CLEVELAND, Ohio — The most upsetting aspect of the Cavs’ playoff collapse wasn’t just losing to Indiana – it was how they lost.
As Wine and Gold Talk podcast host Ethan Sands bluntly stated, the team must “never get run off the floor again because that was embarrassing.”
This conditioning failure became painfully obvious as the series progressed.
The Pacers’ historic pace – “They played the fastest pace of any team in NBA history,” according to cleveland.com Cavs beat reporter Chris Fedor – exposed Cleveland’s inability to maintain championship-level intensity for 48 minutes.
The critical question haunting the organization all summer:
“How do we make sure that injuries aren’t a problem the way that they’ve been in the past? Was it just bad luck or do we have to dig deeper into these things?” Fedor revealed as the central question Kenny Atkinson has been examining.
The answer appears to be a complete philosophical shift in how the Cavaliers approach player management.
Rather than hoping key contributors magically stay healthy, the team is implementing customized plans for each roster member.
“The plan is for the entire roster,” Fedor explained. “It’s not just a Darius specific plan. They’re taking every individual component that we have and we’re mapping out what they think is going to be best for that player.”
This means veterans with injury histories like Larry Nance Jr. and Lonzo Ball will receive specialized treatment. “For somebody like Larry Nance Jr. playing in all 82 games doesn’t make sense,” Fedor noted. “For somebody like Larry Nance Jr. playing 25 to 30 minutes a night at this stage of his career where he’s at, it doesn’t make sense.”
Beyond individual management, the Cavaliers have strategically reshaped their roster to combat the depth disparity that became glaring against Indiana.
While casual fans might view Cleveland’s offseason as underwhelming, Fedor sees a deliberate pattern emerging.
“I feel like they have more playable playoff level players. And in this era, that’s what you need,” he said, highlighting how the Pacers’ success came from balance rather than star power. “If you look at the Pacers, there wasn’t a single player on their roster that averaged more than 33 minutes a night during their playoff run.”
The Cavaliers appear to have internalized this lesson. Larry Nance Jr. represents an upgrade over Tristan Thompson as backup center. Lonzo Ball provides more playoff viability than Ty Jerome.
“Do you see Lonzo Ball getting played off the floor in a playoff environment? I don’t, not as much,” Fedor argued. “Because, what’s the exploitable area of his game?”
This depth-focused approach addresses Cleveland’s conditioning dilemma from two angles.
First, it reduces regular season workloads for key players, preserving energy for playoff intensity.
Second, it provides viable alternatives when starters need rest during grueling postseason battles.
The message is clear: The Cavaliers are done hoping health luck changes. Instead, they’ve embraced an aggressive, proactive approach to ensure they’ll never again watch helplessly as a faster, more conditioned team runs them off the floor in April.
For complete analysis of the Cavaliers’ conditioning overhaul and player management plans, check out the full Wine and Gold Talk podcast episode with Chris Fedor and Ethan Sands.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
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