Since 2010, newly acquired New Orleans Pelicans general manger, David Griffin, was apart of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He started off as the vice president of basketball operations before being promoted to general manager in 2014.
Despite bringing the city of Cleveland their first championship in over 50 years, Griffin didn’t enjoy his time there.
In an exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated, Griffin explained:
“Everything we did was so inorganic and unsustainable and, frankly, not fun. I was miserable,”
He didn’t stop there.
“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,” he said. “I didn’t watch the league, and I didn’t love the game anymore,” Griffin said. “I was so fixated on outcome [in Cleveland] that I just totally lost my joy.”
When you have LeBron James on your team, it’s championship or bust. The pressure is on to build a championship roster, which typically doesn’t include young guys.
Now, Griffin is happy and will have the chance to build a championship team organically in New Orleans.
“Culturally, I’ve always wanted to raise a family at a team,” Griffin stressed.
With the likes of Zion, Holiday, Lonzo, and Ingram, the Pelicans have all the ingredients to make the playoffs in a tough western conference.
Flip the page to see the miserable David Griffin after the Cavs won the championship:
