Report: Knicks Wouldn't Give Griffin Autonomy As Team President
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It appears the Knicks no longer view their team president position as one with serious decision-making power.
That, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, was the main reason why David Griffin never received an offer and eventually took himself out of the running for the position. The Knicks apparently were unwilling to give Griffin, the former general manger of the Cleveland Cavaliers, full autonomy on personnel decisions and would not allow him to bring in his own staff, Wojnarowski added.
The Knicks, despite years of dysfunction and just one playoff series win since the 1999-2000 postseason, simply do not want to make sweeping changes to how their front office operates, ESPN reported.
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One sticking point was Griffin's desire to see Allan Houston removed from his role as assistant GM, the Daily News reported. It is believed Houston, who was once given a $100 million contract extension as a player by owner James Dolan, is being groomed to one day be the team's GM under Steve Mills.
Prior to leaving the organization last month, Griffin played a significant role in the building of the Cavaliers into an Eastern Conference power, one that has won one NBA championship and has appeared in two other Finals since 2014.
So the search for Phil Jackson's replacement continues, or is it? Mills, a longtime Madison Square Garden employee who has held the role of GM since 2013, will reportedly continue to run the front office, and his reign could last quite some time. According to the Daily News, Mills has been trying to convince Dolan that he should be ousted Jackson's replacement.
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As fans have seen recently, Mills is not acting like a placeholder executive, despite the front office opening and the Knicks coming off a 31-51 season full of one distraction after another.
Late last week Mills signed restricted free agent Tim Hardaway Jr. to a four-year, $71 million offer sheet. The Atlanta Hawks, the team the veteran shooting guard played for in 2016-17, announced over the weekend that they would not match.
More moves are expected, including the trading of superstar Carmelo Anthony, who has reportedly said he would waive his no-trade clause to go to the Cavaliers or Houston Rockets.
