CLEVELAND — Cavaliers guard Ricky Davis was traded to the Celtics in a six-player deal Monday after failing to work out his differences with coach Paul Silas.
The Cavs sent Davis, Chris Mihm, Michael Stewart and a draft pick to Boston for Eric Williams, Tony Battie and Kedrick Brown, Cleveland general manager Jim Paxson said in a statement.
Cleveland also gives the Celtics back a second-round pick it received from Boston in a trade last summer.
"This is a great opportunity to add experience and toughness," Paxson said. "Specifically, Tony and Eric are both veterans who have been part of the foundation of a team that has had some success in the postseason. That experience is something both Paul and I felt would benefit us immediately."
The Cavaliers (6-17) took a 33-game road losing streak into their game Monday night at Indiana. The Celtics hosted Minnesota.
Cleveland had talks with several teams this season about trading Davis, a prolific scorer who has butted heads with coaches and teammates throughout his five-year career.
Davis was averaging 15.3 points, third on the Cavaliers behind rookie LeBron James (17.7) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas (15.7). Davis had a breakout season in 2002-03, leading Cleveland in scoring (20.2 points), assists, steals, minutes and 3-point percentage.
But Davis was unable shake his reputation as a selfish player who looks to shoot first. His me-before-the-team attitude reached its peak during a game against Utah last season, when Davis intentionally missed a shot at his own basket to try to get a rebound that he thought could give him his first career triple-double.
Silas, who briefly coached Davis at Charlotte, periodically benched the swingman this season and banished him from the team for a few days before allowing him to return.
Silas seemed to be getting through to Davis, who had 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a win over Detroit last week. But in a loss Saturday night to the Celtics, Davis scored three points on 1-for-5 shooting in 32 minutes.
The additions of Williams, Battie and Brown will help the Cavs defensively and should rid Silas of a headache. However, the team will have to turn elsewhere for scoring until it gets guard DaJuan Wagner back from an injury.
Mihm was just beginning to blossom into a solid player.
The former first-round pick (No. 7 overall) has played extremely well in a limited role this season for Cleveland, which had been patiently waiting for the 7-footer to develop.
The 6-foot-10 Stewart, in the final year of a six-year, $24 million deal he signed with Toronto, was averaging just 10 minutes for Cleveland.
Danny Ainge, the Celtics' director of basketball operations, has been emphasizing an uptempo offense since taking over in May. This is Ainge's second big trade, having sent Antoine Walker and Tony Delk to Dallas in October for center Raef LaFrentz, swingman Jiri Welsch, forward Chris Mills and a first-round draft pick.
Williams, 31, is in his ninth NBA season and was one of Boston's top defenders. He spent his first two seasons as a pro with Boston, the next two with Denver and returned to Boston for the 1999-00 season. He was the Celtics' third-leading scorer, averaging 11.6 points with 4.5 rebounds.
Battie, 27, has been hobbled by knee injuries this season. The No. 5 overall pick by Denver in the 1997 draft is averaging 5.9 points and 5.1 rebounds.
Brown, 22, was drafted with the 11th pick of the 2001 draft after two seasons at Okaloosa-Walton Community College. At 6-7, he has been praised for his athleticism but has been a disappointment for the Celtics.