Dan Gilbert may have made a mistake of not talking to superstar LeBron James before letting GM David Griffin walk.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst was the first to report this. The Cleveland Cavaliers, who won the NBA championship is 2016, did not consult their floor general and team leader LeBron James before opting to let general manager David Griffin go.
James was a fan of Griffin.
Here is the tweet that got this all started:
Dan Gilbert didn't consult with LeBron James prior to parting with David Griffin, sources said. James had advocated for Griffin extension
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) June 20, 2017
While Griffin was thankful for his time in Cleveland, it is hard to believe that the Cavaliers will find a better option than Griffin. Because of his outstanding performance, several teams had been eyeing Griffin to be their president of basketball operations.
Griffin made significant trades in his tenure with the Cavaliers, including ones to bring in players like J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Kyle Kover. He did his job, and he did it well. This is a surprising turn of events in the Cleveland front office.
More surprising is the fact that Gilbert did not talk to or consult James on the matter. James, who has had several rumors floating around about him leaving after his contract ends in 2018, might actually leave after this move.
Chris Manning from Fear the Sword hit the nail on the head when he said this about James not being consulted:
"The decision to not involve James, who had called for Griffin to get an extension in the past, is confusing. He can be a free agent next summer and his relationship with Gilbert has never been that strong post-Decision. Keeping him happy while making a decision that directly impacts the franchise’s future seems like an obvious move."
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Gilbert made a rash decision and a bad mistake. The most important question is, “Will this crush the chances of LeBron James re-signing in 2018?”