Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Griffin: Cavs challenge about 'noise,' not LeBron

Written by 
Published in Basketball
Friday, 02 August 2019 13:41

New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin clarified comments he made about the challenges of building a title contender around LeBron James during their three seasons in Cleveland together, saying Friday that he maintains a "positive relationship" with James.

In a Sports Illustrated story published Thursday, the former Cleveland general manager called his experience with those James-led Cavaliers teams "miserable" and questioned James' desire to win.

On ESPN's The Jump on Friday, Griffin said he did a poor job of framing a conversation about dealing with the "noise" surrounding those teams.

"The fact that there was so much scrutiny in everything that we did, when I was speaking about being uncomfortable and being miserable, it was my inability to deal with that media scrutiny," Griffin said. "It wasn't the man himself. It was everything that came with a team led by LeBron James. It had nothing to do with being miserable with LeBron. We had and have a very positive relationship."

Griffin also addressed his comment that James wasn't "the same animal anymore" after winning a championship with the Cavaliers in 2016. Griffin said Friday that he had failed to instill a sense of urgency in the team following the championship and that his fear over James' declining desire to win proved "unfounded."

"My belief at that time was there is no way anyone can be born in Akron, Ohio, deliver the first championship in 52 years to Cleveland, Ohio, and be the same human being," Griffin said. "It's not possible -- you're a person, you're a human being -- and my fear at that time was that [James] wouldn't have that same animal-like desire to win. And what we've seen is he's gone to multiple Finals since, so it was an unfounded fear."

Griffin and a person close to James spoke to each other after the SI story was published, sources told ESPN on Thursday, and Griffin expressed that some context was missing behind his comments. James' camp encouraged Griffin to clear up his stance on the record, sources said.

Griffin said Friday that the SI story was supposed to be about the Pelicans and the lessons he learned while being in charge of the Cavaliers, saying his quotes about his experience with James in Cleveland in the story were "sensationalized" and "taken out of context."

Information from ESPN's Dave McMenamin was used in this report.

Read 528 times

Soccer

Arsenal's Arteta on Gabriel injury: We can cope

Arsenal's Arteta on Gabriel injury: We can cope

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMikel Arteta has claimed Arsenal "have the resources to cope" with...

Amorim: 'Crazy' to believe Man Utd could win Prem

Amorim: 'Crazy' to believe Man Utd could win Prem

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsRuben Amorim said he would be "crazy" to think Manchester United ca...

Forget Haaland, Mbappé, Salah: Barcelona's Torres is Europe's most prolific forward

Forget Haaland, Mbappé, Salah: Barcelona's Torres is Europe's most prolific forward

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWhen you think of who the most prolific goal-scorer in Europe's top...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

How Nikola Jokic quietly became a defensive analytics darling

How Nikola Jokic quietly became a defensive analytics darling

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsDRAPED IN A towel, Anthony Edwards burst into the Target Center hom...

Butler plays through forearm issue, iffy for Fri.

Butler plays through forearm issue, iffy for Fri.

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLOS ANGELES -- Golden State Warriors star forward Jimmy Butler suff...

Baseball

Judge gets 500th extra-base hit; 3rd-fastest Yank

Judge gets 500th extra-base hit; 3rd-fastest Yank

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- Aaron Judge smiled and perhaps blushed when informed of...

Reds: 1st since 1960 to lose 3 straight by 1-0

Reds: 1st since 1960 to lose 3 straight by 1-0

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMILWAUKEE -- The Cincinnati Reds lost 1-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated