INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- David Griffin talks a lot about "fit," and that's something the Cavaliers have not yet found.
Griffin was named general manager of the team Monday, and his job is to assemble the pieces to make this thing work. Sounds basic, but it can be daunting.
But based on Tuesday's press conference at the Cleveland Clinic Courts, the new man in charge is enthusiastic and, quite frankly, extremely confident. All of this despite the fact that, for the most part, Griffin is starting from scratch.
He needs a new coach and perhaps some new players. He addressed both topics Tuesday, but perhaps nothing was more telling than what he said about the roster.
"I believe we have the right assets to find the right mix," he said. "We have everything we're going to need to make a run at the pieces we do need.
"There certainly are some pieces that don't fit on this roster and there are some things we need to add to our roster. This is not a complete product."
Back to the coach.
The firing of Mike Brown was announced in the same press release that broadcast Griffin's hiring. So when Griffin talks about fit, you can take him seriously. And while Griffin didn't imply any of this, it doesn't take a basketball psychologist to see Brown wasn't the right guy for this roster. He was a Chris Grant guy, a friend of the former GM who tried to shoehorn a defensive mindset into a team that probably needed to open it up offensively.
Instead, the Cavs' offense was too often a mish-mash of nothingness. Instead, the result was a 33-49 season and the fourth straight year of missing the playoffs.
Oh, there were times it worked. And it can't all be pinned on Brown. As Griffin said, "nothing is all one person's fault."
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Brown is a great man and a good coach. He just wasn't right for this team. Griffin and owner Dan Gilbert recognized that, and just as in any sport anywhere, this team will be built in the GM's image. Or more accurately, via an approach in which the GM believes.
That approach?
"I've had a primarily offensive-based focus with the people I was raised by," Griffin said of his 17 years with the Phoenix Suns. "And I think it's fair to say the Cavaliers have had a defensive focus. What excited me most about coming here is that I believe you find the truth in the middle."
Griffin added: "No franchise that's incredibly well run is all one thing. We need to find a way to speak to the best of all parts of the offensive background I know, the defensive background that's dyed in the wool of this franchise. Ownership believes in defense, I believe in offense, and there's a truth in the middle. We're going to find that."
Plenty of available coaches match what Griffin said he seeks. The search has already started, and Griffin indicated some interviews could be conducted during the NBA pre-draft combine later this week in Chicago.
After a hire is made, Griffin and his staff will get to work on the roster via the draft, trades and free agency. And you can be certain all three facets will take place.
That's because in this league, fit is everything. The Cavs learned that the hard way with Grant and Brown, and fans should be thankful they have a GM who fully understands that. For David Griffin, fit is everything.
