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.
John Beilein Was Mercilessly Trolled By Cavs Players After "Thug" Incident
Some players couldn't help but make jokes at their former coach's expense.
John Beilein was recently ousted as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers in a move that is shocking to absolutely nobody, Beilein included. His hiring raised a few eyebrows at first due to his stature as a phenomenal college coach. Beilein had very little experience coaching the pros and it was clear from the start that the players weren't really messing with him. Perhaps the most egregious part of Beilein's tenure was when he reportedly referred to the players as thugs.
In a report from Shams Charania, Joe Vardon, and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, it was revealed that Cavaliers players made light of Beilein's "thugs" gaffe by playing music in the locker room which explicitly said the word "thug." On a team bus ride, one player put on Trick Daddy's "I'm A Thug" with Beilein just a few feet away. Clearly, the players were having fun at their coach's expense.
This recent report was interesting as it detailed how Beilein was thought of as a dictator of sorts. He liked to micromanage the team and players were starting to get fed up with how things were being run. With JB Bickerstaff taking over, it seems like the Cavs are in much better hands moving forward.
John Beilein’s Fate Revealed After Strenuous Cavaliers Tenure
John Beilein hasn't been a popular man in Cleveland.
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.
JB Bickerstaff will be the next head coach of the team and for now, it's a full-time gig. Usually, these situations lead to interim coaches but the Cavs have put their faith in Bickerstaff who was specifically picked at the beginning of the year to be Beilein's replacement in light of a disaster.
Despite the firing, the Cavs roster remains in shambles so it will be interesting to see if they're able to pick things up to end the year. Regardless, this hasn't been a very good season for them.
Shaq, Charles Barkley Roast "Soft" Cavs Over Thugs Controversy: Watch
"We listen to Bone Slugs-N-Harmony."
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach John Beilein may have upset some of his players when he reportedly referred to the group as "thugs" during a recent film session, but he has the support of NBA Hall of Famers Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley. During the January 9th edition of Inside The NBA, Shaq called out the Cavs' players for being overly sensitive and attempting to get Beilein fired.
“If you have to be apologized to for your coach calling you a thug, you ain’t gonna never win. You’re soft, period… Stop being so sensitive.”
Barkley added, "To be complaining about a coach who's coming in trying to make y'all work on fundamentals when y'all stink, make y'all watch film, make y'all practice hard - this is starting to be a joke."
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Beilein told his players they were playing “like a bunch of thugs," but he later apologized once the word got out. Says Beilein, “I didn’t realize I had said the word 'thugs' but my staff told me later I did and so I must have said it. I meant to say slugs, as in slow moving. We weren’t playing hard before...now we were playing harder. That’s what I was trying to say. I meant it as a compliment."
Shaq, Chuck and Kenny had some fun with the slugs situation on Thursday night, cracking themselves up with jokes like "Slug Life" and "We listen to Bone Slugs-N-Harmony." Check out the footage below.
Cavs Coach John Beilein Apologizes After Saying "Thugs" To His Players
Beilein found himself in an awkward situation.
John Beilein has been having some growing pains as an NBA coach. For years, Beilein was an NCAA coach who pulled off quite a bit of success. The NCAA and NBA are two completely different leagues and Beilein has learned that the hard way. The Cleveland Cavaliers are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference and are struggling to string wins together. Beilein has received a ton of criticism for his coaching and yesterday, he found himself in a strange predicament.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Beilein told his players that they weren't playing "like a bunch of thugs" anymore. Cavs players were reportedly shocked by his comments which led to a stern talking-to from his coaching staff. Beilein recently apologized for the faux-pas and said he meant to say "slugs."
“I didn’t realize I had said the word 'thugs' but my staff told me later I did and so I must have said it. I meant to say slugs, as in slow moving," Beilein said. "We weren’t playing hard before...now we were playing harder. That’s what I was trying to say. I meant it as a compliment."
Beilein's explanation appears to be quite convenient and based on the reactions to Woj's story, not many people are buying it. At the end of the day, all that matters is how his players feel about him. It will be interesting to see how the team responds to him in the following days.
