Pressure is beginning to mount in Cleveland as expectations collide with reality. According to reporting from Chris Fedor, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is growing increasingly frustrated with what he has seen through the first quarter of the season, raising questions about whether changes could be on the horizon.
“Two sources with knowledge of the situation say that Dan Gilbert is very unhappy about what is going on,” Fedor said. “He turns on the games and he hears boos four times in the last five games? It’s the highest payroll in the NBA, and it’s the only team in the second apron. He’s willing to do that when he thinks the team has a chance to win a championship, but when you see this 29 games in, you start asking questions.”
It is never easy failing to meet expectations, and the Cavaliers are playing well below their talent level. That frustration is only magnified by the financial commitment behind this roster, which is one of the largest in the league. Currently, Cleveland sits alone in the second apron, a position typically reserved for true title contenders. With long-term money tied up in Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, the Cavaliers have no easy way of breaking up this underachieving roster.
What makes the current struggles harder to stomach is how recently this team was cruising through the Eastern Conference. Just last season, this same core won 64 games, dominated the regular season, and looked like one of the NBA’s most stable long-term builds.
This year, however, has told a different story. The Cavaliers have looked like an entirely different team and a far cry from the one that finished first in the standings. After recent back-to-back losses to the Bulls, they are now losers of three straight games and sit at 15-14 in the East. Among other issues, they have struggled to sustain momentum, close games, and consistently meet the standard they set for themselves in the 2023-24 campaign.
While Cleveland is dealing with multiple problems, the biggest drop-off from last season has come on the defensive end. The Cavaliers rank 15th in defensive rating, allowing 114.7 points per game. In 2023-24, they ranked eighth, allowing just 112.2 points per game.
Perhaps even more concerning is their shooting. Cleveland ranks 27th in three-point field goal percentage at 33.9 percent, a category they excelled in last season at 38.3 percent. Between defensive regression and unreliable shooting, the reasons for the team’s decline are becoming increasingly clear.
The question now for the Cavaliers is what comes next. With ownership visibly unhappy and struggles mounting, Cleveland profiles as a team that could explore changes at the deadline, potentially involving key rotation players such as Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Lonzo Ball, or even Donovan Mitchell.
With expectations still high and patience clearly thinning, the Cavaliers are approaching a crossroads. The talent is there, but results have not followed, and ownership appears unwilling to wait much longer for answers. Whether that leads to a shakeup now or a deeper evaluation later, Cleveland’s margin for error is shrinking fast. The coming weeks could ultimately define not just this season, but the future direction of the franchise.
