Day 322

Fresh Start_322: David Griffin is the key to Lebron James in 2018
I am not going to sit here and say that I am not sadden about the news that David Griffin is no longer a candidate for the New York Knicks GM job. I am not a Knicks fan, but I am a fan of the sport, and anything that the sport can do to make the product better I am for. That option right now looks like it is the Banana Boat Gang of Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Lebron James is the dream team that only can seemingly be made in a video game. At this point, I think that I am the main catalyst for the Banana Boat, and I have absolutely no problem with that. It would be incredible to see. And, as I mapped out on this blog and on my podcast—it would be possible to bring the Banana Boat to Madison Square Garden. However, the most important poker chip to that equation is David Griffin.

Griffin reportedly wanted autonomy when making decisions in the front office, and apparently, that is something that Steve Mills and James Dolan wouldn’t be comfortable with. But, it is understandable why Griffin would want that after being fired in Cleveland. Everyone regardless of walk of life wants to be able to lay their head on the pillow at night and know that they will have a job to support their family in the morning. The least the Knicks or any team in the NBA can do is give David Griffin that.

It is also a shame that the Knicks couldn’t get this done. Not having Griffin doesn’t solve the issue of Carmelo Anthony wanting to leave New York, or the fact that the trust in the franchise by the fan base is at an all-time low. Not cashing in on David Griffin is just another “of course it didn’t happen” moment that the Knicks have done over the past few years. This signing would have “saved the franchise” even though the irony of that statement was said about Phil Jackson when he was hired in 2014. I feel for the Knicks fans but I also feel the pain of the monstrosity of an organization that the Knicks have turned themselves into. There is nobody to blame besides themselves for the mess that they have on their hands.

The Knicks COULD have dropped Jackson the day the David Griffin hit the open market, and made the marriage between the Knicks and Griffin work with all the needs that Griffin may have asked for. If that happened, the Knicks might have Malik Monk, and a prime opportunity to keep Melo in New York, ultimately bringing the Banana Boat to New York. So, congratulations again Mr. James Dolan for completely blowing up something in your face for the millionth time this year. If anyone needs the calendar year to end its James Dolan.

Now, with James Dolan completely botching the slam dunk signing of David Griffin, this opens the door for another team to sign David Griffin. The team I have in mind is the Los Angeles Clippers. They have been linked to Jerry West being the replacement for Doc Rivers as the general manager of the Clippers. Whether those rumors are true or not it remains to be seen, but a change might be needed. It is well documented that being the coach and the GM is not the easiest thing to do. How are you supposed to make sure your guys are ready for a back to back in Memphis and Miami while also going to scout the best prospect in Madrid? The simple answer is you cannot do it. The possibility of Los Angeles just cleaning house with Rivers completely cannot be left out of the question, it actually plays hand in hand with signing David Griffin.

If the Clips sign David Griffin and let go of Doc Rivers as their coach and general manager it opens up a great situation to get Lebron James in 2018. You get a coach like Erik Spoelstra (if you can pull him away for Miami following this season), make good with Chris Paul signing him to a close to max deal, sign Carmelo Anthony to a close to max deal, sign Dwyane Wade to a less than max deal, and of course sign Lebron James to a less than max deal.

With all of that playing out, you would have the Banana Boat in the Staples Center with Blake Griffin as your starting center. Of course, Steve Ballmer would be paying a hefty price tag in luxury tax but you would have a dream team. DeAndre Jordan, Austin Rivers, Lou Williams, Patrick Beverly, Milos Tedosic, and Sam Dekker would all be unrestricted free agents to give the Clippers some cap space for all of this. It would play out perfectly for the Clippers. And for Doc Rivers he could go to Orlando or the Knicks as the GM, sign his son Austin, and play all the golf his heart desires. It’s a win for everyone…except you Knicks fans, sorry.
Sources:(espn.com, otherleague.com, spotrac.com)

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