"Much has changed since Mo Williams pleaded with Cavs management to stay in Cleveland, but Williams' feelings haven't.

As the Cavaliers embark on a new calendar year and the trade deadline inches closer, Williams remains committed to staying with the franchise and rebuilding another winner.

''It's still the same,'' he said Saturday. ''I've got a lot of trust in the organization that we're not going to go backwards. [This season] is a minor setback, but we'll be back on top.''

Williams took to Twitter over the summer, when his name surfaced in trade talks, to publicly beg not to be moved. Then LeBron James left, but Williams maintained he wanted to stay and build his legacy in one place.

The Cavaliers have since endured a brutal 1-14 December, one of the worst months in franchise history, and plummeted to the bottom of the league. But Williams' positive, upbeat personality seems to have returned over the last week. He insists he is right where he wants to be.

''The organization knows how I feel,'' he said. ''I'm happy. I know the organization is going to do whatever they can to get this team back to where we all want it.''

Hip check

As for the hip injury that kept Williams out of Saturday's game, he says it's related to the groin problems he had over the summer and that doctors have told him the entire region is connected.

The hip injury, which he suffered in the loss to Orlando, has forced him out of the past two games. He will likely be a game-time decision again tonight when the Cavs host the Dallas Mavericks, and Williams has resigned himself to the fact he'll be hurt all season."