If the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to wake up from the nightmare they're in right now, it will take a team effort. After the wine and gold's latest 127-111 loss on the road to the Chicago Bulls, Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen are electing to uplift rather than scold while this group tries to find a way out of a near-season-long funk.
“Just stick with it,” Mitchell told reporters following the game. “Yes, it's frustrating. It sucks. But at the end of the day, what are you gonna do, feel bad? You know what I mean? It's December 17. What are we gonna do, call it in right now? Keep going. Keep doing it. And some of it too is we're not making shots. It's tough. We're getting great looks, and we have a lot of really, really good shooters. Sometimes, that's just how it goes for a little bit, you know what I mean? That's to no fault. Sometimes, you're just in a rut. You've kinda got to accept it.”
“I mean, everybody thinks of everything that could be going wrong, but at the end of the day, I'm gonna stick with the team,” Allen added. “That's the easiest thing to do; you could think bad about what's going on now, you could give up, but at the end of the day, if you keep trying, keep fighting, things are gonna go right eventually.”
The Cavs allowed 68 points in the paint to the Bulls, many of which came in transition and off turnovers. Cleveland had the shot profile it desired once again, but an uncharacteristic 20 miscues proved costly and gave Chicago odd-man advantages. However, even in the half-court, the Cavs' defense lacked awareness on back cuts and couldn't keep up with the speedier home team after makes or misses.
The Bulls also threw a 2-3 zone at the Cavs after a 28-16 start, completely disrupting any rhythm the visitors had from the outset. Though Cleveland ended up shooting a respectable 48.3% from the floor, it went a paltry 12-of-39 from downtown.
“Guys are in there, guys are working on their games,” Mitchell said. “It's not like the habits aren't there, right? Obviously, defensively, we've got to clean that up. But offensively, we keep getting good looks. Sometimes, the shot's just not falling which then leads to them scoring and we don't, then ultimately we lose.
“I believe in everybody in this locker room, we believe in each other, and it's gonna turn. But you can't sit here and tuck your tail between your legs and be sad just because we're getting booed and we're not playing well. There's an expectation. We [have] an expectation to be a championship team; we're not even close to playing like it. So, that's just what that is. I would always rather [have] this today than a few months from now. So stick with it, stick with each other, which we are, and go from there.”
Pressed on why that faith is holding strong, Mitchell states it's because Cleveland hasn't been, and still isn't, at full strength. Connectors like Sam Merrill and Max Strus have been missed offensively, as well as the recently shelved Evan Mobley.
“We're not healthy. I don't know how else to put it,” Mitchell said reluctantly, not wanting to make an excuse for Cleveland's shortcomings. “They help with a lot of the things that we're struggling with offensively. Defensively, we can be who we are. But I think offensively, even just their presence, that's what gives me belief.
“We know who we are as a complete group. We saw it in training camp. We had a really good belief coming into the season. We played well to start the season. Obviously, we gradually became inconsistent, but I believe in everybody in this locker room as we should because we've shown that we can be that team. Now, it's just a matter of sticking with it, sticking with the mental, not letting the outside noise affect your mental. Just say, ‘Hey, we've got this,' and we'll be alright.”
Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson isn't second-guessing his group, either, remaining steadfast in his trust. He pointed out the positives, like Mitchell playing while under the weather, Allen giving them solid minutes, Darius Garland looking more like himself, Craig Porter Jr. giving Cleveland “really good” minutes, and getting stops in zone coverage.
“Our job is to keep trying and keep tweaking,” Atkinson said. “Move lineups around, try different guys, give different guys chances. We've got some guys in a funk, some guys that are not grooving right now, so try to find a way to help them, try to create lineups that can help them the most. I don't think staying status quo is the way to go when you're struggling. You've got to keep looking at different things.
“I would say, during these times, you discover a lot about yourself, you discover a lot about your team. You can find things, too, find things that can help you down the line.”
Allen feels that getting out of this rough spell will just take time. He and the Cavs don't know how much it requires, though.
“Teams go through ruts all the time,” Allen said. “Sometimes it takes some time to get out of 'em. Like Indiana last year, that's a perfect point of view. They didn't have the best start to the season. Look at us now, we're in the same position sort of… You can see flashes of it. You can see who we are. You can see us on the court having great stretches. So we know who we are.”
Mitchell doesn't see any in-fighting or heads dropping despite Cleveland's back-to-back losses and fourth in its last six games. There have been a lot of opportunities for the wine and gold to pull apart amid these frustrating times; they've stayed strong through it all in response — which reflects the six-time All-Star's message.
“If we're gonna sit here — and I'm not saying we are — if we sit here and feel sorry and, ‘Oh, woe is me' in December… Stick with it,” Mitchell said. “I've been in this position before. It's a lot of season left, a lot of time left. It sucks. It's not great. But stick with it. Keep your spirit. Keep your togetherness, and go from there.”
