Williams, son stay tough By Tom Reed, Beacon Journal staff writer Eric Williams prides himself on toughness, the kind he acquired from growing up lean and hard on the streets of Newark, N.J. The Cavaliers' small forward learned at an early age the meaning of grit, hustle and perseverance. Almost every time he steps on the court, Williams is the embodiment of each. Watch as he dives for loose balls, trades elbows for rebounds and stands in front of barreling 7-footers to take a charge. But over the past five months, Williams has come to understand a different brand of toughness, the kind exhibited by an 8-year-old boy who prefers tennis and gymnastics. His name is Eric Williams III, the son of a nine-year NBA veteran and a child whose mother, Rayshon Holmes, was killed in a domestic dispute last summer in New Jersey. Williams said he and Holmes, 30, were no longer a couple, but the "high school sweethearts" had remained cooperative parents for a boy they nicknamed, "Lil' E." "Ultimately, he has to go through this for the rest of his life," Williams said. "How can I explain to him what it's like to lose a mother at 8 years old? It never happened to me. "I have talked to him about heaven and hell and things like that, but you're never prepared for something like this." Williams said the courage his son displays has served as an inspiration in a time of great uncertainty and upheaval. The 31-year-old forward was traded to the Cavaliers from the Boston Celtics on Dec. 15 in a six-player deal that no doubt will be the focus of tonight's game at the Fleet Center. Williams also is in the final yearof a contract that pays him $5.5 million. Job security and financial reward are not primary concerns, however. He was just adjusting to the role of being a single- parent father when the trade occurred. Williams said he enjoyed attending PTA meetings and being there when his son awoke in the middle of the night. "After (his mother's death) he looked at me one day and said, `It's you and me now,' " Williams said. The boy remains in Boston entrusted in the care of Williams' cousin, Malik Lance, a registered nurse. Williams did not want to move the boy again and take him out of his fourth-grade class. "When I told him the news (of the trade), he took it like a man," Williams said. "He said, `I'm going to finish up school and then I'm coming to Cleveland.' He has always been heady, wise beyond his years. He is one of those strong kids." Coach Paul Silas and the Cavaliers can tell you where Lil' E gets the strength. Williams has not allowed the trade or tragedy to affect his performance. He has supplied the defensive presence and vocal leadership that had been lacking in the youthful Cavaliers. He also has been a positive influence on 19-year-old LeBron James, who's played his best basketball since the trade. The Cavs and Celtics have identical 5-6 records since Dec. 15. "The thing about Eric is that he's always looking forward, always talking about what we can do to get better," said Tony Battie, a teammate of Williams in Cleveland, Boston and Denver. "Even when we are just out at dinner or something he is talking about the little improvements we can make." Silas thinks Williams' humility and leadership will make him a good coach someday. For now, Williams is working on becoming a great father. He talks to Lil' E three or four times a week, and saw him last Friday when the Cavaliers played in New Jersey. Williams reminds himself every day of the good fortune that enabled Lil' E to spend time in Boston during the week his mother was killed. "Nine times out of ten, he would have been with his mother," Williams said. Holmes and her friend, Shani Baraka, were shot to death Aug. 12 in Baraka's Piscataway, N.J., home. "It scares me, too, because half of him is gone," Williams said. "Growing up, I saw things like that all the time in the city. We know how to deal with it as men. I have a basic understanding of what needs to be done and what needs to be said." Williams plans to be reunited with his son at season's end. He hopes to work out a deal with the Cavaliers and finish his career in Cleveland. "With all that's gone on, I really haven't had a chance to mourn... right now, the most important thing is me being strong for my little man," Williams said. "He needs to be with his father and, no matter where I'm at, he will be with me." --

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