NBA Rumors: David Griffin no longer a candidate for Knicks GM

The New York Knicks’ search for a new team President will have to continue after frontrunner David Griffin pulled out of discussions.

The best thing the New York Knicks could’ve done this season was get rid of Phil Jackson. They did that at the start of the offseason, and after they added Frank Ntilikina in the draft, things were starting to look up for them.

However, they still needed somebody to replace him. The list of candidates varied all the way from Masai Ujiri to Isiah Thomas. After a while, it looked like ex-Cleveland Cavaliers GM David Griffin would fill the role. But Marc Spears of ESPN has just reported that he’s no longer an option:

"Ex-Cavs GM David Griffin has pulled his name out of the Knicks’ GM and president search after he couldn’t come to agreement on the right role with the franchise, a source told The Undefeated."

Griffin was something of a folk hero in Cleveland. He was tasked with leading the team in a new direction following LeBron James’ departure when he came on board in 2010. When he eventually won the role of permanent GM, he brought back James and orchestrated the Kevin Love trade while getting them to three consecutive NBA Finals. But for whatever reason, he and owner Dan Gilbert couldn’t reach an agreement, and the team let him walk.

The Knicks seemed like the perfect destination for him. A big market team in desperate need of a culture change. The timing of this report makes it seem like he pulled out when the Knicks started making dumb moves again, like signing Tim Hardaway Jr. to a $71 million deal. If that’s the case, they’re now stuck with that terrible contract and no David Griffin.

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The longer the Knicks toil in misery, the more you wonder when they will ever make things right again. The one thing many fans can agree on is that it starts and ends with James Dolan.