2. David Griffin
The working theory around the NBA is that David Griffin got the short end of the stick with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s one of the most respected minds in the basketball community, but owner Dan Gilbert has a history of not re-signing executives.
An NBA champion who would benefit from having an owner who won’t allow him to be strong-armed by players, Griffin is a popular choice amongst New York Knicks fans.
Griffin’s vision for the Cavaliers never came to fruition, but he adjusted on the fly and helped build a championship-caliber team. That’s a manageable task with LeBron James on the roster, but it’s important to look at what Griffin was attempting to do before The King’s arrival.
The pre-LeBron version of the Cavaliers began with Griffin hiring David Blatt as head coach and selecting Andrew Wiggins at No. 1 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.
At 22 years of age, Wiggins has already averaged upwards of 20 points per game in two different seasons. Blatt may have been poorly received by James, but most Cavaliers players spoke highly of him. Coaches around the NBA vehemently defended Blatt when he was fired.
If Griffin can bring his vision and team-first mentality to New York, he could help build the flourishing motion offense that Phil Jackson was unable to.