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Cavs' Jefferson calls ex-GM Griffin basketball's Theo Epstein

Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

The Cavaliers' locker room isn't taking the news of David Griffin's ouster as general manager of the organization lightly, especially the ever-loquacious Richard Jefferson.

According to ESPN's David McMenamin, Jefferson reiterated how blindsided the players felt, indicating that even LeBron James was surprised by the sudden decision.

He wasn't bitter about Griffin's exit, though, comparing his legacy to that of another successful sports executive.

"He's the Theo Epstein of basketball. He ended the curse. Not just for a team, but for an entire city," said Jefferson.

Epstein is the president of baseball operations for the World Series champion Chicago Cubs, and was a chief architect of the mid-2000s Boston Red Sox. Prior to winning World Series titles under Epstein, the Cubs and Red Sox held the longest (107 years) and third-longest (85 years) championship droughts in baseball history, respectively.

Before Griffin's Cavaliers won the NBA championship in 2016, Cleveland's NBA franchise had failed to collect even one Larry O'Brien Trophy since the team's founding in 1970.

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