Dion Waiters on Cavaliers struggles: ‘We gotta be men’
By Bryan Rose
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.