Chris Grant was in a resplendent blue suit for his official promotion to GM. But there was no room for pleasantries.
New Cavaliers GM Chris Grant, along with owner Dan Gilbert (right), attempted to downplay LeBron James' influence in the team's off-season changes during Grant's introductory press conference at Cleveland Clinic Courts on Tuesday.
• If he comes to Cleveland, Tom Izzo had better be "all-in": Terry PlutoINDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Say this for the Cavaliers, they know drama.
The last time they introduced a new general manager, in 2005, Danny Ferry didn't even wear a suit to a hastily-arranged press conference. In just his second day on the job, he didn't have time for such formalities. He'd been hired just a couple of days before the NBA Draft and the start of free agency and needed to figure out how to spend $28 million in salary cap room.
This time, on Tuesday, Chris Grant was in a resplendent blue suit for his official promotion to GM. But just like when Ferry was hired, there was no room for pleasantries with so much else going on.
"The concept that this franchise has been handed to (LeBron James) who is running it and making the decisions is completely false," Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert said Tuesday. "He’ll tell you that, Chris will tell you that, I’ll tell you that. The truth is the truth.”Now it is a coaching search and LeBron James' huge free agency. Maybe in that order. Maybe not.
In discussing the coaching unknown, Grant acknowledged reports that the Cavs have been in contact with Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. But both he and owner Dan Gilbert, as would be expected, would go no farther.
Sources have indicated Gilbert began talking with Izzo shortly after Mike Brown was fired last month. Gilbert informally offered Izzo the job early last week, prior to Ferry's announcement to leave his GM post. The offer is believed to be at least $6 million a year for up to five years.
Now Izzo is waiting and mulling. Despite what Grant and Gilbert might say about talking to multiple candidates, they are waiting for Izzo's answer. It has already taken over a week and the Cavs are not expecting an immediate answer because of the weight of Izzo's decision.
Why all the waiting? Well, let Gilbert explain it.
Clearly upset with stories in the national media speculating on James' lording over the Cavs' decisions, Gilbert sought to send out a message that he and Grant are the ones in charge.
"The concept that LeBron James has been involved in any way, shape or form of firing our head coach, involved in the transition of our general manager, or will be involved in future of coaching decisions or hires is totally and patently false," Gilbert said. "It is unfair to him, it is unfair to the franchise.
"Nor has he been involved heavily in past major trades. He's a basketball player and a great one and his interests are aligned with ours. The concept that this franchise has been handed to a player who is running it and making the decisions is completely false. He'll tell you that, Chris will tell you that, I'll tell you that. The truth is the truth."
According to multiple sources from both within the organization and close to James, this is indeed the case. James hasn't even had a protracted conversation with team officials since the season ended, one source said.
However, in re-establishing that he's running the show, Gilbert also described the rub. And why there could be a lot of waiting.
Izzo, and perhaps other potential coaching candidates, are likely going to take a long time even when considering lucrative offers. Without getting a sense from James about what he might do, it will be hard to commit.
James, as he's said both publicly and privately, doesn't plan on committing to anything until at least July.
"We're not going to get into specifics in our conversations with LeBron," Grant said. "We have a plan in place and a system and we're going to follow that. It wouldn't be fair for any negotiation to be public, it is not something we'd do."
The Cavs' path to re-signing James, it is believed, is the same strategy they had under Ferry. That is to mimic what the San Antonio Spurs did when they were threatened with the loss of MVP Tim Duncan in free agency a decade ago. The Spurs attempted to make decisions that would improve the team without consulting Duncan on every move. The hope was the Duncan would evaluate the moves and re-sign.
Duncan made the Spurs sweat, taking a high-profile recruiting visit to Orlando, before re-signing and winning three more championships. The plan worked and, with a few variations, the Cavs have been attempting the same idea.
There is, however, one significant difference: A lack of the stability the Spurs had in their leadership at the time.
So despite a public assumption that James is calling the shots, Gilbert appears to be sticking to that plan.
"LeBron James is a significant, important, MVP basketball player," Gilbert said. "We believe his interests and philosophy are aligned with ours. We try to make sure our decisions, they are our decisions not his decisions, will philosophically align with winning."
Whether that plan will work or won't will be determined sometime in the future -- even if it isn't the near future. That is something the team seems realistic about, admitting they could be in for a long search no matter what Izzo's final answer will be.
"I want to find the right guy and I want to find the right fit," Grant said. "That could be in a week and that could be in a month and a half. We're going to make the decisions based on who that right person is and the best fit for our team."