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The Cleveland Cavaliers made a bold and shocking decision on Monday when they opted to part ways with general manager David Griffin, per NBA.com. While the decision on both sides was more than a bit surprising, it was reported soon after that superstar LeBron James was “shocked” by the news, according to Cleveland.com. That in itself is interesting, as the former MVP is set to potentially become a free agent after the 2018 season and obviously his happiness seemed to be a focus of the franchise in the past.
The website also pointed out that the decision to part ways with Griffin was on owner Dan Gilbert, who seemingly didn’t have much interest in taking James’ opinion into consideration.
A source close to James told cleveland.com that “LeBron’s a player, Dan’s the boss, this was Dan’s decision,” but also that “LeBron does care about what the roster looks like.”
“Who they bring in will play a big role in LeBron’s decision next summer,” said the source, who was granted anonymity to discuss James’ reaction. “If they bring in someone who is stable, who has the ability to make things happen, then fine. No harm no foul. But if it’s amateur hour, that’s a different story.”
None of this, though, was as shocking as how James opted to react to the news. He may have been caught off guard but the star decided to take to Twitter and hit the Cavaliers owner with a bit of a jab.
If no one appreciated you Griff I did, and hopefully all the people of Cleveland! Thanks for what u did for the team for 3 yrs! We got us 1🏆
His statement goes to show that it’s highly likely that James indeed had nothing to do with this decision. The timing of it couldn’t be more interesting, though, because less than a week ago Bleacher Report pointed out that it was “likely” James would leave Cleveland for either the Lakers or Clippers in 2018 free agency.
Griffin’s contract was set to expire on June 30, which led to Gilbert making the decision not to bring him back. The call was made even though ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that James had pushed to get him an extension.
Dan Gilbert didn’t consult with LeBron James prior to parting with David Griffin, sources said. James had advocated for Griffin extension
ESPN’s Rachel Nichols echoed a similar sentiment while also pointing to what James stated in his tweet.
Time will tell how this all plays out, but the recent news has only made things even more interesting in Cleveland.
