Is it more difficult to build the racecar or to maintain it?
Different people may give you different answers, just as different NBA executives might give you different answers when it comes to contending teams. Is it more difficult to build a true title contender, or to keep them contending year after year?
It may very well be the latter, as even recent NBA history is littered with teams that leapt up into contention, had a good season or two, and then faded back into the pack. The Denver Nuggets, for example, won the title in 2023 and have already fired their front office and head coach trying to reset after the Nuggets fell back into the field. They couldn't maintain the racecar.
The Cleveland Cavaliers just accomplished step one, putting together a team capable of winning it all. They racked up 64 wins, the second-most in franchise history, and have all the underlying metrics of a true contender.
This team was build by Team President Koby Altman, who drafted Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro and Evan Mobley, traded for Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and De'Andre Hunter, and signed Ty Jerome, Max Strus and Dean Wade. He also hired Kenny Atkinson, who revolutionized this team's offense and is the frontrunner for Coach of the Year.
Yet whatever may come in this year's playoffs, the future will take work. It's not enough to drive a shiny new racecar onto the track; it needs adjustments, repairs, fueling, maintenance. As other cars get faster this car will need upgrades. And all of it will happen under the shadow of the CBA that makes it exceedingly painful to maintain an expensive team.
Altman seems to have a great staff in place right now, but good teams are always looking for talent to get even better. What's more, with the Cavaliers' recent success, other teams will come looking to poach their front office talent; the "brain drain" that is all too common in the league. Cleveland cannot be complacent even when it comes to their front office staff.
And luckily for them, the perfect candidate to join the front office just came available.
David Griffin is now a free agent
Cavaliers fans are quite familiar with David Griffin, of course. He built the teams that competed for championships around LeBron James -- and won in 2016. He hired Ty Lue, he traded for Kevin Love, he added veterans like Channing Frye and JR Smith and Richard Jefferson. While the title doesn't happen without LeBron James deciding to come home, it likely doesn't happen if David Griffin doesn't pivot multiple times to find the right mix of players around James.
Griffin and the Cavaliers parted ways in 2017, reportedly over a contract dispute, and Griffin was hired to run the New Orleans Pelicans. He oversaw the Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday trades and rebuilt a roster that is now stocked with young talent - but has also been wracked by injuries and ineffectiveness, some reasonably blamed on the roster building. It was a bumpy ride for Griffin in New Orleans.
After the worst season yet, Griffin was fired, making him a front office free agent. The Cavaliers should strongly consider bringing him back.
Griffin has an incredibly strong record of nailing draft picks. In New Orleans he drafted Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, Dyson Daniels and Yves Missi, all of whom are outperforming their draft slot. Murphy in particular looks like a future All-Star.
The Cavaliers could use that talent as they manage their late and meager draft capital to maintain their roster and find valuable depth pieces to keep the racecar going. Griffin is used to being crew chief, but if he is willing to spend a season or more as the No. 2, he could do a lot of good for the Cavaliers.
Is the bad blood between Griffin and owner Dan Gilbert still present? Is it too much to overcome? If not, he could be a significant asset and play a role in another title coming to The Land.