Los Angeles Lakers: David Griffin says its miserable building around LeBron James! LeBron Shocked!
By Ronald Agers
Kyrie Irving was reportedly upset after Game 7 of the NBA Finals!
The great thing about these NBA players is how they can perform at the highest level at the grandest stage.
First David Griffin was planning his exit while LeBron makes “the Block”. It seems that after Kyrie Irving was angry after hitting the biggest shot in Cleveland Cavaliers history.
He’s not happy? Not according to Brian Windhorst on the Hoop Collective podcast.
"“He won The Finals (in 2016 with the Cavs) and he was angry. He seriously won The Finals, his father and sister came out to hug him and he was angry. He was mad, in that moment. And then, when he got to the locker room, while his teammates were celebrating, he FaceTimed Kobe (Bryant).”"
The brunt of this report at the time loses a lot of its steam after the drama-filled mess in Boston last year. But it does speak to the “culture” that David Griffin was talking about. As for Kyrie, this could have been how he was feeling at the moment. His mood swings in Boston was as well-known as his crossover dribble.
Before he left Cleveland, Kyrie Irving felt “marginalized” by James’ role as the primary ball-handler and being the face of the franchise. Plus, rumors of LeBron James pulling side deals didn’t help matters either. Coincidentally, this was the last Griffin trade exploration because he left soon after.
An excerpt from ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan explains what went down.
"…In mid June, shortly before [David] Griffin left, team and league sources confirm, the Cavs explored a three-way deal with Phoenix and Indiana that would have shipped Irving and Frye to the Suns and brought Eric Bledsoe and Paul George to Cleveland. The Suns resisted, unwilling to part with their No.4 pick, which they planned to use to draft Josh Jackson. No formal offer was made by any of the teams, but news of this potential transaction stung Irving who, sources close to him say, became convinced that LeBron’s camp, which also represents Bledsoe, orchestrated the trade talks…"
Soon after David Griffin left as GM, Koby Altman, his replacement traded Irving to Boston.