Grizz looking to steal another: Griffin for GM

[asudevil83]

Grizzlies Pursuing Suns' Griffin for GM Post

A day after stealing Marc Iavaroni away from Suns to be their head coach, the Memphis Grizzlies are pursuing Phoenix vice president of basketball operations David Griffin with an eye toward making him their general manager.

An NBA source said Griffin has already been offered the chance to take over many of the duties held by outgoing Memphis team president Jerry West.

After first declining permission, Suns managing partner Robert Sarver gave the OK for the Grizzlies to interview Griffin this week at the NBA predraft camp in Orlando. But the Suns are also speaking with Griffin, whose contract with the team expires at the end of June, and several sources within the organization are hopeful that a deal can be reached to keep Griffin in Phoenix.

A Valley native, Griffin has worked for the Suns since joining the organization as a media relations intern in 1993 – the last time Phoenix reached the NBA Finals. Over the last 14 years, he has advanced through the ranks as a scout, assistant general manager and now operations director and is general manager Mike D’Antoni’s right-hand man.

Leaving the Suns now, especially with many in the organization feeling the team is in position to make more championship runs, might be difficult for Griffin.

D’Antoni said Thursday he has an excellent working relationship with Griffin and was hopeful he would remain.

D’Antoni is also looking for a new assistant coach in the wake of Iavaroni’s departure.

“We’re losing a good coach. Marc has been here with me from the beginning (2002) and a guy who was a part of the success we’ve had,” D’Antoni said. “But we’ve been expecting Marc would be moving on for more than a year. We thought it might happen last summer, so it’s not like we’re being caught off guard. We’re not in a rush to get something done, but we’re not starting from scratch either.”

D’Antoni said he’ll be looking for a coach with NBA experience but not necessarily with the same specialties – working with big men – as Iavaroni. Phoenix has Alvin Gentry, Phil Weber and Dan D’Antoni already on the bench. Gentry, a former NBA head coach, could be elevated to the top assistant, or the new hire could slide into Iavaroni’s spot.

“We’ll be looking for someone that meshes well with the existing staff, someone who is good on the floor working with the players and devising. We want to make it as simple a transition as possible,” D’Antoni said

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http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/90721?source=rss&dest=STY-90721

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

The Griz aren't exactly stealing these guys, they're offering them promotions in job title, power, and in all likelihood salary. Good for them, if the Suns orgranization wants them around bad enough then they have to open up their wallet enough to make them forget about the bump in job title.

 

[Cheesebeef]

how can thix be? I read elsewhere on the board that George said it was obvious the Suns were grooming Griffin to take over as fullt-ime GM.

 

[elindholm]

how can thix be? I read elsewhere on the board that George said it was obvious the Suns were grooming Griffin to take over as fullt-ime GM.

I looked for that thread, but I couldn't find it amongst all of the Bryant stuff.

 

[slinslin]

I thought I read that Sarver did not allow the Grizzlies to interview Griffin why would he suddenly change..

 

[Cheesebeef]

I looked for that thread, but I couldn't find it amongst all of the Bryant stuff.

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=91546&page=2&highlight=griffin

but my wording was off a little -George didn't say it was "obvious", but it certainly looked like... post 29 - you can read it there.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I thought I read that Sarver did not allow the Grizzlies to interview Griffin.

It's considered bush league to not allow a coach or personnel guy to interview for a promotion in pretty much all sports unless you plan on offering him a similar promotion.

 

[sunsfn]

From a Memphis paper.

Iavaroni Introduced Today; Griffin to Follow


With Jerry West in Orlando for the pre-draft camp, Grizzlies majority owner Michael Heisley will introduce Phoenix Suns lead assistant Marc Iavaroni as the new Grizzlies head coach at 2 p.m. today.
I won’t be able to be there, unfortunately — still stuck inside of a Minneapolis hotel room with the Memphis blues again. But I do have something to add.
The New York Post’s Peter Vecsey apparently reported last night that Suns executive David Griffin will follow as General Manager and former Bulls executive B.J. Armstrong will come on as Vice-President of Basketball Operations.
I’ve been able to confirm the Griffin hire with two different members of the Grizzlies organization. Griffin is reportedly under contract with the Suns through the NBA draft, so may not join the Grizzlies until that point, but based on what I’ve heard today, Griffin will be joining Iavaroni in Memphis.
I haven’t been able to confirm Armstrong, but as usual, I tend to believe Vecsey. And, Armstrong would seem to make a lot of sense for the Grizzlies. The former Bulls guard reportedly has family connections to Memphis, and his Chicago connections would seem to be appealing to Heisley. As a charismatic former player with local connections, Armstong seems like he’d make a great community ambassador for the team.
Assuming Armstrong joins Griffin and Iavaroni in Memphis the next questions are these: Does West, after essentially getting “his guys” stick around in a consulting capacity? What’s the division of labor between Griffin and Armstrong? How do these hires impact the rest of the team’s basketball operations staff: Are the Barones retained? (With Senior returning as Director of Player Personnel and Junior as Director of Scouting?) Is Tom Penn replaced, or does having Griffin in place take care of the need for a capologist?
Another question is how this impacts the Grizzlies draft strategy. It’s been reported for months now that the Suns, were they to receive Atlanta’s draft pick, would strongly consider Florida's Joakim Noah. Does Noah now re-emerge as a possibility for the Grizzlies at #4? There are already people in the Grizzlies organization high on Noah — who think he can be an athletic, rebounding center in the mode of Marcus Camby.
One important thing to watch from the Orlando pre-draft camp is how Florida forward Al Horford measures out. If Horford is closer to 6’10” than 6’8”, and with a sizable wingspan, then that will suggest that Horford’s power game is more likely to translate to the NBA. If that’s the case, then Horford could emerge as a clear favorite for the Grizzlies pick at #4.
Of course, if Horford measures out particularly well, then the danger is that he may not be there at #4. There is a school of thought that Atlanta may not take Ohio State point guard Mike Conley Jr. at #3, preferring to wait until their pick at #11 to fill their need at point guard with either Acie Law or high-rising Georgia Tech product Javaris Crittenton.
If that’s the case, then Atlanta would go big at #3, targeting Horford, Brandon Wright, or even Noah.
In any case, a preliminary read on a potential Grizzlies draft chart looks like this:
Al Horford
Brandon Wright
Mike Conley Jr.
Corey Brewer
Joakim Noah
Yi Jianlian


http://cmimemphis.com/grizblog/node/158

 

[asudevil83]

do you think their is a chance in god's green earth that the suns could eye West as their new GM? i know there are some other great names out there, but with West up front we'd be in the running for sure for kobe. just an idea.....with nothing to back it up.

 

[elindholm]

do you think their is a chance in god's green earth that the suns could eye West as their new GM? i know there are some other great names out there, but with West up front we'd be in the running for sure for kobe. just an idea.....with nothing to back it up.

LOL, I thought you meant Mark West, and I was thinking, "What in the hell does Mark West have to do with Bryant?"

 

[Goldfield]

do you think their is a chance in god's green earth that the suns could eye West as their new GM? i know there are some other great names out there, but with West up front we'd be in the running for sure for kobe. just an idea.....with nothing to back it up.

Thinking ahead... I like it...

 

[azirish]

I can't say I have been especially impressed with the work Jerry West has done with the Griz.

 

[scoutmasterdave]

LOL, I thought you meant Mark West, and I was thinking, "What in the hell does Mark West have to do with Bryant?"

LOL - I was thinking the exact same thing.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I can't say I have been especially impressed with the work Jerry West has done with the Griz.

yeah, what a joke West has been. He only took a team that for their entire existence never won more 23 games and within one year, made them a 50 win team and got them to the playoffs for 3 straight years before this season was marred by horrific injuries.

I can see how you wouldn't be impressed by that.

 

[Chaplin]

yeah, what a joke West has been. He only took a team that for their entire existence never won more 23 games and within one year, made them a 50 win team and got them to the playoffs for 3 straight years before this season was marred by horrific injuries.

I can see how you wouldn't be impressed by that.

But he didn't get them FAR into the playoffs...

People on this board are ready to fire D'Antoni for a lot less than what Jerry West did. Love him or hate him, but D'Antoni has had more success with the Suns than West did with the Grizz.

 

[Cheesebeef]

But he didn't get them FAR into the playoffs...

People on this board are ready to fire D'Antoni for a lot less than what Jerry West did. Love him or hate him, but D'Antoni has had more success with the Suns than West did with the Grizz.

BC was the gm who put the team together - the only thing we've seen from DA is last off-season. The Barbs deal was a steal, but seemingly eveything else he did completely blew up in his face. There's no comparison between the two IMO. One's a coach and one's a GM.

 

[Chaplin]

BC was the gm who put the team together - the only thing we've seen from DA is last off-season. The Barbs deal was a steal, but seemingly eveything else he did completely blew up in his face. There's no comparison between the two IMO. One's a coach and one's a GM.

My point is that you are overrating him. Is he better than DA? Most definitely. But is he infallible? Absolutely not. I certainly wouldn't have minded him being the GM over Kerr, but I'm not going to be upset that he isn't, and I certainly won't be upset if he does end up with the Lakers again.