Since taking over as head coach, Kenny Atkinson has always been constructive in his criticisms of the Cleveland Cavaliers. This endearing quality has earned him the buy-in of his players, the adoration of the fan base, and the trust of the organization.
But Wednesday's words before the wine and gold's season opener against the New York Knicks felt different.
Blunt, direct, and to the point, Atkinson emphasized the sense of urgency the Cavs must have in the season ahead: “The Cavs, I keep saying it, we have a lot to prove. [We're] 11-15 over the last three years in the playoffs. It's not one year. It's two years, it's three years of this core group, and we kind of know that there's another level we can get to. The Knicks have gotten to the conference finals. They've done it. They're saying we're contenders.
“To me, contenders are when you go to the conference finals or the Finals. Our step is we've got to get out of the second round first before we start talking all these expectations and stuff, so that's where we are with our mentality. We have a lot to prove.”
Less than a week into the season, Atkinson is making it clear that there will be no beating around the bush, whether behind closed doors or in the public eye. Ironically, a question about how good the Knicks are when healthy prompted Atkinson's impassioned response.
Harsh honesty may be what's needed for Cleveland to take that leap from great to elite. There is an “elephant in the room” that the Cavs can no longer ignore. Each person in that locker room who's been around for the last three years — and some longer — is accepting it in order to get past it.
“Everybody in the locker room knows it's all on us,” Darius Garland told ClutchPoints on Media Day last month. “It's on the players.”
“He came in and put our playoff record up there,” Mitchell added Friday in Brooklyn. “You put that up there because you have a relationship. You're able to hold guys accountable. You're able to talk to guys. Not to say he couldn't at the beginning, but he was doing France [national team coaching] and different things. Now, you know how to speak and what gets us to a point.”
Atkinson revealed that his pointed record message has been used as bulletin board material from the beginning of training camp. He waited to share that with the media until the season's first game.
“We want to change it,” Evan Mobley said Sunday of his reaction when asked by ClutchPoints. “That's the big thing. So as we're going through this regular season, we're really thinking about the playoffs more so than the individual games and just gearing up every single game, getting better, seeing what teams are gonna do in the playoffs and how physical they're gonna play and stuff like that. So just making those adjustments early on and getting better each game, so by playoff time, we're ready to change that.”
“Honestly, you've just got to keep moving forward,” added Jarrett Allen, the third-longest tenured player on Cleveland's roster. “Things happen. If you stop and sulk for too long, you’re gonna get left behind. So at some point, we just have to learn to keep taking the step forward and another step and another step and just become better people… It didn’t end how we wanted to last year. We didn’t make the strides that we were supposed to, and this year, we've just got to come back better.”
Despite being unable to play at this moment, Max Strus has noticed Mobley and the Core Four's growth and maturity rise since this summer.
“I think everybody kind of took it personal last year and realizes what's at hand here, how special this group of players is and this team that we have,” Strus said on Media Day. “You don't want to waste years.”
“We just didn't play up to our expectation, our potential, especially in the second round of the playoffs,” Dean Wade added. “I think that ate a lot at everyone after the season, and I think it motivated everyone in the offseason to wake up.”
The Cavs can handle the truth
Mitchell feels that a whole offseason and season-long sample size have pushed Atkinson to assess the situation.
“He understands like, ‘Hey, this is what it is.’ It started there. He was with Craig [Porter Jr.]. He was with Tyrese [Proctor] when he got drafted. Challenging everybody in different ways. And when your head coach is doing that, I respect the hell out of that because it trickles down, and you're going to see it and continue to evolve. Obviously, when we're all healthy, we look to continue to build on what we've been doing. It starts with us. But having Kenny continue to hold us accountable is big time.”
Mobley embraces Atkinson's method of telling it like it is.
“He's very transparent,” he said. “He's up front about what he thinks and stuff like that, so it allows us to be up front with him as well, and he takes our side and we just go back-and-forth on what's best for us. I think that's why we had such a successful season last year, so I think that's what will carry over this year.”
“I think the players know what it is,” Atkinson added. “I think guys love that transparency. We've got a core group that's been a part of that; it's three seasons. Now, on the flip side, it takes a while to break through in this league. We know the history of this league and how hard it is to get to that next level, but that's the reality of it. It's not like we haven't done anything; that's false saying that. Winning 64 games, all that, first seed, that's doing something. But when it comes to the playoffs, we've got a lot to prove. We've got to meet that, we've got to love that challenge.”
Whatever Atkinson's motivation was, it came across loud and clear in the Knicks' press room last week.
“We're open about it, talking about it. That's the first step,” Atkinson said. “They know what that looks like. From a coaching standpoint, we also have to give them something. Like, what are we changing? How are we tweaking? We're not gonna change everything. We're not gonna be ‘the new Cavs.' We do a lot of things really well.
“But there are tweaks tactically. So tactical tweaks, physically better conditioning-wise and all that, and then, arrive when it's money time with our roster and tact and best players healthy.”
The Cavs didn't get off to a winning start at Madison Square Garden, falling 119-111 to the New York Knicks. They've responded with back-to-back victories, one on the road against the Brooklyn Nets and another in Cleveland's home opener over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Atkinson and the locker room would be the first to tell you that the results won't be the primary focus this season. It's about the habits they'll build, integrating young players into the rotation, and getting on the same page with one another.
“Any organization, team that succeeds at a high level has to have a high level of accountability as well, and I think that's something that we're growing in,” Sam Merrill said Sunday. “Kenny's not afraid to get on Don or EV or DG, and Don's not afraid to get on himself… I think us growing and being willing to say whatever needs to be said is really important. Especially because we have such good guys and people won’t take it personally and whatnot.”
The Cavs are already being tested with Garland and Max Strus out, which should benefit their preparation in the long run.
But this time, no matter what happens, there will be no cushion to fall back on if the team falls flat again.
