Koby Altman remains shocked at his rise to become GM of the Cavs

New Cavs GM Koby Altman had an unconventional rise to become an NBA executive, and in a profile by the Wall Street Journal, he says he’s still blown away by his meteoric rise to the top of the Cavaliers organization.

“If you told me 10 years from now that I’d be sitting up here,” the 34-year-old Altman said as Cavs owner Dan Gilbert introduced him last month, “I would’ve told you you’re crazy.”

The piece profiled Altman’s rise from working in real estate to coaching a D-III college basketball team before quickly working through the Cavaliers ranks to become their general manager in the wake of David Griffin’s departure from the team.

Altman also referenced the insanity of his early tenure that’s been paired with a Kyrie Irving trade request and rumors that LeBron James has one foot out the door, noting that there’s been a decent amount of upheaval ever since LeBron’s return.

“We’ve been doing this now for three straight years,” said Altman, who goes out of his way to credit Griffin for preparing him. “You put your head down and keep plowing.”

There’s no guarantee Altman is going to be good at this, and he’s been dealt a tough hand without a ton of wiggle room on the roster. With that said, Irving is a hyper-valuable trade piece, so he’ll have the ability to mold the new-look Cavaliers as he pleases.

That trade will likely define his tenure in Cleveland. Let’s see how he does.