"In the first quarter of Tuesday's game against Orlando, Mo Williams put his head down to dribble, leaned down, and suddenly felt a twinge in his left hip.

At halftime, it had developed into a sharp pain. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, even Cavaliers coach Byron Scott noticed something was wrong as Williams ran past the bench clutching his hip.

When Williams woke up in Charlotte on Wednesday, he could barely move his left leg, and the hip wouldn't loosen up no matter what he did. Official diagnosis is a left hip flexor strain, and it might explain why Williams didn't score after he had 14 points in the first quarter against the Magic on Tuesday.

"I try to play through injuries, but if I can't perform, I'll be ineffective," Williams said.

Williams' need to sit meant an opportunity for rookie Manny Harris in the backcourt, as the Michigan product earned his first career start. Harris had averaged 9.5 minutes in 11 games, never having played more than 21 minutes.

His start was a surprise to everyone; about 75 minutes before tipoff, Scott said he wasn't sure who he would insert in the starting lineup.

"Something's going to hit me, I guess, when I get back in the locker room," Scott said of his decision.

Williams said his hip injury is not related to two groin injuries he suffered at the start of the season, ones that have held him out of five games. After sustaining so many injuries this season, however, he said he's learning more about the human body than he ever intended to. "