Former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin will long be remembered for how successfully he rebuilt his team. He ran the Cavs for seven seasons from 2010 to 2017, bringing Cleveland from a last place finish in 2010-11 to their championship win in 2016.
David Griffin discussed his time with Cleveland, among other things, in a recent interview with ichael Shapiro of Sports Illustrated. And when asked about former Cavs star LeBron James and his reputation as a shadow GM, Griffin had a strong response:
“I feel really bad for LeBron that people talk about that as much as they do. It’s just an asinine assertion that he was a shadow GM. LeBron was one of many people on the team who we talked to, it just so happens he’s a basketball savant. You wouldn’t be doing your job if you didn’t talk to him about the pieces you might want to bring to the franchise. And he’s going to be an alpha leader in the locker room, and if he feels comfortable with certain players you’re bringing in, his opinion matters.
“So the ‘LeBron is the GM, all-powerful, in charge of the franchise' idea is, to me, preposterous.”
Many have speculated that LeBron James is playing a significant role in the transactions of his new team, the Los Angeles Lakers. This theory was especially prevalent during the team's negotiations for New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis.
However, Griffin rejected this idea and explained that any star player's opinion — whether it be James or a lesser name like Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love — will always matter and be heard. Griffin also noted that James's basketball IQ made his input even more valuable, though he does not see him as a shadow GM.
Griffin and the Cavs decided to part ways after the 2016-17 season. This was due to disagreement over Griffin's contract. He has since been an analyst for NBA TV.
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