Don’t blow it up: Why Terry Pluto says the Cavs’ playoff exit demands adjustments, not overreaction

Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (R) blocks the shot attempt of Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley in the first half of the eastern conference semifinals at Rocket Arena.

CLEVELAND, Ohio, - The sting of playoff elimination often triggers emotional reactions, but for the Cavs, the path forward requires precision rather than wholesale reconstruction, Terry Pluto said on this week’s Terry’s Talkin’ podcast.

As the dust settles on their five-game loss to the Indiana Pacers, the organization faces crucial decisions about a talented but flawed roster.

“This is not, you know, blow up the, ‘Blow up the team, eat dirt and die,’ none of that stuff,” Terry Pluto emphasized on the podcast.

“It’s still a team with guys in their middle to late 20s under contract. This, you know, you drop this team into about 22 or 24 other NBA cities, they would be glad to trade you their roster for this roster.”

That roster perspective matters, but so does an honest assessment of what worked and what didn’t in the playoffs. The inconsistent play of Jarrett Allen emerged as a particular concern after his presence vanished in crucial moments.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro tries to gain control of the basketball from the floor against the Indiana Pacers in the first half of the eastern conference semifinals at Rocket Arena.

Allen himself seemed to recognize the issue. “Jared Allen today, they had their kind of clean-out-your-locker interview day, and I think he admitted pretty much that he wasn’t consistent enough,” podcast host David Campbell noted.

Pluto said that Evan Mobley’s performance offered a silver lining.

“Mobley, I have some people criticizing him. I don’t have a problem with how he played,” Pluto said. “34 minutes, 18 points, 10 rebounds, shooting 58%. That’s a winning performance in the playoffs.”

The Cavs enter the offseason with significant advantages compared to many eliminated teams. Unlike franchises facing wholesale free-agent departures, Cleveland has its core under contract.

“Other than Ty Jerome, you don’t have anybody significant who’s a free agent,” Pluto said. “Therefore you have guys actually who have trade value. You know, if you want to trade Jarett Allen, you can get quite a bit for him... You want to trade De’Andre Hunter, you can get quite a bit for him.”

Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard drives towards the basket guarded by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland in the first half of the eastern conference semifinals at Rocket Arena.

While the backcourt pairing of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland appears to need change, Pluto said, the organization can make moves from a position of relative strength rather than desperation.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ fan watches the last few minutes of the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers during the eastern conference semifinals at Rocket Arena.

The most significant decision likely revolves around Garland’s future.

As a big-contract player with clear playoff limitations, the Cavs must confront whether he fits alongside Mitchell long-term.

“The backcourt, I think, was exposed by Indiana because they had trouble getting the ball up the court,” Pluto said.

Here’s the podcast for this week:

If you have a question or a topic you’d like to see included on the podcast, email it to [email protected], and put “Terry’s Talkin’” in the subject line.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ fan watches the last few minutes of the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers during the eastern conference semifinals at Rocket Arena.

You can find previous podcasts below.

Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from Terry’s Talkin’, a weekly cleveland.com sports podcast. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions.

©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit cleveland.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland drives against Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant in the first half of game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell drops his head as timeout is called in the fourth quarter during the eastern conference semifinals at Rocket Arena.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (L) pins the basketball to the chest of Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner in the first half of the eastern conference semifinals at Rocket Arena.

Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (L) and Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade battle for possession of a rebound in the first half of the eastern conference semifinals at Rocket Arena.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell wipes his face with his jersey as he walks off the court after losing to the Indiana Pacers at Rocket Arena.