The Cleveland Cavaliers have found success post-Lebron James era and it has a lot to do with their great draft choices and acquisition of Donovan Mitchell. They still don’t strike fear on opponents’ hearts though and to two former teammates of King James, it has something to do with lacking personnel that screams toughness.
Mitchell arrived in Cleveland in 2022 and they haven’t missed the playoffs since then. They also got players who became All-Stars at least once like Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. Mobley even became Defensive Player of the Year last season.
While they got a good core, they haven’t had significant success. The first season was a first round exit while the last two saw them get eliminated in the second round.
Fast forward to this new season, they haven’t established himself well yet unlike the last one as they currently sit in the fourth place of the Eastern Conference standings with a 10-6 record. They lost their most recent game and the twin towers were outplayed by Alperen Sengun all by himself.
Perkins thought the Cavs’ big men are soft.
“They dominated them on the glass,” Perkins said during his appearance at the Awful Announcing show.
“They dominated them in the paint. And there’s zero excuses because you have Evan Mobley, who is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. You have Jarrett Allen. You have two twin towers that are available. But the only reason that they’re not getting it done is because they’re soft. They’re creamy in the middle.”
Perkins played a half season for the Cavaliers in 2015.
Danny Green criticizes Cleveland Cavaliers
Danny Green, who started with the Cavs and also played with James and won the 2020 title together in the Los Angeles Lakers, has the same thought. He thought he saw it in their loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
“They’ve been lacking (toughness) for the last 2 or 3 years…they’ve been known to be bullied,” Green said.
“For them to get outrebounded 51-39 is inexcusable. They got to find a way to get some dawgs or bring some dawg out of those guys.”
Danny Green on the Cavs:
“They’ve been lacking (toughness) for the last 2 or 3 years…they’ve been known to be bullied. For them to get outrebounded 51-39 is inexcusable. They got to find a way to get some dawgs or bring some dawg out of those guys” pic.twitter.com/Qn4HQrFkJv
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) November 20, 2025
Stats say rebounding is one of the main issues whenever Cavs lose a game. They outrebounded the Milwaukee Bucks and the Memphis Grizzlies in their last two wins but then they were outrebonuded by the Toronto Raptors, 37-43 in the loss.
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