CLEVELAND, Ohio — The latest episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast tackled a question at the center of the Cavaliers’ championship hopes: Do they have enough “winning players” to truly contend? What followed was a thoughtful debate between host Ethan Sands and cleveland.com Cavs beat reporter Chris Fedor, revealing stark differences in how they view Cleveland’s current roster construction.
The duo spent the episode unpacking what defines a “winning player” in today’s NBA: someone whose game translates to playoff basketball, who delivers in high-pressure moments, and who isn’t easily neutralized in a seven-game series.
When asked directly about the Cavs’ quotient of “winning players,” Fedor didn’t mince words.
“I don’t think they have enough winning players, if we’re being perfectly honest about it,” he said.
Fedor pinpointed only four current Cavaliers who meet that threshold — Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Max Strus, and De’Andre Hunter — noticeably omitting Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen from the list.
“I think the number’s four. I don’t think that’s a great number for a team that has championship aspirations,” he said, suggesting Cleveland’s title ceiling may already be capped by its personnel.
Sands pushed back, arguing that the Cavaliers’ playoff shortcomings have more to do with unreliable role players than fundamental flaws in their core.
“I’m more of a belief that around the margins, the Cavs could not trust or believe in some of these players enough to hand the keys to them, even for a quarter,” he countered, pointing to the lack of dependable bench production in the playoffs.
Both hosts looked to the ongoing NBA Finals between Indiana and Oklahoma City for comparison — two teams thriving not just because of star talent but due to timely contributions from versatile, playoff-tested role players.
“It feels like to me that they need to make changes around the margins to bring in more winning heavy players or players that have the capabilities and the skill sets to match or meet the moment, and also limit the amount of liability in the players around them,” Sands added, advocating for targeted improvements rather than a teardown.
At the heart of this conversation lies the question [Cleveland’s front office must answer this summer](https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2025/05/the-five-keys-to-kenny-atkinsons-summer-plan-for-the-cavs.html): Is the team’s current core equipped to contend with better support, or are deeper changes needed to reach the next level?
For Cavs fans, the debate offers a valuable framework for evaluating the offseason. Each move — whether it’s a small tweak or a seismic shift — will reflect the organization’s belief in its current foundation.
As the podcast made clear, talent alone isn’t enough. Playoff success demands the right mix of fit, toughness, and versatility. Whether the Cavaliers have enough “winning players” to meet that standard is still up for debate — but how they answer that question could shape the franchise for years to come.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
_Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Cleveland Wine and Gold Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions._