Cleveland Cavaliers head coach John Beilein insists he hasn't lost the club's locker room.
Following Friday's 93-87 defeat to the Orlando Magic, the 66-year-old dismissed a report claiming that his players are unhappy with his coaching style and methods.
"We've met ... and it's like, 'Coach, keep doing what you're doing because we really need this. We need accountability. We need to play harder, stronger, tougher. Don't stop what you're doing,'" Beilein said, according to ESPN. "We were the worst defensive team in the NBA last year. What do we do, practice less?
"I have a lot of confidence the guys in the locker room are on board, and they've told me that."
Multiple Cavs players voiced their displeasure regarding the rookie NBA bench boss anonymously.
Veteran big man Tristan Thompson didn't seem to be one of Beilein's critics, coming to the defense of the ex-Michigan head coach and calling out those complaining about his way of going about things.
"Y'all better find them names 'cause I'll pull up on 'em right now," Thompson said, according to Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor. "You can't do that shit.
"At the end of the day, if you're going to build a culture and a family, you can't have that Chatty Patty shit going on. That shit is whack to me. Everyone's got to look in the mirror, there's only so much coach can do and there's only so much we can do. ... So I hope whoever reported that was just bullshitting and blamed it on a player."
Beilein is in the first of a five-year deal he signed this past offseason. The 5-16 Cavs have lost five in a row and 11 of their last 12 overall.
