The Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs in the second round. They lost four of their five games against the Indiana Pacers. Kenny Atkinson’s team was dealing with multiple injury issues.
During that series against the Pacers, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter all missed time. In a recent episode of the “Gils Arena” podcast, former NBA star Kenyon Martin questioned the trio’s commitment.
“You don’t suit up, bro, give me something? We’re already down Darius Garland, we know he ain’t healthy,” Martin said. “We know this going into it, he missed Game 1. So him playing in Game 2 is slim and none. We’ve got to this point, De’Andre Hunter, when you came in, we started playing better. Evan Mobley, we rely on you nightly. It ain’t just your points; it’s your defensive presence, it’s you being out there, it’s something that we could use. When they didn’t play in Game 2 I’m like, ‘Oh man they ain’t going to beat nobody, ain’t got no heart.”
Martin’s comments will likely mirror the sentiment from some sections of the Cavaliers fanbase. Nevertheless, coaches have to protect their players. If there’s a risk of making an injury worse, it’s wise to keep players out of the rotation.
Nevertheless, there’s no denying that Cleveland’s elimination, in part, was down to the roster being hit by multiple injuries to key contributors.
Koby Altman Shares Thoughts on Darius Garland
Garland is the player who came in for the most criticism during the postseason. He’s consistently struggled in the playoffs, as opposing teams target him on defense and use physicality to take him off his game. So, when he struggled to remain healthy this time around, the frustrations grew louder.
Garland missed some of the first-round series against the Miami Heat and some of the Pacers series. He was suffering from a strained big toe.
“That’s a durability question,” Koby Altman said during a recent news conference. “How does he get physically stronger? How does he get mentally stronger? And he’s still 25, so he’s young. But there’s a level that he has to get to from a body standpoint.”
Altman also noted how Garland must improve from a physical standpoint.
“He (Garland) needs to get stronger so he can compete at the highest level,” Altman said. “It’s the same thing that [happened] with Stephen Curry. … Now, Steph is all-world. I’m not making that comparison. But Steph got stronger … over his years. He’s a different physical specimen than he was when he first started playing.”
Cavaliers Look Better Without Garland
When speaking to the media after the Cavaliers eliminated the Miami Heat, veteran forward Kyle Anderson admitted Atkinson’s team was tougher to deal with when Garland was out of the rotation.
“If you want my honest answer,” Anderson said. “And I don’t mean to throw shots at anybody…They looked like a better team without Garland on the floor. I don’t know the numbers or anything. I think it played more to their favor once Garland wasn’t on the floor. They were able to dictate the tempo. Get more stops on defense, and it was harder for us to score. They had more guys out there on defense. Once we came across that, it got tougher for us.”
With multiple members of the roster receiving criticism, the Cavaliers are in for a tough summer. Nevertheless, this is still the same roster that dominated the regular season. With some slight tweaks to the team, Cleveland can still emerge as a genuine contender. As such, Altman must be smart in how he improves the current roster. If he can add some fresh talent this summer, Cleveland could be right back in the mix next season.
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Cavaliers Stars’ Receive Scathing Criticism From Former NBA Star