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Cleveland Cavaliers: Making a fuss over nothing – The GM version

By Duane Rohrbacher

Feb 10, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Retired professional basketball player Chauncey Billups smiles at Isiah Thomas as he walks onto the court during halftime in the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Nuggets win 103-92. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 10, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Retired professional basketball player Chauncey Billups smiles at Isiah Thomas as he walks onto the court during halftime in the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Nuggets win 103-92. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Once upon a time, the Cleveland Cavaliers fired a respected, well-regarded employee in the middle of a first place run. It turned out for the better. What’s different here?

Sometimes, as a writer for King James Gospel, I feel like I must react to these hot takes and ludicrous commentary. Other times, I want to stay analytical in my writing and focus on the facts. Today, I am going to explore this larger idea of sensationalism, specifically on the Cleveland Cavaliers mutually parting ways with David Griffin.

First, the Cleveland Cavaliers mutually parted ways with David Griffin. They did not fire him like they fired David Blatt and Mike Brown before him. They just lost the NBA championship, and they have the highest expectations in the league. When a team loses, with high expectations, shakeups are bound to occur.

Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers /

Cleveland Cavaliers

Remember, The Bulls fired Tom Thibodeau after having the 8th most wins above preseason expectations in league history. The University of Texas fired Mack Brown after being one of the winningest coaches in college football history. These are high-profile coaches that win at an amazing rate. When it comes to the front office, these types of moves generally do not get as much attention.

The Los Angeles Kings fired a ten-year GM after he won two championships for having a down year. The Colts fired Ryan Grigson after a string of sub-par seasons. While the Cavs had a great season and ran through the East, the expectations were so high that this fire is comparable to the others listed above. Anything less than a championship is a bust in Cleveland now.

So, the Cavaliers will keep Ty Lue around. Maybe they will sign Chauncey Billups, maybe not. At the end of the day, while GMs and coaches are important and can elevate teams, everyone knows that LeBron James is the only real player in town. David Griffin made moves that he thought were right then, but in hindsight, maybe they were not.

If the Cavs could do-over the Kevin Love-Andrew Wiggins trade, would they? If they could go back and draft legitimately anyone other than Anthony Bennett, shouldn’t they have? As much as we, the fans, see David Griffin’s moves as positive, statistically and objectively, his moves were so-so.

He signed or traded for Shawn Marion, Mike Dunleavy, Chris Anderson, Larry Sanders, and Andrew Bogut. While injuries played a large part there, they were all huge busts. Brendan Haywood, Mike Miller, and Kendrick Perkins did not exactly work out. Sure, Richard Jefferson, Mo Williams, and Channing Frye are effective. But I don’t even think that Griffin batted .500.

Must Read: 3 ways the Jimmy Butler trade helped the Cavaliers

Griffin followed the LA Clippers ring-chasing route, and in that arena, he swung and missed a lot. While no one is complaining about these low-cost, low-leverage moves for bench and role players, the Cavs did not hit many home runs. Hopefully, a new GM will strategize balancing developing young players and find ring chasers. But, let’s not freak out over a mutual parting of ways.