Kendrick Perkins calls Cavs ‘soft,’ says Donovan Mitchell under most pressure in NBA

It wouldn’t be a Cavaliers season without some detractors. That’s just the way it goes around these parts.

So it’s no surprise that ex-NBA center and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins didn’t hold back this week, taking aim at the Cavs’ toughness and their franchise star.

“The whispers around the NBA is that the Cleveland Cavaliers is soft,” Perkins said on ESPN’s NBA Countdown. “They’re sponsored by Hostess cupcakes because they creamy in the middle. I’m looking at Evan Mobley.”

Perkins didn’t stop there. He also pointed directly at Donovan Mitchell when discussing postseason expectations.

“He’s under the most pressure out of anyone in the NBA,” Perkins said. “A Donovan Mitchell-led team has never, ever, made it to the conference finals. He will go down as one of the greatest regular season players if he don’t get this done.”

Cleveland enters the final weekend at 51-29, sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference. As things stand, the Cavs would open the playoffs against the Hawks.

Without a doubt, the core is talented. But Mitchell, Mobley and Jarrett Allen have yet to reach a conference finals, while James Harden hasn’t been back to the Finals since 2012 with Oklahoma City.

There’s also some real pressure behind the scenes.

“I feel secure in saying if the Cavs don’t make the conference finals, nobody is safe,” Cleveland.com’s Jimmy Watkins said. “Top down. Everyone’s fair game to be traded. There is a scenario here where the Cavs decide that it’s better for them to move on from Donovan.”

Watkins added: “But it’s tricky because if it plays out the way it looks like it’s going to play out right now, where Donovan is going to play out that last year on his deal, it’s crazy, but that makes the first half of next regular season absolutely fascinating because you don’t want to lose a player like that for nothing.”

Mitchell is extension-eligible this offseason. Harden is expected to decline his player option, hit free agency, and presumably re-sign with Cleveland.

So yes, the Cavs have won a lot. But if you ask Perkins, what happens next is what will define them.

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