For years, the Cleveland Cavaliers' front office gushed about the core four. They doubled down on them every chance they had, even though they clearly couldn't get over the hump against winning teams or in the playoffs.
There were multiple opportunities to break up the core and make big moves, and they passed on every single one of them. It looked like they were willing to die on their hill and it was either winning with them or not winning at all.
That's why, now that they've finally pulled the plug on this group by swapping Darius Garland with James Harden, Brian Windhorst believes the message is clear.