averaged more than 17 points and six assists each of the last two seasons. The sixth-year pro could even switch over to a shooting guard of sorts at the offensive end, with West or superstar LeBron James running the offense.
Though West is only 180 pounds, he is 6-3 with very long arms, attributes that will allow him to match up with many shooting guards at the defensive end, with Williams sticking with the point guard.
If Szczerbiak or Pavlovic don’t capitalize on their opportunities, which is a possibility given their history in Cleveland, West even has an outside shot of starting at shooting guard alongside Williams.
“I’ve always played well off the basketball going back to my St. Joseph’s days with Jameer Nelson,” West said of Orlando’s current starting point guard.
“Cleveland has shown they believe in me as just a player. In that sense, I can let my hair down and go play.”
If West doesn’t start, he should still get a few minutes at the point when Williams needs a rest, which will allow Gibson to play off the ball, which best suits his style despite the fact he’s a small-framed 6-2, 194. In that scenario, Gibson could defend the opposing point guard, with West matching up against the shooting guard.
Right now, everything is conjecture, but the three amigos don’t seem concerned.
“I think,” West said, “that it’s going to work out perfectly.”

Tip-ins
The Cavaliers will hold two-a-days through Thursday, but the players won’t be taped for the morning session, which will involve mainly classroom work.
(bullet) The plan is to get James, who has basically played basketball non-stop for more than four years due to Olympic commitments, a lot of rest in training camp. “He will see limited contact in practice, especially this week,” Brown said. The coach also plans to monitor veterans Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who both experienced back problems last season. “I will read those guys throughout training camp,” Brown said.
Ilgauskas, who visited Spain, France and his native Lithuania in the offseason, didn’t touch a basketball until three weeks ago, but did work out with a trainer for several weeks in Vancouver. The 33-year-old is under contract through 2009-10, but hasn’t ruled out playing beyond that. “I’ll play this contract out and we’ll see,” he said. “I want to play if I feel like I can contribute.”
Noland may be reached at rickn@ohio.net or 330-721-4061.

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