Griffin doubts James’ desire to win
Count New Orleans Pelicans Executive President David Griffin among the people who believe LeBron James is beyond his best days.
The former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager told Sports Illustrated he was “miserable” trying to build a roster around the NBA superstar and questioned whether James is more focused on off-court priorities than helping the Lakers win. He said James changed after winning a title with his hometown Cavaliers in 2016.
“There wasn’t a lot else for him,” Griffin said. “I don’t think he’s the same animal anymore about winning.”
Griffin said he didn’t have fun trying to build a winning roster around James. Though the effort did yield a championship, it left Griffin ready to move on when his contract expired in June 2017. He said the experience made him feel that he “didn’t love the game anymore.”
“Everything we did was so inorganic and unsustainable and, frankly, not fun. I was miserable,” Griffin said. “Literally the moment we won the championship I knew I was gonna leave. There was no way I was gonna stay for any amount of money.”
The Lakers are among the favorites to win the title this season after acquiring Anthony Davis in a trade with the Pelicans this summer. James’ first season in L.A. was a disappointment with the team finishing outside the postseason for the sixth consecutive season. Expectations will be higher in 2019-20, but it seems hard to fathom James will be given a free pass from the fans and media if the Lakers do not at least contend for a title.
Odds check
Now that the MLB trade deadline has passed, it’s time to look at how the World Series odds have changed, courtesy of BetOnline.ag. On July 3, the San Francisco Giants were 500-1 to win the World Series. Today, they are 50-1, making it the team with the most improved odds. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Pirates went from 100-1 to 1,000-1, the worst decline of any team.
The Dodgers’ odds got worse, meaning they are no longer the sole favorite to win. They are now tied with the Houston Astros, who acquired former Dodger Zack Greinke at the deadline. Here are the odds:
Houston Astros, 7-2 (9-2 on July 3); Dodgers, 7-2 (11-4); New York Yankees, 4-1 (4-1); Atlanta Braves, 12-1 (12-1); Cleveland Indians, 14-1 (33-1); Minnesota Twins, 14-1 (9-1); Chicago Cubs, 16-1 (14-1); St. Louis Cardinals, 20-1 (28-1); Boston Red Sox, 25-1 (20-1); Tampa Bay Rays, 25-1 (20-1); Washington Nationals, 25-1 (33-1); Milwaukee Brewers, 33-1 (20-1); Philadelphia Phillies, 33-1 (22-1); Oakland Athletics, 40-1 (66-1); San Francisco Giants, 50-1 (500-1); New York Mets, 66-1 (250-1); Cincinnati Reds, 100-1 (100-1); Arizona Diamondbacks, 150-1 (100-1); Angels, 150-1 (80-1); Colorado Rockies, 250-1 (50-1); San Diego Padres, 250-1 (100-1); Texas Rangers, 250-1 (40-1); Chicago White Sox, 1,000-1 (150-1); Pittsburgh Pirates, 1,000-1 (100-1); Seattle Mariners, 1,000-1 (1,000-1); Baltimore Orioles, 5,000-1 (no odds); Detroit Tigers, 5,000-1 (no odds); Kansas City Royals, 5,000-1 (no odds); Miami Marlins, 5,000-1 (no odds); Toronto Blue Jays, 5,000-1 (no odds).
Your favorite sports moment
What is your favorite all-time L.A. sports moment? Let us know and it could appear in a future Morning Briefing.
Today’s moment comes from Greg Foster:
“The Shaq alley-oop from Kobe in the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference finals against Portland. Incredible comeback, teamwork and pure joy (and a jiggle) from Shaq. I still get shivers watching the highlights. That play was the epicenter of the Kobe/Shaq duo and Phil [Jackson’s] coaching genius. All of L.A. was on board watching history and greatness unfold with gigantic smiles on our faces. Man, was that ever fun!”