David Griffin Shares Thoughts On Behind the Scenes Atmosphere
NEW ORLEANS- Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for the New Orleans Pelicans. It's a mouthful of a title but VP David Griffin gave fans a full helping of insights concerning the inner workings of the team under his stewardship on a recent episode of the Between Bites podcast.
David and wife Meridith Hale Griffin touched on everything from the family-like atmosphere of the team and staff, and the international scouting of both basketball players and wine.
Meridith is one of the most educated minds in wine, that's why when it comes to the specialized bottle menus, "They almost always hand it to me, and I immediately hand it to her," the Pelicans executive disclosed.
Sep 27, 2021; New Orleans, LA, USA; David Griffin during a press conference at the New Orleans Pelicans Media Day. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports
David's favorite adjustments when moving to New Orleans were "the 18 pounds I gained in the first three months. I had to adjust to that," he said as everyone laughed. I think the thing for me, and for us, that has been the coolest part is you don't know a place until you are there. This place gets better all the time. The spirit of it and the energy of it just improves over time."
Now things are more "comfortable" and David is "every time she is out of town I'm at Pascal's every night" for the barbeque shrimp sandwich, usually. There are also a lot more fans sporting the team's colors out and about according to Meridth's eye test.
"When we first got here, I don't remember seeing a lot of people wearing Pelicans' gear but it's growing and people are talking about them more. I see flags out on people's houses and it's so exciting to feel that energy because it was not there when we first got here. I know the families feel that." Mrs. Griffin observed.
The changes over the years can be seen and are being heard far more often as well.
The Pelicans VP brushed off how, "The more direct the fans are when I'm out, the more I can tell they are into it. When I first got here they were like 'Hey, good luck' and now it's you know what you specifically need to do about x, y, z. Everybody is involved now which I think is awesome."
Jan 9, 2023; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) stands with teammates during the first half against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
It has not been the smoothest few years due to injuries, hurricanes, and pandemics. Still, the focus is on the future as this team's All-Stars enter their respective primes.
"You can get wrapped up in a lot of things that don't matter. One of the things that I thought was a real blessing for us was when we moved here we knew enough people that told us where to be, that told us where to stay connected to the city. So we stayed in the city. We're in Uptown. We walk to restaurants on Magazine all the time. And it's pretty special. It's a life-changing thing," Griffin explained.
Regarding basketball and building a team, Griffin detailed how "it has changed a lot in terms of where the players are...I started in 1996 in Phoenix...Now, some of the talent gets consolidated internationally. The league in Australia is really good now. It's on really good, sound financial footing. That can't be said for most of the leagues in Europe."
"What's fascinating about the international part of our game is the best players that are in the NBA are international players. The two best MVP candidates right now are Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. That was not the case when we started scouting but what has happened is the quality of player is on the level of ours and in some cases much better...It makes you realize how far some have taken it."
The Pelicans were in the running for the best record in the Western Conference before Zion Williamson went down with a hamstring injury. Still, New Orleans is assured of at least an NBA Play-In Tournament appearance for the second year in a row despite missing Williamson for all but 29 games over that stretch.
It is a testament to the sustainable culture that Griffin touted upon arrival which is credited to "Trajan, Swin, and the staff they've hired, and Bryson Graham who is our prime scouting brain."
That success in building a culture, "has a lot to do with being intentional. This is something (Meridtih) actually taught me. Things that grow together go together. Winning here is supposed to be different and not everyone is meant to be here. They're not going to embrace this. Some people aren't," said Griffin.
He added soothingly that "It's ok. You're not meant to be here. What we've done well is we've identified people that care about this city, that care about the mission, and they way they are with each other very much represents the spirit and vibe of the city. We want to be that and we want people that are of that same ethos."
This roster's blueprint should be familiar because it mimics the intertwined New Orleans restaurant scene. This is true for the public-facing front-of-house to the back-of-house staff wind-downs after service.
"The thing that I think is special about our group is that everybody knows that it is a business. Everybody also knows that we are going to get where we need to go because we love each other enough to tell each other what we need to hear. If you can do that at every facet of your organization, then, most notably with the families, then there is a level of trust and understanding that's different. You don't feel like you are just a commodity. You feel like you are part of something real."
"We've got a bunch of dirt-working overachievers who were sort of cast aside in some ways and then we've got people who were uber-talented blue chip guys. Just exactly like this city right? You've got blue-chip chefs and dirt-working overachievers in other places. That's kind of how we are trying to do this. Willie Green and the staff have done an amazing job galvanizing that spirit."
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