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Luol Deng was brought to the Cavaliers in large part for his leadership, and his opinion so far is that his teammates need to get angry.

(Associated Press)

CLEVELAND, Ohio – This is not easy for Luol Deng. He's still the new guy here in Cleveland, still the Cavaliers player who joined the team via trade just about three weeks ago. It's difficult to jump right in after nine games with the Cavaliers and spout off a list of everything that needs to improve.

Still, after watching the second-half debacle against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, after the Cavaliers scored just six points in the third quarter en route to a crushing 99-90 loss, the 28-year-old Deng offered his observations on what is wrong with the 16-28 Cavaliers and what needs to change.

In essence, it's time for the Cavaliers to get angry. They are too nice to each other, too accepting of defeat. The Cavaliers are a very talented group, but they will never win unless they confront their issues head-on and demand more as a team.

"We did a lot of good things (Sunday), but we did a lot of disappointing things -- things that reminds us that we're not that good," Deng told The Plain Dealer. "And we've got to be honest with ourselves. We've got to realize what we're playing for. There's got to be more sense of urgency. We can't keep waiting. This is not a waiting league, it's not a waiting game. You've got to do your job. When I say that, I'm talking about everybody. I've got to do a better job of leading when things like that happen. That's why I'm here. And I've got to get better than that."

Deng pointed specifically to how the Suns knocked in five consecutive 3-pointers at the start of the third quarter as an instance where he and his teammates didn't react in a way that might have stopped Phoenix's run.

"At some point, you've got to compete," he said. "You've got to get upset and demand more of your guys."

Deng has been trying to tell his new teammates that screaming at each other and demanding more effort is not only acceptable, but it's necessary.

"I'll be honest with you, and I really want to put Chicago behind me, but me and Joakim (Noah) weren't so nice to each other on the court if one of us didn't play hard," Deng said. "And it made us better friends, and play harder. The same with Derrick (Rose). We knew when Derrick didn't play defense. As good as he is, even his MVP year, if he didn't play defense, we all said, 'Yo, you're not playing defense. You've got to step it up.'

"I think guys here are young, but I think they'll realize that you're only as good as the guy next to you. It's never personal. I've never had an issue with a guy telling me I'm not giving it my all on the court. My first 2-3 years in the league, did I know this stuff? No. But I had good vets who did the stuff I'm trying to do now, and it paid off for me. That's what I'm trying to do now."

All this is what Deng has noticed in just nine games with Cleveland, and he has been hesitant to scream in his teammates' faces, even if the Cavaliers covet and value his leadership.

"One thing I always say is there's a right way of saying things," Deng said. "First, you've got to let the guys know what angle I'm coming in. I'm not trying to jump in here and scream at everybody thinking that I'm better. I'm just trying to help everyone to be better. And vise versa. They know some things that I don't know."

So, even he has been slow to show anger to his own teammates – at least until now.

"I think we all love each other in this locker room, and I see it," Deng said. "Guys are so close to each other. The one message we keep telling each other is it's OK to scream at each other. If Kyrie (Irving), Dion (Waiters) or Andy (Varejao) come up to me and demand more from me, I would never take it personally. It's going to make me better, it's going to make us better as a team. I think that's what we've got to get to – that kind of mindset where it's OK to scream at each other and not take it personal."