Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell dismisses Charles Barkley’s criticism: ‘Chuck ain’t here’

Donovan Mitchell had a fairly simple response to Charles Barkley’s assessment of the Cavs.

“Chuck ain’t here,” Mitchell told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Barkley said the Cavs “suck” during ESPN’s pregame coverage Wednesday. A few hours later, they beat the defending champion Knicks 115-107 at Madison Square Garden, delivering their most complete performance of the season.

But according to Fedor, Mitchell didn’t learn about Barkley’s comments until afterward. This wasn’t a case of a team rallying around something it heard on television.

“Who gives a (expletive)?” Mitchell said, via Fedor. “Chuck ain’t here. If Chuck said we were the defending champs and made positive comments, what’s that going to do for us?”

Mitchell made clear he respects Barkley and the other analysts. He just doesn’t see their opinions as particularly useful inside the locker room.

“Chuck ain’t doing nothing for us in this locker room,” he said. “I have nothing but respect for those guys. So, no disrespect to them or you or anyone else, but who gives a (expletive)? At the end of the day, it’s all about us in here.”

The Cavs certainly gave critics material during their 5-6 start, particularly with Monday’s disastrous showing against the shorthanded Hornets. Wednesday provided a reminder of what they can accomplish when the effort and execution match the talent.

James Harden scored a season-high 32 points. Mitchell added 23. Jarrett Allen collected 14 rebounds, Peyton Watson made important defensive plays and the bench contributed.

Mitchell told Fedor the team’s established players are keeping their attention on each other.

“Myself, James, Ev, J.A. (Jarrett Allen), we’re not addressing those things in here,” he said. “We’re not looking at those things. We don’t care about those things. Those things don’t mean anything.”

More encouraging than any response to Barkley was Mitchell’s assessment of where the Cavs stand. He wasn’t treating one good night as proof that everything had been fixed.

“I don’t think we’re all in here like, ‘Ah, we did it.’ No. We’re 6-6,” he said.

Exactly. The Knicks win was significant. Following it with another connected effort would mean more than winning an argument with a television analyst.

“For us, it’s about Friday and Saturday,” Mitchell said. “This is a big win. But for teams that get big wins, how do you follow up? That’s the biggest thing.”

The Cavs visit Miami on Friday before hosting Dallas on Saturday. That’s where the next answers will come.