Luol Deng denies report claiming he said that the Cavs are a mess

Luol Deng is denying a report the New York Daily News published last week claiming the Cavaliers small forward told a close friend that the current situation in Cleveland is "a mess."

“I’ve never been in a situation where I start talking and turn my back on what’s in front of me. It’s not me, it’s not who I am,” Deng told the Akron Beacon Journal Sunday. “I’m really upset that’s written about me and I just hope guys within the team understand that. It’s something we don’t need right now.”

The Cavaliers have been marred by rumors of indiscretion and a lack of accountability among players in the locker room. Deng tried his best to declare that the situation within the club isn't as dire as the article suggests, while questioning journalist NYDY Mitch Lawrence's motive.

“Obviously we’re losing, I’m not happy. But to go as far as to say I’m frustrated with the guys, that to me doesn’t make sense. … We know we’re struggling, we know we’ve got to get better as a team. But writing an article like that is just giving a writer who wants everyone to read whatever he’s writing. I’m really disappointed and it hurt me a little bit because I do care about the guys in the locker room and I’ve never in my career had something like that written about me. I’m disappointed.”