CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs have made a strategic decision that’s causing significant ripples throughout their fanbase: November simply doesn’t matter.
It’s not that they don’t want to win games. It’s that they’re playing a longer, more sophisticated game focused on May and June — and they’re willing to accept early-season turbulence to get there.
“The Cavs don’t give a rip about November. They don’t,” cleveland.com beat reporter Chris Fedor stated bluntly on the latest Wine and Gold Talk podcast. “They’re competitive and they want to win these games when they’re in that moment, but they’re not sweating results.”
This approach stems directly from the team’s painful playoff exit last season.
Despite winning 64 games and featuring one of the NBA’s historically great offenses, the Cavaliers fell to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“Max Strus said this during his end of season wrap up, and it’s part of what made the loss in the Eastern Conference semifinals to Indiana so difficult for these guys to process,” Fedor explained. “They felt like that was a lost opportunity. They felt like that was a special team that had what it took to win a championship, and they were wrong about that.”
That realization has fundamentally changed the team’s approach.
Instead of pursuing regular-season dominance, they’re using these early months as an extended laboratory to experiment with lineups, develop new skills, and identify what works — and what doesn’t — before the games truly matter.
This philosophy manifests in several ways.
Evan Mobley’s dramatically changed offensive role is one example, with the young star taking significantly more jumpers and handling the ball more frequently away from the basket. The team is also implementing aggressive load management, including sitting both Donovan Mitchell and Mobley for Wednesday’s game against Miami despite having a day off before the contest.
This long-view approach has created a stark divide among fans. Some, like Lloyd from Mayfield Heights, fully embrace the strategy: “As a fan, I am prepared to sacrifice November wins for May/June wins,” he wrote to the podcast.
Others feel betrayed by what they perceive as a lack of urgency and commitment, especially considering the financial investment required to support the team.
As podcast host Ethan Sands noted, “a fan literally sent a subtext saying, hey, I’m going to cancel my season tickets because if Evan Mobley can’t play 30 minutes after a day off like today, why am I watching?”
This tension reflects the evolving expectations surrounding the franchise.
After last season’s success, the bar has been raised. Fans no longer view the team through a “rebuilding” lens.
Despite the criticism, the Cavaliers’ front office and coaching staff remain committed to their approach. At 7-4 through 11 games, they remain among the Eastern Conference’s better teams — not dominant like last year’s regular-season juggernaut but positioned well enough to develop their new identity without sacrificing their playoff positioning.
The ultimate verdict on this strategy won’t come in November, December, or even March. It will arrive in the postseason, where the Cavaliers hope all these early sacrifices and experiments will transform into a more battle-tested, versatile team capable of overcoming the playoff hurdles that stopped last year’s record-setting squad.
Until then, the debate between immediate gratification and long-term vision will continue to define the conversation around a team that’s deliberately chosen to prioritize its final destination over the journey to get there.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our [User Agreement](https://www.advancelocal.com/advancelocalUserAgreement/user-agreement.html) and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our [Privacy Policy.](https://www.advancelocal.com/advancelocalUserAgreement/privacy-policy.html)