The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off of the best season in franchise history, ending Cleveland’s over 50-year drought without a professional sports championship. In an interview with the NBA Lockdown Insiders on ESPN Radio, their general manager David Griffin says he hopes to keep that team intact.
Griffin told the show, “We do intend to keep this group together and see what we’re capable of.”
Griffin’s comments come after much speculation for the past year and a half that the team would trade Kevin Love, because of a perceived misfit with the team and disdain from LeBron James.
The Cavaliers’ GM expanded on his plans, via the NBA Lockdown Insiders:
”I think our best basketball’s in front of us because we finally organically grew to the point that we were ready to achieve something together,” Griffin said. “And so I expect you’re going to see better play from Kyrie Irving, who I think took a huge jump both as an individual talent and a winner throughout these playoffs. [And] I think Kevin’s fit with us is much more clearly defined.”
J.R. Smith, Matthew Dellavedova, Timofey Mozgov, James Jones, Dahntay Jones, and LeBron James are all free agents for the Cavaliers this season. Smith said during the NBA Finals that he would test free agency, and it was believed around the same time that Kevin Love would be shipped out of town, but winning the Finals does wonders for your franchise.
Smith appears to love it in Cleveland, and they love him. He’s good friends with LeBron James, who doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. James Jones should be back, as he’s also extremely liked by James for his locker room presence and spark he can provide off the bench when absolutely needed.
And it certainly seems that the Cavaliers are happy with taking a “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” approach, according to Griffin:
“Ownership has really invested in this group to such a huge degree, and when we were the largest taxpayer in the league last year — and I think the second highest ever — there were times during the year where I felt really, really bad about spending that much of their money. But I do think that you saw that the core of our team, it fits together. It’s capable of doing some very special things, and I do think we would like to keep it together.”
The Cavaliers don’t appear to have any immediate threats in the Eastern Conference, unless Kevin Durant decides to take his talents to either Boston or Miami. The only great concern in Cleveland will likely be who comes out of the West, and that’s pretty good.
[ESPN]
