CLEVELAND, Ohio — A shocking revelation from Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson after Friday’s narrow win over the Washington Wizards has the Wine and Gold Talk podcast questioning the team’s coaching decisions and player-coach dynamics.
In what podcast host Ethan Sands described as “appalling,” Atkinson admitted after the game that he wasn’t planning to reinsert spark plug Craig Porter Jr. into the lineup during the fourth quarter — a move that proved critical to the Cavaliers’ comeback.
“Johnnie Bryant, the associate head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers, had to urge Kenny Atkinson to try something different, to put Craig Porter Jr. back in the game. That allowed the Cavs to get back into this contest,” Sands revealed.
Porter Jr. played just 11 minutes total, with only five minutes of action before entering in the fourth quarter.
Upon his return, he immediately made an impact with rebounding, facilitating and energy that helped spark Cleveland’s rally from a 17-point deficit.
The reluctance to play Porter Jr. more minutes is part of a larger pattern that is concerning about Atkinson’s rotation decisions and, more broadly, whether the team is responding to coaching at all.
“Tuesday’s film session was primarily about defense,” Cleveland.com Cavs beat reporter Chris Fedor explained. “And to have that kind of defensive performance on the heels of that, it makes you feel like this is a team that is tuning out their coach. That’s what it feels like. Whether it is or it isn’t, that’s how it feels. That’s what it looks like.”
Cleveland allowed 40 points in the third quarter and 36 in the second to a Wizards team that has won just three games all season.
Fedor acknowledged the delicate balance coaches face when considering benching established stars like Darius Garland, but argued that at some point, performance must dictate playing time.
“When you look at the entirety of the game, the minute load of Darius compared to Craig, it just didn’t match what you were seeing. It didn’t match what was happening out there on the floor,” Fedor said. “So it was unfortunate because I do think at some point Kenny’s going to have to make that difficult decision.”
That difficult decision involves potentially sending a message by adjusting minutes.
“They care about minutes. They care about who’s out there in the fourth quarter in pressure packed moments. All that kind of stuff matters to these guys. All that kind of stuff is a way to maybe open their eyes a little bit more,” Fedor explained.
Porter Jr.’s impact was immediate and noticeable each time he entered the game. Fedor noted that during one stretch, Porter grabbed “four offensive rebounds in the span of like two minutes” and created a palpable energy shift.
“But if he’s going to do the things that you’re asking him to do, if he’s going to make that kind of impact at some point, you just have to reward him,” Fedor concluded. “Tonight would have been an opportunity to do that.”
The situation raises serious questions about Cleveland’s coaching dynamics as they prepare for their upcoming stretch of games. With players like Porter Jr. making the most of limited opportunities while established stars struggle, will Atkinson make the difficult decisions necessary to maximize the team’s potential?
For the complete breakdown of the coaching decisions, player performances, and what it all means for the Cavaliers moving forward, listen to the full episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast, where Ethan and Chris provide unfiltered analysis of Cleveland’s concerning win over Washington.
Here’s the podcast for this week: