Cavs GM David Griffin Hits His Marks
When the Cleveland Cavaliers hired David Griffin as their General Manager it was a bit of a surprise. Many thought that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert would shoot for a more known name, Joe Dumars was mentioned. Griffin was the team’s interim GM following the firing of Chris Grant but his moves were unable to lead the Cavs to the NBA Playoffs, a stated goal of the team.
In his first press conference Griffin hit on what he wanted for his Cavs teams, thanks Fear the Sword:
"“As we talked about the end of season meeting … we need to be bigger, we need to be smarter from a basketball IQ standpoint, I’d like us to be a team that’s recognized as being tougher, I’d like us to be a better shooting team, and we need to address our fit. If anything our commitment to those things are strengthened.”“I think the fit of our roster needs to be pieces that make sense, you know we’ve got ball-dominant drive and kick creators, we need to be able to open the floor for them. We also need a little bit more ability to play from the inside out, to make our team a little more balanced … I think we have very, very good talent.”"
With the Eastern Conference Finals seemingly locked up: 2-0 lead with both wins on the road and the Atlanta Hawks losing Kyle Korver for the year, it is a good time to see if Griff actually hit his marks that he set out for the team and himself.
Bigger? Timofey Mozgov, LeBron James and J.R. Smith/Iman Shumpert were size upgrades at their positions. Bigger? Hit!
Smarter Basketball IQ? LeBron brings out the best in everyone and has helped Kyrie Irving, Smith, Shumpert and Tristan Thompson develop their on the court IQ. James Jones, Mike Miller, Shawn Marion and Kendrick Perkins were also high IQ additions. Smarter? Hit!
Tougher? Some of the same names. LeBron, Smith, Shump, Mozgov and Perkins, all added toughness to the team. The team is also mentally tougher, able to withstand injuries, deficits and media driven drama to be successful. Tougher? Hit!
Better Shooting? Kevin Love, Miller, Jones, Smith, Shumpert and even LeBron are all good to great shooters. The addition of LeBron has made players like Matthew Dellavedova better as well from deep. The current construct of the Cavs is a Big 3 and D with the great 3 point shooting. Better shooting? Hit!
Better Play Inside Out? Only Love really has the ability as a big to make plays with his back to the basket. LeBron can take his man down there as well. The addition of Timo and the continued development of Tristan around the basket has made them a threat on alley oops and drop offs. Still a bit of a work in progress overall. Better Play Inside Out? Close!
Fit? This was THE word that Griffin has focused on since taking over the job. Just getting talent on the floor was not going to be enough for Griff. Instead he cared about how that talent fit together. It is one reason that Dion Waiters is sitting at home during the Playoffs as a member of the Thunder. Fit is why the Cavs Big 3 was much better suited to play together, sooner than the Heat. The shooting additions, the size additions, the basketball IQ, the toughness and even the better inside out play all were brought together to facilitate fit.
The Cavs, as discussed yesterday in our Transformers post, have been 3 distinct teams this season. That is unheard of in this day and age NBA, or any professional sport for that matter. They have been successful as an offensive juggernaut, a well balanced team and now as a defensive force with great deep shooting. The Cavaliers have been able to do all of that because David Griffin brought a team together that fits. Fit? Hit!
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When GM David Griffin was hired he made his plans clear and concise: Bigger, Smarter, Tougher, Shooters, Inside Out Play and Fit were his biggest points of emphasis. Based on the season they have had, and the chance for an NBA Title still, Griffin’s first year has been a success. He hit strongly on 5 of his 6 key points and the final one is a work in progress for next year.
David Griffin as Cavs GM? HIT!
What are your thoughts on GM David Griffin’s stated goals and execution?