Former Cavs GM Explains Why LeBron-Kyrie Dynamic Didn't Work

If you love the NBA like I love the NBA, you were thrilled when you saw former Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin made an appearance on Bill Simmons' podcast. Simmons is a solid interviewer and basketball savant, and Griffin is one of the most engaging and forthcoming executives in hoops—he's a consistently a great guest when he makes media appearances.

This one was no exception. The podcast features discussion about Griffin's time in Cleveland, the current playoff matchups, LeBron James' brilliance and interpersonal abilities, the future of the league, and more. Listen to the full episode below.

One of the most interesting pieces of the interview came when Griffin broke down the dynamics of the relationship between LeBron and Kyrie Irving. Last summer, the Cavs traded Kyrie to the Celtics about one month after parting ways with Griffin.

Griffin explained how Kyrie was primed to inherit the Cavs—to be the star—when LeBron decided he was "coming home." Of course, you don't say no to the best player in a generation, but it also created some weird dynamics with Kyrie.

"Somebody has to be Pippen and somebody has to be Jordan, and I think that's true," Griffin said. "But Scottie Pippen got to the league because he was a freakishly gifted defensive player. Everything he had that got him to the league helped him grow and evolve to the point he was as good as he was. But it wasn't like the situation in Chicago precluded him from showing those things. Michael needed everything that Scottie was, so they fit together."

As Griffin explained, the situation in Cleveland was different.

Simmons said he still wouldn't have traded Kyrie—at least not until six months later at the trade deadline—just because the former Duke Blue Devil is so gifted.

At another point of the pod, Griffin told an amazing story about LeBron's genius basketball mind.

"There's no play you'll run against him he can't name... I was also in the gym when I watched him on the floor against Toronto tell Patrick Patterson where he was supposed to go on the play they had called out of timeout late in the fourth quarter," Griffin recalled. "He was like, No Pat, you're supposed to stand over there and set a pin down for DeMar [DeRozan] over here.'"

The Cavs and Celtics will begin their Eastern Conference Finals series Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.