Dion Waiters on Cavaliers struggles: ‘We gotta be men’

The Cleveland Cavaliers may or may not be shopping second year guard Dion Waiters, but amid the trade rumors, Waiters is attempting to emerge as a vocal leader.

Sitting at 4-12 and losers of five straight, Waiters said that the team needed to step up after their most recent loss to the Boston Celtics, suggesting that it’s not a little boys league and that they ‘gotta be men’:

"“We gotta be men. We gotta grow up. This is not no little boys league. We can’t just turn it around and think it’s gonna be easy. This is a man’s league so at the end of the day we gotta bring it. Every night everybody gotta be on the same page. It’s a team game so at the end of the day we gotta go out there and have each other’s backs. No matter what. Losing, winning. We gotta weather the storm. I feel like we can weather it if we just go out here and do what we do.”"

It’s not often you see a young player step up and attempt to be a vocal leader, essentially calling out his teammates (in a positive way, if there is such) for their sub-par play.

Of course, Waiters isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for good play as his iffy shot selection has his field goal percentage dipping below 40%, but you do like to see the attempt at leadership.