The New York Knicks’ refusal to give him full authority on basketball decisions was the reason why David Griffin pulled his name out of the team’s search for general manager and president. Marc J. Spears of the Undefeated reported that Griffin and the Knicks cannot come to an agreement on his right role with the franchise. The Knicks are looking to hire Griffin to run their front office after they fired Phil Jackson as team president.
Earlier, it looked like the Knicks and Griffin were on their way to an agreement. However, the negotiations fell apart when the two sides failed to reach a consensus on Griffin’s role with the team.A source added that the Knicks also refused Griffin’s request to allow him to bring his own front office staff to Madison Square Garden.
With Griffin’s pull-out, Steve Mills will continue his work as general manager until the Knicks find a replacement.
According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, Griffin had no problem working with controversial Knicks owner James Dolan, who gave Jackson a $12 million a year salary as team president. Now, the Knicks are back to square one in their search for a new general manager while Griffin reportedly wants to pursue a career as a television analyst.
Griffin architect of Cavaliers’ success
Griffin was instrumental in turning the Cleveland Cavaliers into a powerhouse squad in the Eastern Conference. In his three seasons as general manager, he worked out a trade that brought Kevin Love to Cleveland and added veteran support for LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
Griffin’s labor bore fruit when the Cavaliers won the title two seasons ago. However, team owner Dan Gilbert did not give him a contract extension, much to the disappointment of James, who credited Griffin for the team’s success and the franchise’s first NBA title. The development also created a rift between James and the front office and fuelled rumors that he will leave Cleveland in 2018 for a new team.
Knicks recently acquired Tim Hardaway Jr.
The development came days after the Knicks acquired Tim Hardaway Jr. after the Atlanta Hawks did not match New York’s $71 million offer sheet. Hardaway Jr. was the Knicks’ 24th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. He played two seasons with the Knicks before he was traded to the Hawks for the rights to Jerian Grant. He emerged as a scorer with the Hawks, averaging a career-high 14.5 points and making 35.7 percent of his attempts from three-point range in 79 games.
