David Griffin will not be the next general manager of the New York Knicks. Reports indicated that Griffin pulled his name from the running to take over GM duties in New York on Sunday evening after the two sides struggled to agree on exactly what kind of authority Griffin would have in his role with the team.
As early as Sunday morning, reports pointed toward Griffin finding his way to New York’s front office, but things changed in the afternoon as the two sides clashed over his proposed duties with the team.
Ex-Cavs GM David Griffin has pulled his name out of the Knicks' GM and president search after he couldn't come… https://t.co/H4oStS2yd6
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 9, 2017
According to The Undefeated, the two sides “couldn’t come to agreement on the right role with the franchise.”
It’s difficult to call it a power struggle when Griffin never actually worked for the team, but it was clear he didn’t like where his working situation would have led him.
With Jackson out in New York as president, it appears that acting team president Steve Mills will retain some of Jackson’s duties. What that leaves the GM apparently wasn’t enough to keep Griffin interested in the position. Griffin reportedly wanted to bring in his own staff as general manager, but that was something Knicks ownership wasn’t interested in.
Also at issue, per @wojespn, was David Griffin's preference to bring his own staff. NYK & Griffin couldn't agree on that. https://t.co/WI3qZ3h0CD
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) July 9, 2017
It doesn’t sound like the Knicks are interested in creating a general manager position that has all that much power. Consider that Griffin came from an organization where many speculate a player—LeBron James—may have a level of say over transactions. If Griffin could work with that but couldn’t agree to a workable situation in New York, it’s a pretty damning indictment of the current state of the Knicks.
As one New York columnist put it, Griffin pulled out of the job because he actually wants to win.
David Griffin could have taken Dolan's money, inherited the same staff & lost. Instead, he wants to win. Therefore, he's won't be Knicks GM.
— Frank Isola (@TheFrankIsola) July 9, 2017
This is the second “leading candidate” the Knicks have been unable to hire in recent weeks. New York’s preferred candidate shortly after Jackson was fired was Toronto Raptors president Masia Ujiri, but the timing didn’t work out. Now Griffin’s withdrawal takes New York back to the drawing board as the calendar moves further into the off-season.
