Kendrick Perkins is already wondering whether the Cavaliers could be staring at a coaching change, even with Kenny Atkinson fresh off a Coach of the Year season.
Cleveland sits at 5-6 after 11 games, and that slow start has Perkins thinking the pressure could rise quickly. The Cavaliers reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season, but Monday’s 12-point loss to the Charlotte Hornets only added to the noise. James Harden and Donovan Mitchell combined to shoot 7/20 from the field and finished with 21 points in a rough night for the offense.
Atkinson’s résumé in Cleveland is still strong. The Cavaliers hired him in 2024, and the New York native won the 2024-25 Coach of the Year Award. He is 121-54 in the regular season and 13-14 in the playoffs with the Wine and Gold.
The bigger issue around the team may be the broader picture. Cleveland was swept by the New York Knicks in the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals, and while plenty of people expected LeBron James to return home this summer and finish his career where it began, he instead signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, who are 9-2.
The roster is also tied up financially. The Cavaliers are $45,000 below the first apron and are projected to be $12 million under the second apron in 2027-28. If Jaylon Tyson signs a rookie extension next summer, they would go over the second apron for a second time in four years.
They also do not control any tradable first-round picks over the next three seasons. Mitchell, Harden, Evan Mobley, Peyton Watson and Jarrett Allen are set to account for at least 85% of the salary cap over the next three seasons.
Watson arrived from the Denver Nuggets this offseason in a sign-and-trade and signed a four-year, $88 million deal with a player option and trade kicker. Mitchell also locked in this summer, agreeing to a four-year, $273 million maximum extension. He has said repeatedly that he wants to finish his career in Cleveland, though that would require him to push the franchise all the way to the NBA Finals.
Harden returned on a three-year, $96 million contract after Cleveland re-signed him this offseason. He reached the NBA Finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012, but has not been back since.
Mobley is also on a major deal after signing a five-year, $269 million extension in 2024. The Cavaliers were not interested in moving him to the Milwaukee Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was traded to the Miami Heat, and they also had no interest in sending him to the 76ers for Jaylen Brown, who was traded there.
In Other News...
Cavs Got The Offensive Spark Fans Have Been Waiting For
The Cavaliers finally found the kind of offensive rhythm that has been missing in stretches this season, and it came in a win over the Knicks. James Harden set the tone with 32 points and four assists, while Donovan Mitchell added 23 points and seven rebounds to keep the pressure on New York. Jarrett Allen chipped in 11 points and 14 rebounds, giving Cleveland a steady inside presence, and the overall performance had the feel of a night when the ball moved with purpose and the scoring load was spread more naturally.
Tyrese Proctor also gave the Cavs a useful lift with 15 points, another encouraging sign for a team still sorting out its rotation and looking for reliable secondary scoring. For Cleveland, the bigger question now is whether this was just a strong one-off against the Knicks or the start of a more consistent offensive spark that can carry into the next stretch of games. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Finally Delivered The Kind Of Response Fans Needed
After a shaky stretch that had started to raise questions, the Cavaliers got the kind of road response they needed at Madison Square Garden, beating the Knicks 115-107 and snapping a two-game losing streak. Clevelands offense found enough rhythm to steady things, and Donovan Mitchell was central to that push with 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Cavs moved back to 6-6.
The bigger takeaway was that Cleveland didnt let the night drift away once New York made it uncomfortable in the fourth quarter. James Hardens season-high 32 points gave the Cavaliers a needed scoring lift, and the win offered a cleaner snapshot of what this group can look like when it has to answer a challenge rather than absorb one. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Pressure Is Rising Fast But Kenny Atkinson May Not Be The Problem
A 5-6 start has a way of turning up the heat quickly, and the Cavaliers are already feeling it. Kenny Atkinson is the face of the sideline scrutiny, but the early-season frustration has been shaped as much by the roster around him as by anything happening in the coaching box, with the team not getting the kind of lift it expected from key pieces.
James Harden has been part of that conversation, and so has Peyton Watson, whose play has slipped from what he gave last season. When the production from important additions and veterans falls off at the same time, the pressure inevitably rolls uphill, and Atkinsons margin for error may not stay wide for long if Cleveland cannot find some traction soon. [Read more 🡒]