Brian Windhorst of ESPN dropped a bombshell Monday when he reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers and general manager David Griffin mutually agreed to part ways.
Griffin steered the Cavaliers to three straight Finals, helped them win a ring in 2016 and was popular with the team's players — including the most important one.
The situation in Cleveland now looks like an unstable one. LeBron James only has one year left on his deal. The NBA Draft is two days away. And free agency begins July 1.
It's under these circumstances that former Denver Nugget Chauncey Billups could land his front office gig. Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert is reportedly expected to meet with Billups about an opening in the front office today.
Billups, who interviewed for the Atlanta Hawks GM job earlier this offseason and didn't get it, already has a relationship with Gilbert dating back to his Detroit days. Billups played for the Pistons for eight seasons. Gilbert is from Detroit.
Adrian Wojnarowski reported that in the event Billups is hired, he would then be responsible for bringing in "a general manager with the day-to-day front office experience that he doesn’t have on his résumé."
Billups, 40, has made no secret about his desire to work in a front office since his playing days ended. He played 17 NBA seasons, including five with the Nuggets. He was a seven-time All-Star and MVP of the 2004 NBA Finals.
Landing this job would help Billups break into the NBA management world, though it does look like a rocky situation.
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