LeBron James is the centerpiece of the Cleveland Cavaliers to the point where many assume that he makes virtually every decision on the basketball side. That is, of course, fanciful thinking and it is now even more clear that James was not firmly in the driver’s seat with regard to the contract status of now-former GM David Griffin.
The Cavaliers announced on Monday evening that Griffin and the organization would be parting ways as the general manager’s contract expires at the end of June. In the aftermath of that news, reports indicated that James was anything but pleased, to the point of pure confusion, about the decision. Then, James went public with some of his thoughts in defending Griffin and seemingly taking a shot at ownership.
If no one appreciated you Griff I did, and hopefully all the people of Cleveland! Thanks for what u did for the team for 3 yrs! We got us 1🏆
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 20, 2017
James joins with many in the NBA world that appreciated the work of Griffin, who worked within challenging parameters to build a coherent product around the league’s best player. With that said, owner Dan Gilbert apparently did not share the admiration that James had for Griffin and every public word uttered by James has meaning in some form or fashion. Additionally, James doesn’t seem to be the only Cavalier who had no idea this was going to happen.
Griffin's exit came surprised many Cavs players, sources told @TheVertical. Despite contract stalemate, expectation was Griff would stay.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) June 20, 2017
The rumor mill is already churning with regard to Chauncey Billups and, potentially, former Milwaukee Bucks assistant GM Justin Zanik taking over the front office in the coming days. Frankly, the Cavs have no time to waste with the NBA Draft on the horizon and trade rumors swirling regarding Cleveland and Jimmy Butler. Still, the top priority in Cleveland should probably be placating LeBron James and the Cavs certainly do not appear to be doing that effectively right now.
