Why Dan Gilbert Is An Idiot For Letting David Griffin Go
Dan Gilbert made an inexcusable and downright disrespectful move by letting David Griffin leave. Bill Livingston of the Cleveland Plain Dealer called it Gilbert’s biggest mistake since sending out the Comic Sans letter after the LeBron decision. David Griffin stated in his announcement that he was leaving due to a difference in vision of the Cavs’ future with Gilbert. Though, multiple people have reported that it may have been something more simple than that.
"David Griffin wanted to get taken care of. I can't emphasize that enough. He was one of the lowest paid GM's in the league" @WindhorstESPN
— Dustin Fox (@DustinFox37) June 20, 2017
After listening to Windy it seems like Gilbert just didn't want to give Griff a raise. Says the philosophical difference wasn't that big.
— Dustin Fox (@DustinFox37) June 20, 2017
Earlier in the year, multiple sources reported in order to sign a contract extension, Griffin wanted a pay raise. I believe that is what this decision all came down to. Dan Gilbert wanted to be cheap and decided not to pay Griffin a salary he more than earned in his last three years with the Cavs. Not only did Gilbert screw over Griffin in the pay aspect here, but he also shut down other teams from interviewing Griffin earlier in the season. Now, Griffin will be without a job until another team creates an opening.
No 2 ways about it: Dan Gilbert screwed over David Griffin. Could have let him go to ATL, ORL, or MIL if he wouldn't pay him. Now too late.
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) June 19, 2017
The front runner so far to replace David Griffin is Chauncey Billups. Yes, that Chauncey Billups. After all Griffin had done to build the Cavs team and win a title it’s insanely arrogant to think you can just replace him with anybody. Now, I won’t say Chauncey is automatically going to be a bust because he’s never held a front office position before, but that’s insulting to the experience and expertise Griffin brought to this organization.
The importance of this off season cannot be expressed enough. In fact, it could even determine if LeBron will end his career in Cleveland or not. They need to make changes to this roster if the Cavs want to beat the Warriors. The Cavs have already mortgaged all their assets though to win titles now before LeBron gets too old. Griffin’s greatest ability as a GM was turning nothing into something. He had shown on countless occasions that he was a mastermind at making those kinds of deals. I don’t understand how you could let Griffin walk now when the team needs him the most.
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
With LeBron’s subtweet last night, it became certain to me that Gilbert didn’t consult LeBron before making this move. LeBron has always been a strong advocate for David Griffin and I’m sure he didn’t appreciate the firing or the fact he wasn’t notified about it beforehand. So, not only did this firing set the front office back by completely changing everyone in charge, but it may have also increased the already large rift between LeBron and the Cavs’ ownership.
It has been an expensive last few years for Dan Gilbert. He shelled out some serious cash for Ty Lue’s contract extension and luxury taxes for all the roster moves that were made. David Griffin was as deserving as everyone else to get paid for his contributions though. While I can’t say whether the new GM will fail before they’re even hired, I don’t know how someone can come in and do a better job than Griffin. Ultimately, I could see this move as being the key decision if Cavs fail to win another title and LeBron does end up leaving again.
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