John Kuntz, cleveland.com

A closer look at what David Griffin said Friday

The Cleveland Cavaliers GM David Griffin leaves Friday's press conference after he announced that he had fired coach David Blatt.

As he answered questions from reporters, Griffin provided insight into the reasons and timing behind his decision. Following is a look at nine quotes that shed some light on why it happened, why it happened now, and what Griffin hopes the Cavs can become in the future.

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David Blatt and Mo Williams

John Kuntz, cleveland.com

1. A lack of connectedness

"I've witnessed this over the last couple weeks — really over the last month or so. It’s made because we have a lack of fit with our personnel and our vision of how to use that personnel. So, I'm measuring more than wins and losses. I’m focusing on a bigger picture in my evaluation and I’m really trying to decide, ‘Are we working towards a championship and are we building a championship culture?’

"And really, most importantly for me, and I think a lot of you have seen this over the years, ‘are our hearts, minds and souls in what we’re doing? Are we all in on this? Are we of this? Are we really trying to achieve something as a unit or are we a collection of individuals?

"And what I see is that we need to build a collective spirit, a strength of spirit and a collective will."

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Kevin Love and David Blatt

John Kuntz, cleveland.com

2. A need for a team identity

"Elite teams in this league always have that and you see it everywhere. To be truly elite, we have to buy into a set of values and principles that we believe in. That becomes our identity and if we can do that day in and day out, that becomes who we are.

"Halfway through the season, we have not yet developed this identity and each step forward, unfortunately, I think you’ve seen we’ve taken two steps back."

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The Cavs celebrate during a win over the Orlando Magic this month.

Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer

3. 'Struggling with prosperity'

"We are a team, unfortunately, that struggles more than any good team I’ve ever been with — and this is my 24th year in the NBA — with prosperity. I’ve never seen a locker room not be as connected after wins as they need to be.

"We’ve only been galvanized when expectations were not high and circumstances were somewhat artificial. Otherwise, we’ve been a group of tremendous individual talent with individual hopes and dreams.

"That’s not a winning formula. I’m not leaving an unprecedented team payroll and all of the efforts that everybody that works in this organization to chance."

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The Cavs' Timofey Mozgov and Golden State's Harrison Barnes dive for a loose ball during Monday's game at The Q.

John Kuntz, cleveland.com

4. This team needs to sacrifice

"Our most glaring need is to understand and communicate role delineation and team sacrifice. We have to have group buy-in and team-first habits in order to become the team that we intend to be.

"We don’t have to concern ourselves with expectations of a destination. We need to work towards tomorrow and honor one another with total commitment every single day and if we can do that, if we can learn to express collective greatness and the joy that brings, then we can dream about something more, but right now, we’re a really long way from that."

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Kyrie Irving, left, and J.R. Smith celebrate a Jan. 2 win over Orlando.

Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer

5. Winning games, but getting worse

"I don’t think the Golden State game by itself did very much. I think it’s over time you start to see the type of things that you want to be doing habitually start to erode a little bit. And sometimes you can win games in this league in the regular season and get worse. And I think we were regressing over a period of time.

"I don’t think there was a final straw. Again, my job is to broker in what I know. And I’m in our locker room a lot. And I knew that there’s just a disconnect there right now. There’s a lack of spirit and connectedness that I just couldn’t accept. . . . We were 30-11 with a schedule that was reasonably easy. And I’m judging a lot more than wins and losses.”

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David Griffin during his Friday press conference.

John Kuntz, cleveland.com

6. 'I know what it's supposed to feel like'

"I did not talk to any of the players before this decision. It’s really critical to me for everybody to understand this is my decision, this is our basketball staff’s decision. I had a conversation with ownership where I got their approval to make this move.

"I’m not taking a poll; my job is to lead a franchise and to lead an organization to where it needs to go. That’s what I’m tasked with doing and that’s what I did. I didn’t ask anybody’s opinion on the team. I’m in the locker room. I’ve done this for a long time and I know what it’s supposed to feel like. I didn’t need to ask questions.”

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David Blatt and LeBron James.

Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

7. LeBron doesn't run this organization

"LeBron plays for this team, and he’s the leader of this team and he desperately wants to bring a championship to this team. LeBron doesn’t run this organization.

"LeBron is about this organization and he is of this organization and he’s of our community, but this narrative that somehow we’re taking direction from him, it’s just not fair. It’s not fair to him, in particular, but frankly, it’s kind of not fair to me and our group anymore."

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The Cavs bench looks on during a Nov. 10 game vs. Utah.

Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer

8. Players don't have to like it, but have to respect it

"I talk to many players when we make decisions of the magnitude that will change the locker room. This one was one where I didn’t need to ask them questions.

"I’ve watched them interact with each other for a very long period of time under a lot of different circumstances. I know what something that’s not right looks like, and I believe this was the right decision to make and it’s very possible that it’s the wrong decision to make.

"You may hear that from our players tomorrow and I’m open-minded to that. They don’t have to like it. They have to respect that this is what we’re trying to do.”

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Tyronn Lue and David Blatt

Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer

9. Tyronn Lue is a better coach for this team today

"The people that he's been with have a deep connectedness to him and an appreciation for who he is. Our team needs an appreciation for what they're doing. They need an appreciation for one another. And I think a different hand and Ty's hand in particular is what we need.

" . . . This is not an indictment of David Blatt as a coach and it's not to say that Ty Lue is a better basketball coach. He's a better basketball coach for this team today.”

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