Several unnamed players on the Cleveland Cavaliers came to the realization that their roster was not built to get any further than the second round before they made a series of trades in January.

One player said the frustration of an "unbalanced roster probably contributed" to the players' poor body language and effort level.

Another said "it was never Coach [David] Blatt's fault."

The Cavaliers had just two functional big men following Anderson Varejao's injury, but Timofey Mozgov has made a huge difference.

The backcourt was also improved with J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert.