Tag Archives: David Griffin

RISKY BUSINESS – CAVS GM DEALS KYRIE TO CELTICS

by Kenny Roda

Was new Cavaliers General Manager Koby Altman channeling his inner Joel Goodson from the hit movie “Risky Business”? More on that later. Let’s get right to the surprising trade of Kyrie Irving to the Cavs biggest threat in the East, the Boston Celtics.

Koby Altman photo courtesy of fearthesword.com

This is a very risky trade for the Cavs considering that they gave up a four-time all-star in Kyrie Irving who they controlled for two more years even if he was unhappy, for Isaiah Thomas, an undersized, currently injured point guard, who’s terrible on defense and in the final year of his contract. And oh yeah, they made this deal with their Eastern Conference rival, the Boston Celtics!

Yes the Cavs got a decent role player, who’s calling card is defense, in Jae Crowder, plus an unproven rookie center, in Ante Zizic. But I’m not sure how much they will really help the Cavaliers this season, which possibly could be the final season for LeBron James in Cleveland.

If the Cavaliers are in a must win now mode, I feel, especially with the uncertainty of the hip injury Isaiah Thomas is dealing with, that this trade does not help them for this year, with the exception of owner Dan Gilbert reportedly saving $29 million in the luxury tax.

However, if Isaiah Thomas and his seriously injured hip, that forced him to miss games 3, 4 and 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavs, is able to get back to being 100% healthy, and Derrick Rose does the same, the Cavaliers will continue to be the best the Eastern Conference has to offer. But as they are constructed right now, I don’t think that the Cavaliers will be good enough to defeat the defending champion Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

Maybe the most exciting thing about this trade is the draft pick the Cavs got from the Celtics. It is actually the Brooklyn Nets draft pick, and Brooklyn could be the worst team in the NBA the season. That would mean the Cavaliers could end up with the most ping pong balls in the hopper (#APPBITH) with a chance to get the number one overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Or the Cavaliers could take this Nets draft pick and potentially flip it for a big-time player which could mean a whole another story.

I was hoping that somehow someway new GM Koby Altman would find a way to trade for Eric Bledsoe, Josh Jackson and a draft pick from the Suns, or if Phoenix continued to be steadfast on not giving up Jackson, I might’ve taken TJ Warren and Jared Dudley and a draft pick along with Bledsoe. But the Suns wouldn’t budge, so Altman took, I guess, the next best deal.

Could he have done worse? Sure! Could he, or maybe David Griffin, if he were still the Cavaliers GM have done more? I think so! Now I’ve been wrong before on trades, but I’ve also been right.

But Altman is the man in charge and it looks like he took the mental approach of  Joel Goodson, Tom Cruise’s character in the movie “Risky Business” and went with, “Sometimes you gotta say, what the f***, make your move”! And boy did he ever!

Is this the end of the “Soap Opera” that is the 2017-18 Cleveland Cavaliers? I highly doubt it. I’m sure there’s plenty more drama to come.

Stay tuned!

 

CAVS AND G.M. DAVID GRIFFIN GO THEIR SEPARATE WAYS

The Cleveland Cavaliers and General Manager David Griffin have parted ways after 3 years and one NBA Championship. It was announced Monday night that the two sides could not agree on a new contract and had philosophical differences for the direction of the team.

 Here is the official press release from the Cavaliers:

Statement From Cleveland Cavaliers Chairman Dan Gilbert

The Cleveland Cavaliers and its General Manager, David Griffin, have mutually decided not to extend David’s current contract, which ends June 30, 2017.

On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Griff for his leadership and many contributions during his time here, including most recently, his role in the franchise’s first NBA Championship.

We have no announcement at this time related to new leadership of the Cavaliers basketball operations group, but we are confident our current front office will continue to aggressively explore and pursue opportunities to improve our team in the weeks ahead.

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Names that have surfaced as potential front office candidates in varying roles according to WHBC sources include Chauncey Billups, Justin Zanek, Joe Dumars and Larry Harris.

Via Twitter, Cavs All Star and All NBA First Team forward LeBron James had this to say about David Griffin’s departure:

LeBron JamesVerified account @KingJames

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

11:32 PM – 19 Jun 2017

Tune in to the Kenny and JT Show on 1480 WHBC and WHBC.com Tuesday from 3p-7p for more on this developing story.

CAVS TRADE FOR KYLE KORVER

CAVS SEND MIKE DUNLEAVY,  MO WILLIAMS AND FUTURE FIRST ROUND PICK TO ATLANTA

            CLEVELAND, OH – The 2016 NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired guard Kyle Korver from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for guard/forward Mike Dunleavy, guard Mo Williams, cash considerations and a protected first round draft pick (first possible pick is Cleveland’s 2019 first round pick), Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to add a player and person the caliber of Kyle Korver to our Cavs family,” said Griffin. “Among the most prolific and dynamic three-point shooters in NBA history, a selfless, and team first competitor, Kyle brings all of the elements of Cavs DNA that we covet on and off the floor. We look forward to welcoming Kyle, his wife, Juliet and their three children to Northeast Ohio and are certain our fans will embrace them with open arms.”

Korver (6-7, 212) played in 32 games (21 starts) for Atlanta this season with averages of 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 27.9 minutes. He is also shooting .889 from the foul line and .409 from the three-point line, while scoring in double figures 16 times in 2016-17. Korver has spent the last four-plus seasons with the Hawks and currently ranks first on the team’s all-time free throw percentage list at .887 (329-371) and third on the club’s all-time three-point field goals made chart with 818 triples. Korver shot .452 (818-1,811) from the three-point line in his career with Atlanta and hit at least one triple in 311 of 332 games played with the team.

Playing in his 14th NBA season, Korver has appeared in 996 games (417 starts) with Philadelphia, Utah, Chicago and Atlanta, owning career averages of 10.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 26.6 minutes per game. He was an NBA All-Star in 2015 and ranks eighth in NBA history with 1,952 career three-pointers (fifth among active players) and eighth all-time in three-point field goal percentage (.429). Korver has hit 100 threes or more 11 times in his career, including each of the last six seasons.

Dunleavy (6-9, 220), who was acquired in a trade with Chicago on July 7, 2016, played in 23 games (two starts) for the Cavaliers this season, averaging 4.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 15.9 minutes. Williams (6-1, 198) was part of the Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA championship team after signing as a free agent on July 10, 2015 and averaged 8.2 points and 2.4 assists in 18.2 minutes in 41 games (14 starts) last season.

CAVS AND LEBRON JAMES SIGN NEW MULTI-YEAR DEAL

 THE 2016 NBA FINALS MVP RE-SIGNS WITH CLEVELAND AFTER LEADING TEAM TO ITS FIRST EVER NBA TITLE

LeBron Holding Both NBA Championship and MVP Trophies

CLEVELAND, OH – The 2016 NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James have signed a new multi-year contract, General Manager David Griffin announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

“We are very fortunate to have a championship group together,” said Griffin. “One that has grown organically to trust, and sacrifice for one another – on and off the floor. At the core of that group is LeBron. His leadership, passion and tireless commitment are the hallmarks of our success and have inspired our entire franchise. His connection and dedication to his community and this fan base are absolute. We share his determination to win at the highest level and can’t wait to get back to work, together to defend our title.”

James, a four-time MVP, 12-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion, appeared in 76 games (all starts) for the Cavaliers in 2015-16, averaging an Eastern Conference-best 25.3 points (fifth in NBA) on .520 shooting from the field (14th in NBA), 7.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists (ninth in  NBA) and 1.4 steals in 35.6 minutes per game. It was James’ 12th consecutive season averaging at least 25.0 points, which is a new NBA record (previous was 11 straight seasons by Karl Malone from 1987-88 to 1997-98 and Jerry West from 1961-62 to 1971-72). James, the only player in 2015-16 to shoot over .500 from the field with averages of at least 25.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists, was an NBA All-Star starter for the 12th straight season and All-NBA First Team selection for the ninth year in a row. He earned the Kia NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month a league-best three times in 2015-16 (February, March and April), as well as the Player of the Week award an NBA-high tying five times (weeks ending Nov. 22, Jan. 10, March 6, March 27 and April 3).

James started in all 21 games during the Cavs’ championship run in the 2016 Playoffs, recording 13 double-doubles (two triple-doubles) and averaging 26.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 7.6 assists, a postseason career-high 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks in 39.1 minutes per game. In the 2016 NBA Finals win against Golden State, James, who was named Finals MVP, helped the Cavaliers become the first team in league history to overcome a 3-1 Finals deficit while leading the series in points (208, 29.7), rebounds (79, 11.3), assists (62, 8.9), steals (18, 2.6) and blocks (16, 2.3). He was the first player in NBA Playoff history to lead a series in every major statistical category. James is just the fifth NBA player to have three Finals MVPs, joining Michael Jordan (six), Shaquille O’Neal (three), Tim Duncan (three) and Magic Johnson (three).

The 6-8 forward scored in double figures in all 76 regular season games in 2015-16, increasing his consecutive double-digit scoring streak to 717 (third-longest streak in NBA history). In addition to scoring in double figures every game he appeared in, James had 63 games of at least 20 points and 18 games of at least 30 points. He also registered 28 double-doubles and three triple-doubles. After concluding his 13th NBA season with 26,833 career points, James climbed all the way up to No. 11 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, passing Oscar Robertson (26,710), Dominique Wilkins (26,668), Tim Duncan (26,496), John Havlicek (26,395), Paul Pierce (26,316), Kevin Garnett (26,071), Alex English (25,613), Reggie Miller (25,279) and Jerry West (25,192) this past season. He also moved up to 18th place in assists (6,815), joining Oscar Robertson (9,887) as the only players in NBA history to rank in the Top 25 in both points and assists.

The Akron, Ohio native remains the franchise’s all-time regular season leader in points scored (18,914), scoring average (27.3), field goals made (6,776), three-pointers made (978), free throws made (4,384), assists (4,835) and steals (1,168), while ranking third in rebounds (4,842) and fourth in blocks (580). Over his 13-year NBA career, James has appeared in 987 regular season games (986 starts) with averages of 27.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 39.0 minutes, while shooting .498 from the floor, .340 from three-point range and .744 from the foul line. For his postseason career, James has appeared in 199 contests (all starts) with averages of 28.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 42.1 minutes per game.

 

CAVS SIGN GUARD DAHNTAY JONES, COMPLETE PLAYOFF ROSTER

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CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard Dahntay Jones, Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Jones (6-6, 225) appeared in 43 games (39 starts) for the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA Development League this season, averaging 15.7 points on .546 shooting from the field, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 35.7 minutes. He also shot .546 from the field, .413 from the three-point line and .851 from the charity stripe with Grand Rapids.

Originally selected as the 20th overall pick out of Duke University by the Boston Celtics in the 2003 NBA Draft, Jones has played in 622 games (157 starts) over his 11-year NBA career. He holds career averages of 5.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game with Memphis, Sacramento, Denver, Indiana, Dallas, Atlanta and the Los Angeles Clippers. The 6-6 guard has also appeared in 49 NBA playoff games (16 starts) with averages of 4.1 points and 1.3 rebounds in 11.1 minutes.

Jones will wear jersey number 30 for the Cavaliers and will be eligible for the playoffs. Cleveland’s roster currently stands at 15.

 

 

 

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CAVS ACQUIRE CHANNING FRYE FROM ORLANDO MAGIC

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AS PART OF TWO TRADES, CAVS SEND ANDERSON VAREJAO AND A PROTECTED FUTURE FIRST ROUND PICK TO TRAIL BLAZERS AND JARED CUNNINGHAM AND FUTURE SECOND ROUND PICK TO MAGIC

 

CLEVELAND, OH – Through two separate trades, the Cavaliers have acquired F/C Channing Frye from the Orlando Magic. The Cavs traded F/C Anderson Varejao and a protected future first round draft pick to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for a second round pick. The Cavaliers then traded the second round pick and guard Jared Cunningham to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Frye.

             “Anderson is a special player, teammate and person,” said Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin. “Few players have earned the respect, support and admiration of an entire organization, fan base and community as Andy did here. Those are all things that made this a difficult deal to do. At the same time, we have a deep obligation to do whatever we can to reach our ultimate goal and we believe this was a deal that improves our team now and positions us better in the future as well. We thank Andy for his hard work, dedication and contributions to the Cavaliers and our community and wish him and his wife, Marcelle, the very, very best.”

Playing in his 10th NBA season, Frye has appeared in 44 games (29 starts) for Orlando, averaging 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per game. He is also shooting .397 from the three-point line and .905 from the foul line. Over his career, the 6-11 forward has played in 701 games (420 starts) with New York, Portland, Phoenix and Orlando, averaging 9.3 points and 4.9 rebounds in 24.1 minutes per game. He is a career .387 shooter from beyond the arc, which includes .404 shooting on catch-and-shoot threes over the last two seasons (446 attempts).

            “Channing Frye is someone we know well. His length, floor spacing ability and locker room presence will impact us positively,” said Griffin. “He is a great fit with our group, both on the court and off, and we look forward to Channing, his wife Lauren, and their children, Hendrix and Margaux joining us here in Cleveland.”

Varejao has spent his entire 12-year NBA career with the Cavaliers and holds career averages of 7.6 points on .512 shooting from the field and 7.5 rebounds in 25.0 minutes over 591 games (208 starts). Among franchise leaders, he ranked third in offensive rebounds (1,479), fifth in defensive rebounds (2,955), fifth in total rebounds (4,434), seventh in games played, tied for seventh in blocks (397) and eighth in steals (529). In 2015-16, Varejao has appeared in 31 games with averages of 2.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 10.0 minutes.

Cunningham, who signed on as a free agent after the 2015 Cavs training camp, appeared in 40 games (three starts) for the Cavs this season and averaged 2.6 points and 0.7 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per game.

CAVS RELEASE DAVID BLATT FROM HEAD COACHING DUTIES TYRONN LUE NAMED HEAD COACH

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CLEVELAND, OH – Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin announced today that David Blatt has been released from his duties as head coach. Associate Head Coach Tyronn Lue has been named Head Coach. The current Cavaliers assistant coaches and staff remain under contract and will continue working with the team.

“On behalf of the organization, I would like to thank David Blatt for his efforts and commitment to this franchise,” said Griffin. “He spent the last year and a half battling intense scrutiny, working to mold a very willful group and we all recognize that is not at all an easy task.”

“But with that said, when you have the clarity of purpose that our ownership has instilled in this entire organization, decisions often make themselves. Every decision made is an answer to the following question: does it put us in the best position to deliver Championships to Northeast, Ohio.”

“So, today, we are elevating Tyronn Lue, from his role as Associate Head Coach to Head Coach. I am more than confident that he will have the pulse of our team and the buy-in required to enhance the habits and culture that will foster the kind of identity and results we must have.”

Blatt was named the 19th head coach in  Cavaliers history on June 20, 2014. During his one and half seasons as head coach, Blatt compiled a regular season record of 83-40 and a 14-6 mark in last year’s playoffs.

“Over the course of my business career I have learned that sometimes the hardest thing to do is also the right thing to do,” said Dan Gilbert, Majority Owner of the Cavaliers. “Our ownership group supports David Griffin’s decision.  We would like to thank David Blatt for his work over these past two seasons where the Cavaliers transformed into a playoff team after a rebuilding phase.  We believe Tyronn Lue is the right coach at the right time to put us in the best position to take the last but most challenging step to complete our mission to deliver Cleveland an NBA Championship.”

Lue is in his second season with the Cavs after being hired as the associate head coach in June 2014. He was previously an assistant coach on Doc Rivers’ staff with the Los Angeles Clippers, who captured the Pacific Division title with a 57-25 record in 2013-14. Prior to the Clippers, Lue spent four seasons as a member of Rivers’ Boston Celtics staff, the last two as an assistant coach. He began his time in Boston as the Director of Basketball Development in 2009-10.

Originally drafted by the Denver Nuggets with the 23rd overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, Lue played 11 seasons in the NBA, appearing in 554 career games with the Lakers, Washington, Orlando, Houston, Atlanta, Dallas and Milwaukee. The former University of Nebraska star won NBA Championships in 2000 and 2001 with the Lakers.

 

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CAVS RE-SIGN TRISTAN THOMPSON

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CLEVELAND, OH – The Cleveland Cavaliers have re-signed forward Tristan Thompson, General Manager David Griffin announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts. Per league and team policy, terms of the contracts were not released. In a related move, the Cavs have waived forward Nick Minnerath.

Thompson played in all 82 games (15 starts) in the 2014-15 regular season, finishing with averages of 8.5 points on a career-best .547 shooting from the field, and 8.0 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game. It marked the third straight season he has played in all 82 games, increasing his consecutive games streak to 288 dating back to Feb. 10, 2012. That is the second-longest active streak in the NBA, behind only DeAndre Jordan’s 322 consecutive games played (dating back to March 25, 2011). Last season, the 6-10 forward ranked fifth in the NBA in total offensive rebounds (274) and fifth in offensive rebounds per game (3.3). He recorded 14 double-doubles, while tying for the NBA-lead in double-doubles off the bench with eight. Thompson also led all NBA bench players in total rebounds (511) and offensive rebounds per game (3.2), while ranking second in total rebounds per game (7.6).

During the Cavs’ NBA Finals run in the 2015 playoffs, Thompson played in all 20 games (15 starts), averaging 9.6 points on .558 shooting, 10.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 36.4 minutes per game. He registered nine double-doubles, while grabbing double-digit rebounds in 14 playoff games, including in all six games during the NBA Finals.

 

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CAVS AND TRISTAN THOMPSON AGREE TO TERMS

As the information made it’s way around Twitter on Wednesday night that Tristan Thompson and the Cavaliers had come to terms on a new contract, there was no confirmation from the Cavs that this had actually happened. That was until Cavs owner Dan Gilbert took the stage at a special event for Cavs season ticket holders at the Cleveland Convention Center. Gilbert addressed the crowd and said, “Yes it is true.”

Dan Gilbert at Cavs Season Ticket Holders Event 10-21-15

 

Gilbert then went on to say they had reached a verbal agreement on a deal with the power forward and were hopeful the actual contract would get signed on Thursday. The Cavs owner then gave credit to his general manager David Griffin and managing partner Nate Forbes for finally getting the deal done.

 

Thompson’s agent Rich Paul told ESPN.com that the deal is for 5 years and $82 million dollars, with all the money guaranteed. The deal also doesn’t include a team or a player option.

Tristan Thompson Reaction Shot Game 3 vs Bulls

 

The 24 year old Thompson averaged 8.5 points per game and 8 rebounds per game last season for the Cavs, but upped those numbers in the playoffs to 9.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Thompson who has missed all of training camp, is entering his 5th season for the Cavs after being drafted with the 4th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

CAVALIERS SIGN CENTER SASHA KAUN

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CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed center Sasha Kaun to a contract, General Manager David Griffin announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.  Per league and team policy, terms of the contract were not released.

Kaun (6-11, 250) spent the last six seasons with CSKA Moscow where he was a five-time Russian League champion (2009-2013), five-time VTB United League champion (2010, 2012-2015) and 2010 Russian Cup winner. Over his career with the team, he appeared in 142 games (94 starts) with averages of 7.6 points on .702 shooting from the field and 3.6 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game. Last year with the club, he played in 30 games (all starts) and averaged a career-high 9.9 points on .691 shooting from the field and 4.5 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game.

The Russian native played collegiately at Kansas, where he was a member of the Jayhawks 2007-08 National Championship team. He was also a member of the Russian National Team coached by Cavs head coach David Blatt, winning a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Kaun was originally the 56th overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder (then Seattle SuperSonics) and had his rights traded to the Cavs on draft night.

 

 

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