The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Gilbert’s ego drove Griffin out the door
In his Cleveland Beat column, Jeff Schudel writes that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert’s (right) ego drove away General Manager David Griffin. Plus, thoughts on the Indians and a new book.
Covering the Browns for 27 years, especially the last 19, has conditioned me to expect the unexpected, so what happened at Cleveland Clinic Courts last week was more a tremor than a buildingcrumbling earthquake.
Still, it was a weird four days for the Cavaliers, who on June 12 were playing the Golden State Warriors for the NBA championship.
A week later, General Manager David Griffin walked away, dissatisfied with what team owner Dan Gilbert had to say when the two discussed a new contract for Griffin, whose current deal was set to expire June 30. Three days after that, the NBA held its draft. Veterans from various teams were traded — and the Cavaliers, seeking ways to be better than the Warriors in a fourth straight Finals match next year, did nothing.
The Cavaliers will survive without Griffin. No one is indispensable — except LeBron James — but the question lingers, what went sour between Gilbert and Griffin?
ESPN reported the breaking point occurred during a meeting between Griffin and Gilbert on June 16. The story by Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin said Griffin, who was under contract for less than $2 million a year, wanted a “large pay raise and an upgrade in power.” The story said Gilbert wanted “better communication and more aggression” from Griffin after the Cavaliers lost the Finals to the Warriors in five games.
Griffin’s requests were valid, though I do not know his salary demand and have not seen it reported anywhere; Coach Tyronn Lue got a $7 million a year, five-year contract after the Cavs won the NBA championship in 2016.
Various reports, including one from The Athletic and one from ESPN, say Chauncey Billups has been offered the job of president of basketball operations. The Athletic is saying the deal is for five years and that Billups is mulling it over. The Associated Press is saying no offer has been formally made. The Cavaliers aren’t saying anything.
Billups, despite having no front office experience, would be getting the title, presumably, that Griffin wanted — assuming a deal with Billups is eventually consummated. If the deal is for $5 million a year and Griffin rejected that, then shame on Griffin. But nothing indicates Gilbert made Griffin that offer.
Classy as always, Griffin said he was grateful he and Gilbert were “able to separate without malice.”
From my view, it comes down to Gilbert’s ego. Credit was heaped on Griffin for putting the Cavaliers roster together. Griffin always made sure to say Gilbert gave him the green light to “exceed an unlimited budget,” but if Billups and the general manager Billups picks can patch together a championship team from what Griffin left behind, Gilbert will look like a genius.
• Those stories of the Pacers exploring trading Paul George to the Cavaliers and the Bulls thinking of trading Jimmy Butler to the Cavs seemed a little fishy from the start, but we were duty bound to report them.
The Cavaliers wouldn’t make a trade for either player, even at the expense of losing Kevin Love, unless it made them stronger. And why would two teams in the same conference make the team already best in the East even better?
You could say the Pacers would have Love for three years and the Cavs would have George for only one. George can be a free agent next summer and says he wants to sign with the Lakers in 2018, but there would have been the possibility of James persuading George to stay with the Cavs. If that happened, no team in the East would catch the Cavs as long as George, James and Kyrie Irving were together.
• The door might not be closed on the Cavaliers acquiring Carmelo Anthony, another close friend of James. But Anthony has a no-trade clause in his contract and on June 21 informed the Knicks he wants to stay in New York, according to the New York Daily News.
Butler, against his wishes, was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on June 22. His only choice was to accept the trade or retire. Anthony would have to waive his no-trade clause and would do that only if he approved the trade partner — like the Cavs.
Knicks President Phil Jackson clearly wants Anthony in another uniform.
“We have not been able to win with him on the court at this time, and I think the direction with our team is that he is a player that will be better off somewhere else and using his talents somewhere where he can win or chase that championship,” Jackson told reporters on April 14 after the regular season ended.
It would take trading Love to land Anthony.
Stay hydrated
The grind of 162 games over six months is what makes baseball unique, and when temperatures touch 90 degrees as they often do in the summer months, it can sap a player’s legs, his throwing arm and his mind.
There is no shade for outfielders, and when the pitcher doesn’t throw strikes to make the game move briskly a half inning can seem to last an hour.
“You try to prepare the night before or the morning of for stuff like that,” Indians outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall said recently. “Our training staff does a good job of hydration, so before and after games they’re making us drinks and encouraging hydration and things like that.
“The wear comes from being on your feet longer (in long games). You try to make sure you do the right things as you come off the field to prepare for each inning. It’s a fair playing field because everybody out there in the sun.”
But those that do it properly perform better than those that sluff conditioning off. It is noticeable when injuries mount in August.
“I know a lot of guys will duck into the clubhouse and sneak some air conditioning or sit in front of a fan,” Chisenhall said. “The fans don’t have anywhere to go. They’re sitting there cooking. We appreciate them coming out and supporting us on days like that.”
Chisenhall said manager Terry Francona and the coaching staff monitor the workload by not keeping players on the field too long and giving them days off. Third baseman Jose Ramirez was given June 23 off — just the second game he had been rested in the 72 the Indians played to that point.
“You could tell he was dragging,” Francona said of Ramirez, despite Ramirez hitting .522 over the last 10 games.
Chisenall said Francona rarely makes batting practice mandatory before a day game.
Pick a story
This strays off normal topics in the Cleveland Beat.
Martin Gitlin recently wrote a fascinating book titled “Powerful Moments in Sports” that goes in depth describing behindthe-headline details of the most defining events in sports history. The “Death of the Reserve Clause” in baseball, “Muhammed Ali flattens Sonny Liston,” Joe Namath guaranteeing the Jets would win Super Bowl III, the “Rise and Fall of Tiger Woods,” “Superhorse” Secretariat and “Do You Believe in Miracles?” about the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team’s stunning upset of the superior Russians on the way to winning the Gold Medal are examples of the 20 stories in the book.
The Battle of the Sexes between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King was one of the most famous matches in tennis history. King beat Riggs in three straight sets.
Did you know of the rumors Riggs lost on purpose to pay gambling debts? Neither did I until I read Gitlin’s book.
“Powerful Moments in Sports” costs $35.41 on Amazon.com. You can get the book directly from Gitlin, with a personalized autograph, by contacting him at Mgitlin@sbcglobal. net. Gitlin will pay for shipping and handling.
I didn’t know that
…Until I ready my Snapple bottle cap
The average person takes 23,000 breaths a day — one every 16 seconds. … Even when a snake closes its eyes, it can see through its eyelids. … Strawberries contain more Vitamin C than oranges. … Dr. Seuss wrote “Green Eggs and Ham” to win a bet with his publisher who thought Seuss could not write a book using only 50 words. … A ball of glass will bounce higher than a rubber ball. … Flamingoes can only eat with their heads upside down.