Cavs Fire GM Chris Grant
The Cavaliers have officially announced the firing of GM Chris Grant. Cavs vice president of basketball operations David Griffin will replace Grant on an interim basis.
The news isn’t altogether shocking, given Cleveland’s 16-33 record and Kyrie Irving‘s reported discontent with the franchise, though the timing is a surprise, since it comes just two weeks shy of the trade deadline. A weekend report from Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News suggested the team was expected to fire Grant after the season, though it appears owner Dan Gilbert didn’t want to wait that long.
“There is no one in our entire organization who is satisfied with our performance, and to say that we are disappointed is an understatement,” Gilbert said in part, according to the team’s statement. “We all know the great potential of our young talent, seasoned veterans, as well as our recent all-star addition [Luol Deng]. We believe a change in leadership was necessary to establish the best possible culture and environment for our entire team to flourish.”
Cleveland has had numerous misfires of late, including last season’s No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, who’s averaging just 3.3 points and 11.9 minutes per game. Gilbert had reportedly given the team a mandate to make the playoffs before Bennett was drafted, and his poor start, reflected in the team’s record, helped push the team into acquiring Deng last month, but Cleveland has gone just 4-10 with Deng in the lineup.
Last night’s loss to the banged-up Lakers was apparently the last straw. L.A. ended the game with only five healthy players and had to exploit a little-known NBA rule to keep Robert Sacre on the floor even though he had fouled out.
Grant, who first joined the club as assistant GM in 2005, took over as GM on June 4, 2010, about a month before LeBron James decided to sign with the Heat. That forced Grant into a rebuilding period, helped along by his shrewd trade of Mo Williams and Jamario Moon for Baron Davis and an unprotected draft pick that became the No. 1 overall selection in 2011. The Cavs used it to select Irving, and while Tristan Thompson, the No. 4 overall pick this year, has begun to show signs of development, Grant has had little other success in the draft. Dion Waiters, the No. 4 overall pick in 2012, has been relegated to a sixth-man role after starting for most of his rookie season, and Bennett and Sergey Karasev, last year’s first-rounders, have yet to make meaningful contributions.
The Cavs have relied chiefly on the draft during Grant’s tenure, but the club has also endured high-profile free agent misses. Cleveland committed a combined $29.65MM in guaranteed salary to Jarrett Jack, Earl Clark and the since-traded Andrew Bynum this past summer, none of whom have had the desired effect. The shortcomings of wing players Alonzo Gee and C.J. Miles, Cleveland’s most expensive gets of the summer of 2012, were part of the reason the club traded for Deng.
Grant changed coaches this past offseason, parting ways with Byron Scott and moving swiftly to re-hire Mike Brown, whom the club fired in 2010, shortly before Grant became GM. Brown, in the first year of a five-year contract, has so far failed to deliver winning results.
Griffin has earned respect around the league while serving under Grant in Cleveland’s front office the past three and a half years. He was a candidate for the Clippers GM job in 2012.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports was first to report the firing, as well as the news that Griffin was the favorite to be elevated in Grant’s place (Twitter link). Grantland’s Zach Lowe added detail about Griffin, on Twitter.
Odds & Ends: Cavaliers, Nelson, Afflalo, Melo
Tonight might have been the low point of the season for the Cavaliers. Cleveland fell by double digits at home to an ice-cold Lakers squad that ended the contest with only five available players. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio writes that the Cavs are in desperate need of an immediate change, even if it means making a difficult personnel decision. Here’s a look at some other notable tidbits from the NBA’s Wednesday night:
- Jameer Nelson has been mentioned in various trade rumors, but the longest tenured Magic player says he hasn’t had any discussions with management about the possibility of being shipped away from Orlando, reveals Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Schmitz also passes along in the same piece that he hears Magic GM Rob Hennigan would be “comfortable” retaining both Nelson and the often discussed Arron Afflalo through the deadline.
- Add Carmelo Anthony‘s former college coach Jim Boeheim to the list of those in favor of Melo leaving the Knicks in free agency this summer. “The problem in the NBA, you’re judged on winning championships,” Boeheim said to ESPN Radio. “He’s got to try to go and play where they can win a championship or else he’s going to be a failure. That’s the bottom line.” Al Iannazzone of Newsday has the full story.
- Rudy Gay is enjoying his time as a member of the Kings and harbors no hard feelings against the Raptors and their decision to deal him to Sacramento, according to Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. In another piece, Gatner breaks down his take as to why Gay is playing better since leaving Toronto.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com takes a look at how second-round picks can be turned into valuable assets, either through crafty trades or focused player development.
Kyler’s Latest: Rivers, Bobcats, Sixers
Sources tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders that the Pelicans have had a deal in place all season to trade Austin Rivers if he didn’t start seeing minutes. His playing time has perked up of late, and Kyler wonders if the Pelicans are merely showcasing him for other trades. The Pelicans are also open to trading Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans, according to Kyler, who shares plenty more in his latest piece. We’ll hit the highlights here:
- The Bobcats are “kicking around” the idea of trading for Greg Monroe, Kyler writes. He also hears they’d be willing to throw Bismack Biyombo into a Ben Gordon trade to convince teams to take on Gordon’s inflated deal, but as Kyler notes, that wouldn’t do much to persuade reluctant trade partners.
- The Sixers could wind up dealing away all of their three veteran trade candidates — Spencer Hawes, Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young — by the deadline, Kyler writes, adding that the Rockets have been targeting Young all season. We heard Young connected to Houston in December, but this is the first report suggesting the Rockets have had interest in him since.
- Dion Waiters and Alonzo Gee are the names most frequently mentioned around the league when the subject of Cavs trade candidates comes up, according to Kyler. Cleveland is reluctant to make Anderson Varejao a part of its talks, but the Cavs are coming around to ideas they hadn’t previously considered, Kyler observes, adding that the team looks like it will be a seller, either at the deadline or around draft time.
- Almost everyone on the Bucks, outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo and John Henson, is fair game for a trade, according to Kyler, who hears that the Rockets have been eyeing Ersan Ilyasova.
- Marcus Thornton and Jimmer Fredette are the Kings that Kyler keeps hearing in trade chatter, but there’s little market for either, he writes.
- Rival teams are getting the sense that the Pistons will stand pat at the deadline, which Kyler finds vexing.
- Sources close to the Raptors tell Kyler that their trade talk is simply due diligence, and that they’re only considering overwhelming offers.
Eastern Notes: Waiters, Sanders, Nets, Green
Cavaliers shooting guard Dion Waiters has been the subject of quite a few trade rumors throughout the season, and Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer notes that those talks will only intensify as we inch closer to the trade deadline. The second-year guard out of Syracuse insists he isn’t fazed by the possibility that he could be changing addresses soon:
“I don’t worry about that stuff…If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. If not, it’s not. I can’t control that. It’s out of my hands.”
Here’s more out of the Eastern Conference tonight:
- During a live chat with his readers earlier today, Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW said that the Bucks aren’t willing to trade Larry Sanders right now because they know they’d be selling low.
- According to Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders, there isn’t any untouchable player currently on the Nets roster, and in a market where star players are difficult to come by, Brook Lopez, Deron Williams, Paul Pierce, and Joe Johnson could be acquired for less than their true value because Brooklyn will clearly be sellers at this year’s trade deadline.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston sheds some light on Celtics forward Jeff Green, who aside from showing glimpses of his obvious potential, has struggled to find a comfort zone this year. With the trade deadline looming, Forsberg says it’s fair to wonder if Green is still a part of Boston’s future plans, and that even considering his under-performance as well as his four-year, $36.2MM price tag, there will still be teams interested in his services.
- In a subscribers-only piece for ESPN Insider, Chad Ford cites an anonymous GM who thinks current Syracuse point guard Tyler Ennis will be a more reliable floor general than Kyrie Irving: “If you were to ask me right now whether I’d take Ennis over (Irving), I think it’s Ennis,..He does all the things that help a basketball team win basketball games. You can pick him apart on individual flaws, but I would take this kid right now and trust him to run my team. I think there’s very few freshmen you could ever say that about.”
- Though some may be skeptical about how Andrew Bynum‘s past behavioral issues could affect the Pacers’ chemistry, Darvin Ham – formerly an assistant with the Lakers in 2011/12 and now an assistant with the Hawks– vouched for Bynum’s ability to remain focused: “I really spent a lot of one-on-one time with him, been in group settings with him…He’s really not a disruptive guy. He just wants to be left alone and left alone to play the game, plain and simple (Candace Buckner of IndyStar.com).
- While Anthony Bennett has struggled for most of the year, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal writes that the UNLV product hasn’t been listening to the negative talk about his game and doesn’t dwell on his mistakes as much as he’d done earlier in the season: “I was just worried about making a lot of mistakes, with getting subbed out, all that in the back of my head…Now I’m just going out there and giving it my all. Who cares if I get subbed out? I’m just playing.”
Odds & Ends: Gasol, Pelicans, Buyers/Sellers
Earlier today, we heard that the Suns’ interest in continuing talks with the Lakers about a potential Pau Gasol deal hinges on the 7’1 Spaniard’s recovery from a strained groin injury. With news from InsideSoCal.com’s Mark Medina that Gasol’s rehab will keep him out of action for at least another two weeks, this most likely creates another hurdle in trying to complete a potential deal.
Here’s plenty more from around the Association:
- Kevin Ding of the Bleacher Report (via Twitter) says that because of the injury, Gasol may or may not have played his final game for the Lakers. One certainty, however, is that the Lakers are now more motivated to deal him than before.
- The Pelicans have been “extremely active” in trade talks over the past few days, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. It’s unclear exactly what sort of deals they’re working on, but they announced last night that center Jason Smith is lost for the season, and they’ve reportedly been seeking a trade for a big man.
- Regardless of whether or not Andrew Bynum can produce for the Pacers, the decision to bring him aboard represents a pledge from team management to the players that they’re willing to do whatever it takes to win a championship, says Jared Zwerling of the Bleacher Report.
- In the same piece, Zwerling lists several teams who could be among the league’s buyers and sellers at the trade deadline this season, labeling the 76ers, Jazz, Bucks, Lakers and Bulls are potential sellers, while the Bobcats, Warriors, Knicks, Nets, Cavaliers, Wizards, Suns, Mavericks, and Pistons are potential buyers. According to one executive, the Timberwolves and Nuggets could fall into either group depending on what transpires in the next week or so.
- Cedevita of Croatia has waived Josh Selby after the former Grizzlies guard suffered an injury, tweets David Pick of Eurobasket.com. Selby played 10 games in the NBA last season.
- The NBDL’s Texas Legends’ close proximity to their NBA-affiliate Mavericks has made it easy for both to enjoy a highly active partnership as far as developing the Mavs’ young players, writes Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. Frisco, Texas – where the Legends are based – is located about 30 miles north of downtown Dallas, conveniently allowing the Mavs an option to send someone to play for the Legends one night and then head back for NBA practice the next day.
- The 76ers announced that they’ve assigned big man Arnett Moultrie and guard Lorenzo Brown to the Delaware 87ers (Twitter link).
- The Hawks have sent guard Jared Cunningham to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBDL, according to a team press release earlier this afternoon.
- The Celtics announced that center Vitor Faverani was assigned to their D-League affiliate Maine Red Claws earlier today.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Cavs Notes: Irving, Sims, Gilbert
This was supposed to be a bright year for Cleveland but things have not gone their way so far this season. Key pickup Andrew Bynum was supposed to give the Cavs a much needed presence in the frontcourt but his stay was unremarkable to say the least. There was optimism when Bynum was shipped out for Luol Deng, but weeks later things are still in disarray in Cleveland. The latest on the Cavs..
- Everyone wants to know if Kyrie Irving will leave the Cavs, but Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders feels that his only decision will be whether to re-sign in black or blue ink.
- Henry Sims, who made the Cavs roster on a non-guaranteed deal out of camp, is seeing time in the absence of Anderson Varejao, writes Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer. “He brings some toughness and length,” Brown said. “The ability to change and block some shots. He’s a little bit better offensively than what he’s shown. He hasn’t played a lot of games so it’s tough getting the speed of the game and getting his timing down. But I like his potential.”
- Bill Livingston of the Plain Dealer says it’s time for Cavs owner and comic sans lover Dan Gilbert to step up and lead. Livingston also questions the wisdom of re-hiring Mike Brown, a move that was likely made in part to entice LeBron James to come back to Cleveland.
Odds & Ends: Exum, Nuggets, Cavs, Pistons
The return of Slovenian native Sasha Vujacic to the NBA today, on a 10-day contract with the Clippers, gives the league 93 players born outside the U.S., and they hail from a record 39 different countries, notes Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link). The globalization of the game doesn’t figure to let up soon, as there’s news on the top overseas draft prospect amid today’s look around the NBA:
- Dante Exum wants to mimic Kobe Bryant‘s successful leap from high school to the pros, and that’s what led him to hire Bryant’s agent Rob Pelinka, the Australian point guard prospect tells Jon Tuxworth of The Canberra Times. Exum shares more about his decision to enter this year’s draft and his hopes for instant playing time once he’s in the league.
- The Nuggets, Cavs, Pistons and Grizzlies would all like to swing deals by the deadline, as TNT’s David Aldridge writes in his latest Morning Tip column for NBA.com.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times categorizes nine Bulls trade candidates, and says the team won’t part with Taj Gibson unless it’s certain that a star player will sign with Chicago in free agency this summer. The Lakers, Wizards and Bobcats have reportedly inquired about Gibson.
- Raymond Felton has changed agents, dropping Tony Dutt of Dutt Sports Services Inc. to join Wasserman Media Group, as Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal reports in a subscription-only piece. Thad Foucher and Makhtar N’Diaye will handle representation for Felton, who can’t opt out of his deal with the Knicks until the summer of 2015.
- Von Wafer has signed to play for Russia’s Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Enea Trapani). The six-year NBA veteran has also played in China and for the D-League’s Bakersfield Jam this season.
Odds & Ends: Cavs, Durant, Pistons
The Cavaliers have been all over the news the last few days, and not for anything good. There are rumors that Kyrie Irving wants to fire his agent and leave Cleveland, though he issued a denial about this. Then there are the rumors that coach Mike Brown has lost the locker room. Latest to weigh in is Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. Lloyd says that barring a significant turnaround before the trade deadline, the roster will likely face some major changes. That very well could include a trade of Dion Waiters, whose act has worn thin on his teammates and various members of the organization. Irving’s behavior has also irritated teammates and other members of the organization, but the Cavs are expected to offer him a max contract extension this summer and aren’t believed to be considering trading him.
Some more notes from around the league:
- It was reported earlier that John Wall would try to recruit Kevin Durant to join the Wizards when he becomes a free agent in 2016. Durant, in town to play the Wizards, weighed in on the possibility, writes Ben Standig of CSN Wahington.com. Durant was born in Washington D.C., and had this to say before the game, “I grew up here. I’ve got 100 people coming to the game tonight. That should tell you how much I care for this city.” He continued on to say, “Just growing up here, catching the subway down to the MCI Center at the time as a kid, and watching the games. I’m very fortunate, blessed to come back here and play. Every part of D.C. is embedded in my heart. Looking forward to playing tonight.” Durant didn’t say he was considering heading to the Wizards, but he also didn’t rule it out.
- Pistons owner Tom Gores said that he is concerned about his underachieving team but added that the focus is on improving the existing roster, not buying or selling before the upcoming NBA trade deadline, writes David Mayo of MLive.com. Gores’ stance is that the team should be performing better than they have with their current roster. He also stated the focus isn’t on the upcoming trade deadline, but on helping the current roster develop. Gores also denied the team was trying to trade Greg Monroe, whom our readers voted the Piston most likely to be moved before the trade deadline.
Eastern Notes: Sixers, Melo, Cavs
It might be time for Sixers GM Sam Hinkie to give the Suns a call, writes Tom Moore of The Bucks County Courier Times. Moore thinks the Sixers should try and trade Evan Turner to the Suns for Emeka Okafor and a first-round draft pick. The Suns are reportedly looking to trade veteran big man Okafor (out indefinitely with a neck injury) and his expiring $14.5MM contract. Eighty percent of Okafor’s remaining salary will apparently be covered by an insurance policy. Moore believes the Suns would be willing to include one of their later first-round picks along with Okafor, if it would net them Turner. He doesn’t think the Suns would be willing to part with the Wizards top-12 protected pick, but may be willing to deal either their own (projected at 23rd), or the Pacers (projected at 29th) first-rounder.
More from the East:
- If the Knicks want to keep Carmelo Anthony past this season, they need to get another star before July, writes Al Iannazzone of Long Island Newsday. Getting another star by this year’s trade deadline would be preferable, but the Knicks lack of assets might make that difficult. If they are unable to swing a deal for a another star now, then Iannazzone believes they should make some trades for assets to use this summer. Making a deal after the season to acquire another star would make it easier to convince Anthony to re-sign with the team. If not, they will have to try and convince Anthony to hang on until 2015, when they will have plenty of cap space, and Rajon Rondo and Kevin Love will be free agents.
- There have been reports of major issues with the Cavaliers lack of discipline, and Mike Brown potentially losing the locker room. Both Brown, and Kyrie Irving have denied that there are major issues within the organization. Irving also denied the earlier report that he was close to firing his agent. Jodie Valade of The Cleveland Plain Dealer believes things are as bad as the rumors suggest. Valade says it’s not so much that there are issues, but rather the lack of accountability and ownership of them by the players that is the true problem.
Eastern Notes: Brown, Irving, Bynum, Celtics
It’s not a revelatory statement to say the Cavaliers are in trouble this season. They have lost 17 of their last 24 contests, and are 16-30 on the year, leaving them four games behind in the playoff standings. There are plenty of calls going around for coach Mike Brown‘s job. But firing Brown would only worsen the team’s real problem, writes Bud Shaw of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Shaw believes that it’s the players lack of professionalism that is the issue this season, and firing Brown would only serve to enable them further. Shaw also opines that if a true professional like Luol Deng is unable to have a positive impact, then there definitely is a much deeper problem with the organization than Brown.
More from around the Eastern Conference:
- Also weighing in on the Cavaliers coaching situation is Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. She thinks that the team would be better off if they ran Brown’s defense as he coached it, but if the players are tuning him out, then the team might need to make a coaching change.
- In the same piece, Schmitt Boyer also spoke about some fans clamoring for the team to trade Kyrie Irving. She doesn’t believe it would be wise, stating that the team wouldn’t get equal value in NBA players in return, and the team hasn’t drafted well, so draft picks might also not be worth trading him for.
- John Wall admits he’ll try to recruit Kevin Durant to join the Wizards in 2016, writes Michael Lee of The Washington Post. Wall has stated in the past that he won’t be a recruiter and beg anyone to sign with his team, but for Durant he may make an exception. Wall and Durant share a trainer in the offseason, and Wall has already started dropping Durant some hints about coming to Washington.
- The Knicks made a strong push for Andrew Bynum, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Knicks personnel director Mark Warkentien tried to arrange a meeting with Bynum, but it never materialized. The Knicks only had the veteran’s minimum to offer Bynum, which pro-rated would have been $550K. Indiana had part of its mid-level exception and can pay him a full $1MM for the rest of the season, which may have been the determining factor.
- The plethora of personnel changes the Celtics undergone this season have made it difficult for the team to maintain any continuity, writes Baxter Holmes of Boston.com. Between injuries, trades, and D-League signings, it has been hard for the team to be consistent. Holmes also states that the trade deadline might bring about even more changes for the squad.