Charles Barkley didn't mince words when he called out the Cleveland Cavaliers players on Thursday night, following news that the team had fired head coach John Beilien just 54 games into his five-year contract. Barkley was critical of Cavs' players throughout the "thugs" controversy, and he really laid into the team during last night's episode of 'Inside The NBA' for the way they ran Beilein out of town.

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In criticizing the "ridiculous and unprofessional" way that the Cavs treated Beilein, Barkley made a point to call out Cavs veterans, such as Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, for not being leaders, and blasted the team's young stars, like Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, for thinking they're better than they really are.

“I want to call out the Cleveland Cavaliers. I thought what they did to coach Beilein was ridiculous, unprofessional,” Barkley said. “I think the veterans on that team were not leaders. I think the young guys on that team who can’t play think they are better than they are and they tried to get that man fired. They got that man fired ... I’m so disgusted by those players trying to get that man fired.

“John Beilein is a hell of a coach and I think he’s a good guy. But for those players to complain about ‘We’re practicing too hard, we’re watching too much film,’ because they stink. Because they stink. I just didn’t think that was fair. When a coach is wrong I’m going to call him out. When players are wrong I’m going to call them out. I’m disgusted by what the Cavaliers did to coach Beilein."

The Cavs (14-40, worst in the East) will play their first game under interim head coach J.B Bickerstaff on Friday night as they pay a visit to the nation's capital for a matchup with the Washington Wizards (20-33). Check out the video footage of Barkley's comments below.

When John Beilein was hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer, many around the league were skeptical. Beilein was known primarily as a great college coach who led the University of Michigan to a title game back in 2017. The fears of many were confirmed at the start of the season when the Cavaliers began to fall into old patterns. The team has been awful to start the season and it was quite clear that many throughout the team didn't exactly respect Beilein's opinion.

Over the last few weeks, there have been reports that Beilein and the Cavs were discussing a potential mutual separation. After much deliberation, it was revealed by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that the two sides had finally come to terms with a split. Simply put, Beilein is no longer the head coach.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly informed teams around the league that veteran center Tristan Thompson is available on the trade market as we approach the NBA's deadline on February 6th. According to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, the Cavs are in “asset accumulation mode” and they're looking to part ways with Thompson, who is in the final year of a five-year, $82 million deal.

It's been a rough couple of seasons for the Cleveland Cavaliers ever since LeBron James left in the summer of 2018. After finishing near the bottom of the standings last season, the Cavaliers are on track to do the same thing this year. Last night, the Cavs had a positive experience as they defeated the Detroit Pistons in overtime by a score of 115-112. Tristan Thompson was nothing short of dominant in the game and even recorded an impressive 35 points, which just so happens to be a career-high for him.

After the game, Thompson's teammates went crazy in the locker room as they tried to celebrate his big achievement. Players began chasing Thompson around the room while dousing him in ice water. Thompson appeared to be pumped up by it all as the whole locker room was all smiles.