David Griffin: Cavs Didn't Think LeBron James Would Sign After David Blatt Hire

Former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin said the team would have waited to hire a new head coach in 2014 if the front office felt a LeBron James reunion were imminent.

On Thursday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN provided comments from Griffin about whether he would have waited to appoint David Blatt if a James return were guaranteed.

"Oh, 100 percent. Sure," he said. "We didn't believe for a second LeBron was coming back at that point."

James and Blatt didn't see eye to eye during the coach's season-and-a-half in charge.

Although he led the Cavs to the 2015 NBA Finals, LeBron's actions during the first of three straight championship clashes with the Golden State Warriors paved the way for Blatt's dismissal.

Marc Stein, who worked as an ESPN Radio sideline reporter for that year's Finals, said James "essentially called timeouts and made substitutions" and "openly barked at Blatt after decisions he didn't like."

"There was James, in one instance I witnessed from right behind the bench, shaking his head vociferously in protest after one play Blatt drew up in the third quarter of Game 5, amounting to the loudest nonverbal scolding you could imagine—which forced Blatt, in front of his whole team, to wipe the board clean and draw up something else," Stein wrote.

In June 2016, as the Cavaliers were on the verge of capturing the organization's first championship, Blatt told Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronot that working with the star power in the NBA was different than his experiences in Europe, per Sam Amico of Amico Hoops.

"That's the reality of the NBA," he said. "And with this particular team, there is no doubt LeBron is the center. He is the cornerstone of the club. There is no doubt LeBron was more important to the system than me."

LBJ Getting Heated with Ty Lue

Tyronn Lue replaced Blatt and helped guide Cleveland to the title two years ago. He's also endured a rocky relationship with James at times.

Meanwhile, Griffin parted ways with the Cavs last June after the sides were unable to reach an agreement on a contract extension, and Koby Altman replaced him.

Now the Cavaliers face the prospect of losing James again, as he holds a player option for next season.