The Cavs have to accept, change the uncomfortable truth in order to live up to the expectations of an NBA title

Since taking over as head coach, Kenny Atkinson was always constructive in his criticisms Cleveland Cavaliers. This endearing quality has earned him the participation of his players, the adoration of his fan base and trust of the organization.

But he settled the words before the wine and the gold season opener against the New York Knicks, it felt different.

Tough, direct and to the point, Atkinson emphasized the sense of urgency the Cavs must have going into the season ahead: “Cavs, I keep saying, we have a lot to prove. (We’re) 11-15 the last three years in the playoffs. It’s not one year. It’s two years, it’s this type of group, we can get another level, and we can get another level. The Knicks made it to the conference finals. They did it. They say we are candidates.

“To me, they’re contenders when you go to the conference finals or the finals. Our step is we have to get out of the second round first before we start talking about all these expectations and stuff, so we’re there with our mentality. We’ve got a lot to prove.”

Less than a week into the season, Atkinson is making it clear that there will be no bashing, either behind closed doors or in the public eye. Ironically, the question of Fr how good the Knicks are when healthy prompted Atkinson’s impassioned response.

Harsh honesty may be what Cleveland needs to make that jump from great to elite. There is an “elephant in the room” that the Cavs can no longer ignore. Every person in that locker room that’s been around for the last three years – and some longer – accepts that to get over it.

“Everyone in the dressing room knows that everything is up to us” Darius Garland he told ClutchPoints at Media Day last month. “It’s up to the players.”

“He came in and set our playoff record there,” Mitchell added Friday in Brooklyn. “You put that in there because you have a relationship. You can hold guys accountable. You can talk to guys. Not to say he couldn’t at first, but he worked in France (national team coach) and stuff. Now you know how to talk and what gets us to the point.”

Atkinson revealed that his precise message has been used as bulletin board material since the start of training camp. He waited to share it with the media until the first game of the season.

“We want to change that,” Evan Mobley he said on Sunday in his reaction to ClutchPoint’s question. “That’s a big thing. So as we go through this regular season, we’re really thinking about the playoffs more than individual games and just preparing for each game, getting better, seeing what teams are going to do in the playoffs and how they’re going to play physically and stuff. So we’re just making those adjustments early and getting better every game, so we’re changing it up.”

“Honestly, you just have to keep moving forward,” he added Jarrett Allenthe third-longest-tenured player on Cleveland’s roster. “Things happen. If you stop and sulk too long, you’re going to get left behind. So at some point, we just have to learn to keep taking a step forward and another step and another step and just become better people. . . . It didn’t end the way we wanted to last year. We didn’t make the steps we needed to, and this year we just had to come back better.”

Despite what it is i can’t play right nowMax Struss has noted the growth and maturity of Mobley and the Core Four since this summer.

“I think everybody took that personally last year and realizes what’s at hand here, how special this group of players is and this team that we have,” Struss said at Media Day. “You don’t want to waste years.”

“We just didn’t live up to our expectations, our potential, especially in the second round of the playoffs,” Dean Wade added. “I think it ate at everybody a lot after the season, and I think it motivated everybody in the offseason to wake up.”

The Cavs can handle the truth

Mitchell believes the entire offseason and the sample size throughout the season forced Atkinson to evaluate the situation.

“He understands like, ‘Hey, this is it.’ That’s where it started. He was with Craig (Porter Jr.). He was with Tyreese (Proctor) when he was recruited. Challenge everyone in different ways. And when your head coach does that, I respect the hell out of it because it trickles down, and you’re going to see it and continue to develop. Obviously, when we’re all healthy, we’re looking to continue to build on what we’ve been doing. It starts with us. But that Kenny continues to consider us time is a big thing for those responsible.”

Mobley embraces Atkinson’s method of telling it like it is.

“It’s very transparent,” he said. “He’s upfront about what he’s thinking and stuff, so it allows us to be in front of him as well, and he’s on our side and we’re just going back and forth about what’s best for us. I think that’s why we had such a successful season last year, so I think that’s what’s going to carry over this year.”

“I think the players know what it is,” Atkinson added. “I think the guys like that transparency. We have a core group that’s been a part of it; it’s been three seasons. Now, on the other hand, it takes a while to break into this league. We know the history of this league and how hard it is to get to the next level, but that’s the reality. It’s not that we didn’t beat everything that was fake, it’s the first, the 4th seed, that does something, but when it comes to the playoffs, we have a lot to prove. We have to let’s face it, we have to love the challenge.”

Whatever Atkinson’s motivation was, it came through loud and clear in the Knicks press room last week.

“We’re open about it, we’re talking about it. That’s the first step,” Atkinson said. “They know what it looks like. From a coach’s standpoint, we also have to give them something. Like, what are we changing? How are we adjusting? We’re not going to change everything. We’re not going to be the ‘new Cavs.’ We do a lot of things really well.

“But there are tactical adjustments. So, tactical adjustments, physically better conditioning and all that, and then we arrive when it’s time for the money with our roster and tact and our best players healthy.”

The Cavs didn’t get off to a winning start at Madison Square Garden, falling 119-111 to the New York Knicks. They responded with back-to-back wins, one on the road against the Brooklyn Nets and the other in Cleveland’s opener over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Atkinson and the dressing room would be the first to tell you that results will not be the primary focus this season. It’s about the habits they will acquire, integrating young players into the rotationand to be on the same page with each other.

“Any organization, any team that succeeds at a high level also has to have a high level of accountability, and I think that’s something we’re growing into,” Sam Merrill said Sunday. “Kenny’s not afraid to get on Don or EV or DG and Don’s not afraid to get on himself… I think it’s really important for us to grow and be willing to say whatever needs to be said. Especially because we have such good guys and people won’t take it personally and whatnot.”

The Cavs are already testing with Garland and Max Strass, which should benefit their preparation in the long run.

But this time, whatever happens, there will be no cushion to fall back on if the team goes down again.