Cavaliers Put on Notice by Former Big Man After Latest Loss

Getty Images Head coach J. B. Bickerstaff of the Cleveland Cavaliers talks with Donovan Mitchell.

Former NBA big man Kendrick Perkins put the Cleveland Cavaliers on notice after their latest loss to the Miami Heat, calling them out as a first-round exit team.

The Cavaliers stumbled in the fourth quarter against the Heat, managing just 18 points in the final stanza. Disjointed play late doomed the Cavaliers, who are 9-11 in their last 20 games and have cooled off considerably since their hot start to the year.

Perkins — who played for the Cavs briefly in 2015 — has some significant concerns about the Cavaliers being able to compete in the postseason.

“I’m legit worried about the Cavs. They are going to win regular season games because they have a lot of talent… but their inconsistency on both ends of the floor is going to be the reason they’re going to be a 1st round exit!!! Carry the hell on…,” Perkins tweeted.

The Cavaliers staged a huge turnaround last season, doubling their wins from the previous year and making the play-in game. However, the Cavs were unable to make the postseason, losing to the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks.

Cavaliers Don’t Shy Away From Issues After Loss

The expectations were ramped up for Cleveland this season after making a blockbuster move for Donovan Mitchell. The former Utah Jazz star has certainly made an impact, especially early with the Cavs starting 8-1. However, Cleveland has been unable to string together wins over the last month.

Perkins has a point and the Cavaliers were not scared to share their own worries about their play after the loss to Miami.

“We’re not executing well offensively. Whether it’s a turnover or a bad shot, you know, we’re not getting to our stuff quick enough and that’s just on us,” Mitchell said after the loss. “We’re playing as if we are a young team and haven’t been there, and if we want to get to where we want to get to, ultimately we have to be able to find that level of consistency throughout adversity. It sucks, we all feel it and we want to be better, but we gotta find that level of consistency as a group.”

Outside of Mitchell and veterans like Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio and Robin Lopez, the core of the Cavs roster lacks postseason experience, which could be an issue for the Cavs as they try to make a run at a title.

“I think we’re all kind of tired of coming here and saying, ‘We’re learning.’ You want to learn through success, and we haven’t played well,” Mitchell said. “That’s just the honest truth. We’ve got to find a way to do that. That’s on all of us.”

Cavaliers Coach JB Bickerstaff Claps Back Over Negativity

Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff fired back over what he feels has been negative coverage of his squad during a press conference on February 1, citing his team’s youth and what they’ve done so far.

“I think in all the noise and chatter, people forget how much this group has accomplished,” Bickerstaff said. “We’re the number one ranked defense in the NBA still. Prior to last night, we were the 10th ranked offense in the NBA [and] this morning we’re 11th now. I think we’ve got the second-best net rating in the NBA.”

There’s certainly no need for the Cavaliers to panic. They’re fifth in the Eastern Conference at 31-22 as of February 1 and are still dealing with some injuries.

“There’s seven teams that have more than 30 wins in the NBA, and we’re one of those teams [and] none of those teams in the Eastern Conference start a 21-year old, a 22-year old, 23-year old, a 24-year old, and a 26-year old,” Bickerstaff said.

The Cavs will look to get back on track Thursday against the Memphis Grizzlies.