4 months ago
- Cavaliers
- Published: Jan. 07, 2026, 5:30 a.m.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs person plentifulness of talent, but according to cleveland.com hit newsman Chris Fedor, they’re missing thing important successful their quest for title contention: personification consenting to clasp nan squad accountable without select successful nan locker room.
In a brutally honorable conception connected nan latest Wine and Gold Talk podcast, Fedor revealed conversations he’s had pinch sources astir nan NBA that constituent to a activity void that’s becoming progressively evident arsenic nan play progresses.
“The Cavs miss Georges Niang, and they miss Caris LeVert and they miss a level of leadership. Behind nan scenes they do. I wonderment if they person nan correct guys from a activity standpoint,” Fedor said aft aggregate conversations pinch NBA sources complete nan past 48 hours.
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The issue, arsenic Fedor explains, isn’t astir having affirmative leaders – nan squad has plentifulness of those. What they’re missing is personification consenting to clasp players accountable pinch sadistic honesty, particularly aft underperforming games for illustration their caller constrictive triumph against nan six-win Indiana Pacers.
“Thomas Bryant is not that he’s energetic, he’s personification who has won, gotten to nan NBA finals, but he’s for illustration this ray of sunshine that ever brings positivity,” Fedor explained. “They request an a-hole. That’s what they request successful nan locker room. And Georges was consenting astatine times to beryllium that.”
This activity void becomes peculiarly evident erstwhile examining nan personalities of nan Cavs’ existent core. Fedor points retired that neither Evan Mobley nor Jarrett Allen has that confrontational personality. Even Donovan Mitchell, for each his talents, isn’t people inclined toward that role.
“That’s not Evan. That’s not who he is. Right? That’s not Jarrett. That’s not who he is. And it’s not moreover really who Donovan is,” Fedor elaborated. “Donovan’s not that benignant of guy. He takes activity successful a different benignant of form.”
The opposition betwixt past season’s roster and this year’s becomes stark erstwhile viewing it done this lens.
Niang and LeVert provided much than conscionable on-court accumulation – they created a locker room move that kept players accountable. Without them, there’s a void that’s progressively evident arsenic nan squad struggles to play complete games against moreover nan league’s worst competition.
Fedor went truthful acold arsenic to propose a imaginable solution that mightiness raise eyebrows: “I deliberation nan Cavs should look to waste and acquisition for Georges Nang. I do. Or a feline for illustration him ... personification for illustration that, that tin travel successful and benignant of for illustration ruffle feathers successful nan locker room, that guy, I deliberation they should look astatine perchance trading for.”
The business evokes memories of nan Cavaliers’ 2018 play erstwhile then-general head Koby Altman wholly overhauled nan roster mid-season because, arsenic Fedor described it, they were “marching a slow death” pinch mediocre locker room dynamics. While nan existent business isn’t that dire, nan parallel suggests a imaginable area for betterment earlier nan waste and acquisition deadline.
The astir telling facet of Fedor’s study came erstwhile he described what would person happened if Niang were still pinch nan squad aft their struggle against Indiana: “This was a crippled wherever I deliberation he would person spoken up successful nan locker room afterward and said, no, not bully enough. Indiana sucks.”
For Cavaliers fans looking for penetration into what’s happening down nan scenes and what mightiness beryllium holding this squad backmost from reaching its potential, this section of nan Wine and Gold Talk podcast provides a fascinating look astatine nan intangibles that title teams require. Listen to nan afloat speech betwixt Chris Fedor and big Ethan Sands to perceive nan complete breakdown of Cleveland’s activity challenges.
Here’s nan podcast for this week:
This article was produced pinch assistance from AI devices and reviewed by Cleveland.com staff.
