Very few people were against the Cavaliers’ decision to draft Anthony Bennett with the No. 1 overall pick in 2013. Fast forward just two years, and the franchise is facing mass criticism for their choice. Fast forward an additional two years until 2017, and fans are still upset about the decision. Bennett is widely regarded as one of the most disappointing No. 1 picks in NBA history, playing just 52 games with the Cavs after being drafted.
The majority of the Cavs’ front office contingency was in favor of drafting Bennett. This included David Griffin, the team’s Vice President of Basketball Operations at the time, but did not include Chris Grant, the team’s general manager at the time, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic (h/t Sports Illustrated).
“The issue with Anthony was, and we had no way of knowing it at the time, the kid had no desire to overcome adversity whatsoever. As soon as it was hard, he was out,” David Griffin told Lloyd. “His whole life, he rolled out of bed bigger, better, and more talented than everybody else. As soon as it was hard, it was over. And I was the one on campus at UNLV. I’m the one who got sold the bill of goods and I bought it hook, line, and sinker. You f— up sometimes. But I feel bad Chris took it for that, because Chris was the one guy who wasn’t sure.”
Anthony Bennett would move on to play with other teams, and now plays with the Northern Arizona Suns – G League affiliate of the Phoenix Suns. David Griffin left the Cavs organization earlier in the year after a long stint.
