Cavs fire GM Chris Grant: Reading list and possible replacements

The Cleveland Cavaliers fired general manager Chris Grant on Thursday afternoon following their disappointing 16-33 start to the season, which has left the franchise swimming in rumors of displeasure and drowning in drama.

The axe has fallen, and it's fallen on Grant, who put the team together, rather than coach Mike Brown or any of the core players. Such is life in the GM's chair, sometimes.

You can catch up on the details in the storyline below - including Grant's draft history and a podcast with our NBA writer Joseph Casciaro and a Cavaliers writer.

We also decided to take a spin around the internet, gathering expert opinion and getting a feel for potential candidates to replace Grant.

Possible Replacements

Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski, who first broke the news of Grant's firing, identified his lead assistant, David Griffin, as the likely interim general manager.

The Cavaliers later confirmed as much, moving Griffin from vice president of basketball operations to the interim general manager role:

The Cleveland Cavaliers have released General Manager Chris Grant effective immediately and appointed Vice President of Basketball Operations, David Griffin, as Acting General Manager.

David Griffin joined the Cavaliers as vice president of basketball operations in September 2010. Prior to joining the Cavaliers, Griffin spent 17 seasons with the Phoenix Suns, the last three as the club's senior vice president of basketball operations after being named to the position in June 2007.

It remains unclear if Griffin, who is reportedly well-respected, will control the team into the offseason, though he's surely a candidate. Owner Dan Gilbert is expected to oversee any activity ahead of the Feb. 20 trade deadline.

Looking long-term, CBS' Ken Berger outlines a plethora potential replacements:

Among capable candidates who are currently available, former Memphis GM Chris Wallace stands out for his experience building a contender in a small market. Former Knicks GM Glen Grunwald is highly regarded around the league and built a roster that won 54 games last season before being surprisingly demoted only days before training camp. Former New Orleans GM Jeff Bower is coaching at Marist College but remains highly respected in the NBA.
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The Cavs already have done some background checking on a current member of the Knicks' front office, director of pro personnel Mark Hughes, league sources told CBSSports.com.
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Jeff Weltman, who was a finalist for the Phoenix GM job that went to Ryan McDonough, is now with Toronto and is expected to get a call, league sources say.
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David Morway was part of the front office that built the Pacers into an Eastern Conference power. Now in Milwaukee, Morway has been a candidate for several GM positions.
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One under-the-radar possibility to keep an eye on is Clippers GM Gary Sacks, league sources say.
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The most interesting name? If Gilbert wants to think outside the box and pluck a member of a successful NBA family tree, he should look no further than Michael Winger, the No. 3 executive in the Oklahoma City front office. 

Reactions to Grant's Dismissal

Before the experts weigh in, here is the statement from Cavs owner Dan Gilbert:

"This has been a very difficult period for the franchise. We have severely underperformed against expectations.

"Just as this is completely unacceptable to our loyal and passionate fan base, season ticket holders and corporate partners, it is also just as unacceptable to our ownership group. I can assure everyone who supports and cares about the Cleveland Cavaliers that we will continue to turn over every stone and explore every possible opportunity for improvement to shift the momentum of our franchise in the right direction."

Eye on Basketball reminds us that this was some time coming, with Grant even making face-saving efforts in recent weeks:

Grant blasted the players' effort last week, in what was clearly a desperation move to attain some level of accountability. But things have only gotten worse. The questions now become how to get back on track with this franchise, and what other changes are coming, in the roster or coach's office. The rebuild effort that Dan Gibert promised would lead to a title before LeBron James won one has fallen short, and the chances of James joining the team in free agency look beyond remote.

Grantland's Zach Lowe says the organization shouldn't stop their internal analysis just yet:

In addition to the front office, the franchise should ask itself whether Mike Brown is the right coach for this next phase of Cleveland hoops. The Cavs have been terrible on both ends of the ball, and they’ve barely improved at all on defense, supposedly Brown’s specialty. The team’s offense has gotten worse under Brown, with predictable sets, poor ball movement, zero reliable post play, and horrific shot selection.

Sam Vecenie of Fear The Sword outlines Grant's entire tenure, but wraps up his moves with one scathing summation:

We all know how this has ended. Matthew Dellavedova was signed as an undrafted free agent for a team with three draft picks, and he's been the best out of all of them. Grant finally made something out of the picks he's been hoarding, trading one of the firsts for Luol Deng. The team has fallen off a cliff since then, and is in the midst of a five game losing streak. And the locker room? It's never been in more disarray. That culture that Grant talked about building has collapsed under its own weight like a black hole that is forming next to Lake Erie. Waiters isn't particularly liked in the locker room. Irving is losing the locker room. Deng isn't happy. Mike Brown has lost the locker room.

Rob Mahoney of SI's Point Forward reminds us that Grant did well to put himself in a good position, he just failed to capitalize:

Since taking over as Cleveland’s general manager in June of 2010, Grant did well to stockpile draft picks and clear cap space, though he has largely failed to capitalize on either. Kyrie Irving remains a top-level prospect, but this is a team that had four top-four picks in three seasons. Of the others, Tristan Thompson (No. 4 in 2011) is the best of the bunch, and is a useful but limited player. Things got messy, though, in selecting Dion Waiters (No. 4 in 2012) and Anthony Bennett (No. 1 in 2013), the former of which is an on and off-court problem while the latter is in the midst of a historically miserable rookie season. Both still have plenty of time to turn things around, but there’s something to be said about underwhelming returns on three straight picks of such incredible value.

And finally, our own Joseph Casciaro (see his entire take below), whets our appetite for a possible trade deadline spectacle:

In the mean time, everyone not named Kyrie is probably available to the highest bidder between now and February 20.