Dan Gilbert's Letter

[klunderbunker]

In case you haven't seen it, last night Dan Gilbert, the Cavs' owner, sent out this letter to fans:

Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his “decision” unlike anything ever “witnessed” in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.

Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don’t deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

“I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE”

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our “motivation” to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that’s simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown “chosen one” sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And “who” we would want them to grow-up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called “curse” on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former “King” will be taking the “curse” with him down south. And until he does “right” by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland.

Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day….

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue….

Dan Gilbert

What do you think of this? Is it over the line? Does he have a point? Is he right?

I actually like this to an extent. It's not like very much good has happened to the city sportswise in awhile. This probably comes off like what a lot of the fans are thinking and while it's unprofessional, it makes him seem like more of a human than just a face in the luxury box.

 

[Big Sexy]

He may have been right about a couple things as I do believe LeBron quit on the team during the Celtics series but overall he just came off like a vengeful ex-girlfriend. The notion that the Cavs will win a title before LeBron is just ludicrous. He went a bit too far and came off as unprofessional.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

I don't like it, he's supposed to be the owner, not a drunk fan at the bar. This makes the Cavs look bad, yea it "fires up" the fans a bit, but what does it do to potential free agents in the future? They see this and think if they don't retire in Cleveland they would get their name run into the ground. No obviously I'm over exaggerating a bit but it would put me off a bit if I was a free agant.

 

[The Brain]

This looks like something Vince McMahon would say on raw if John Cena suddenly left WWE. Very unprofessional. Somehow I don't think he would think this was a "narcissistic self promotion" if Lebron stayed with the Cavs. This just reeks of bitterness and Gilbert would have been better advised to gain control of his emotions before sending this out. To guarantee the Cavs will win a championship before Lebron does is laughable. Even if it does happen he shouldn't make a guarnatee like that. Why does he feel so betrayed? Welcome to sports in the 21st century. I'll go back to 1992. I was upset when Greg Maddux left the Cubs to sign with the Braves. He took less money to play for a contender. As a Cubs fan I was upset to see him go, but I wasn't upset with him personally. Hell I was only 12 at the time and I didn't throw a hissy fit. For as great as Maddux was I realize he doesn't have the star power Lebron does, but that's no excuse. Gilbert should have taken the high road and thanked Lebron for his time and wished him luck in the future instead of turning this into a WWE style feud.

 

[People's Champ]

From what i understand, Cavs fans aren't upset that he left, although it hurts like hell I'm sure. Its the way LeBron left that has upset people.dragging this out and waiting til 9 to tell the team he chose that he picked them is freakin rediculous. There was a lot of things wrong with the way things went down last night.

Having said that, I'm mixed on this. On the one hand, this comes off as very unprofessional. This is a way a fan would react. Now you could say he was a fan too, but as an owner he should know better than that. This comes off as childish, like Big said, like an angry bitter ex. However, I can't help but feel for the fans. And I a way I understand and give him a pass. He just found out on TV that LeBron wasn't coming back. No courtesy to at least tell them in person, over the phone, that he appreciated his time there but feels its time to move on? No he did it on tv. So while it was immmature of an owner, I give him a pass. Can't be easy to cope with the fact that the biggest name to ever play for your city (or 2nd) has left you high and dry.

And for the record, before anyone can say anything, I have no problem with LeBron leaving. He gave his 7 years and earned the right to choose wherever he felt like playing. I think he did it in the wrong way tho.

 

[The People's Peep]

I think it was very harsh, but I think it was the right thing to do.

The entire state of Ohio put their sports hopes and dreams on LeBron when he came to Cleveland. They all thought that he was their saviour. And after 7 years (I think) filled with very good seasons and a few near championships, he decides to leave. Over the last few years especially, Cleveland fans have been getting closer and closer to a championship and with a few words, their saviour is gone. The entire state of Ohio entered a state of depression. As an owner, he needs to cheer up the fans in someway and keep them excited for next season. So he basically got all of his fans riled up by calling out LeBron and got them excited by guaranteeing that they win a championship before LeBron does.

His choice of words such as calling LeBron disloyal, narcissistic, and a coward were very harsh though. The guy still did a lot for the city. But he needed to do something to keep the fans coming.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I think he should have waited a day and then made a statement and I'm sure a little part of him regrets what he said. I can certainly understand why he feels this way and I agree with him somewhat. I don't think this will deter future free agents from coming to Cleveland because James was one of their own even though he decided to live in Akron rather than live in Cleveland.

 

[People's Champ]

I don't think this deters free agents either. In fact this may attract them to Cleveland. You have a passionate owner and a fan base who is downtroddened. You come in and do what LeBron James couldn't do and bring Cleveland a title. You could be the ultimate hero in a city desperate for one. While I'm not sure free agents will look at it exactly that way, I think that's more likely than to be turned off completely.

 

[jmt225]

I felt that diatribe was completely immature and uncalled for.

Dan Gilbert has every right to be upset, but to act in such a manner, when you're the owner of a professional sports franchise is just fucking ridiculous. Show some damn class, and quit acting like a baby. If he's so confident he can win without LeBron James, then this shouldn't have been his reaction. Behind closed doors he can say all that dumb shit all he wants, but publicly the right thing to do would have been to thank LeBron for 7 years of hard work and promise the Cleveland fans that they will rebound from this. That's all that needed to be said. Instead, not only did we get the circus of the lead-up to LeBron's announcement, but now that circus is going to continue for quite a while with immature babies like Dan Gilbert reacting the way they are.

 

[Davi323]

Dan Gilbert is an idiot...(of course, he is a Michigan State Spartan, so that should be obvious)

Lets look at what he says...did LeBron quit in the playoffs? Maybe, maybe not. We don't know. But, what we do know is that without LeBron, Cleveland is a last place team, and the only way they see the playoffs is on TV.

He attacks LeBron's use of the "King James" monicker. Umm, seems a bit hypocritical to me...up until the end of this season, he had no problems associating himself, or the entire Cleveland Cavaliers organization around the name "King James". He taunts the "Chosen One" while conveniently forgetting that it was him and his team that propagated that status. They used those terms to their advantage, to make money. No complaints. Now that Gilbert can't make money off LeBron anymore, suddenly he has a change of heart? Bullshit.

He accuses LeBron of betraying him...really? REALLY? What the fuck does he think LeBron James owed him, exactly? His contract expired. At the end of the playoffs, as soon as Cleveland was eliminated, LeBron James was no longer a Cleveland Cavalier. He was no longer employed by Dan Gilbert. He was a free agent. He was the contractual property of NO NBA team. He belonged to nobody but himself.

Gilbert wants to bitch about loyalty? What if LeBron James had been a disappointment instead of a superstar? What if the hometown stud was a hometown dud instead? Would we expect Dan Gilbert to show the same kind of loyalty if LeBron sucked as he apparently thinks LeBron owed him? Of course not. Being a hometown player means exactly two things. Jack, and shit. A lot of players end up playing for their hometown teams. A lot of those players also end up getting traded away from or flat out released from their hometown teams. Where is the loyalty? There isn't any. Sports leagues are about BUSINESS. LeBron James didn't owe Dan Gilbert or the Cleveland Cavaliers a fucking thing. It is the height of arrogance on Dan Gilbert's part to assume that LeBron owed him anything at all. To call him cowardly for signing with a team that he thinks has a better chance at winning a title? Hey Gilbert, the Heat are going to be contenders for the NBA title for at least the next 5-6 years...the Cavs, without LeBron, are going to be where? The basement. Have fun with those lottery picks on your way to beating LeBron to the NBA title...

Basically, Dan Gilbert needs to stop acting like a jilted ex-girlfriend, and start acting like the owner of an NBA team, a professional sports franchise, a business.

 

[Platypus Palsy]

You can replace Dan Gilbert's name with all Cavalier fans. He was just expressing the entire feeling of Cavs fans and as one of those, I'm glad he did this. This shows he isn't just funding a team to make money, he cares about this team. He wants to win, not just make money. The majority of what he said is true, Lebron wants to take the easy way out instead of earning the title, he wants to have it handed to him. Jordan didn't leave after losing, Kobe never left the Lakers, and Magic never left the Lakers. Lebron wants to walk in the door and be handed the title, well fine.

Now that the angry fan is out, I do still think that it shows that he wants to win and isn't just the money behind the company throwing money at it so it makes him more. As a few days pass, he'll probably feel that some of it is too harsh, but I think he'll stick by these words. It's pumped up Cleveland fans, and I even heard someone say that he wanted him to own the Browns and the Indians too, so that they'll win something. Lebron went where he thought he could the title the easiest, and not working for it like other stars in the past. I get that this isn't old school, but I prefer old school if that's how the new school will go. Durant signed an extension with the Thunder and he hasn't even gotten to the 2nd round of the playoffs yet. Lebron has gotten to the Finals before and he still decided to leave.

 

[Davi323]

IF LeBron wins an NBA title with the Heat, how is it being "given" to him? I call bullshit on your post, Dyslexic. Funny you should mention that Magic never left the Lakers...were his NBA titles diminished because he played on the same team as James Worthy and Kareem Abdul Jabbar? For that matter, does Larry Bird having been teammates with Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish mean his NBA titles don't mean as much? Hell, look at all the HOF'ers during Red Auerbach's years. Why are we holding LeBron to a different standard? If he wins an NBA title with Wade and Bosh as teammates, so what?

If anything, its LeBron that shows he wants to win. He could have re-signed with the Cavs for a lot more money than he got from Miami, due to the CBA.

Jordan had a team get built around him, what has Cleveland done to put the additional pieces LeBron needed? Absolutely nothing. Cleveland fans expected it to be LeBron vs the other team every night, and that somehow, their one player would magically triumph over an entire team of professional basketball players...and the Knicks.

Cleveland did a piss poor job building a team around LeBron to enable him to win, so he left.

 

[Big Sexy]

Jordan had a team get built around him, what has Cleveland done to put the additional pieces LeBron needed? Absolutely nothing. Cleveland fans expected it to be LeBron vs the other team every night, and that somehow, their one player would magically triumph over an entire team of professional basketball players...and the Knicks.

Cleveland did a piss poor job building a team around LeBron to enable him to win, so he left.

This part I disagree with. The Cavs tried every year to build a team around LeBron. After going to the finals they needed a point guard and added Mo Williams. They also tried very hard to get Ray Allen and Michael Redd but were unable to do so. When the Mo Williams thing failed they tried this last year to add another piece like Amare Stoudemire. Phoenix decided not to trade him so they went to plan B and got Jamison who is a very good player.

Again it didn't work out but this year some of the blame goes on LeBron because he just didn't show up in some games of the Celtics series. Then just this last week Cleveland had a sign and trade deal to get Bosh that Toronto wanted to do but Bosh declined. The Cavs tried every year to build a team around LeBron. It obviously wasn't a complete success because they never won a title but it wasn't a failure either and was still a work in progress. Back to back 60 win seasons is nothing to be ashamed of.

 

[Platypus Palsy]

IF LeBron wins an NBA title with the Heat, how is it being "given" to him? I call bullshit on your post, Dyslexic. Funny you should mention that Magic never left the Lakers...were his NBA titles diminished because he played on the same team as James Worthy and Kareem Abdul Jabbar? For that matter, does Larry Bird having been teammates with Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish mean his NBA titles don't mean as much? Hell, look at all the HOF'ers during Red Auerbach's years. Why are we holding LeBron to a different standard? If he wins an NBA title with Wade and Bosh as teammates, so what?

If anything, its LeBron that shows he wants to win. He could have re-signed with the Cavs for a lot more money than he got from Miami, due to the CBA.

Jordan had a team get built around him, what has Cleveland done to put the additional pieces LeBron needed? Absolutely nothing. Cleveland fans expected it to be LeBron vs the other team every night, and that somehow, their one player would magically triumph over an entire team of professional basketball players...and the Knicks.

Cleveland did a piss poor job building a team around LeBron to enable him to win, so he left.

You can call bullshit all you want, but he's walking into a team with the 2nd or 3rd best player in the league, Bosh who's a pretty good big man, and a young PG in Chalmers. I never said just because he has other players with him is the title going to be diminished, it's the fact that he's walking into this situation, every other player you listed either got drafted into it or had the team built around them. Magic and Bird were obviously THE guys on their teams, Lebron isn't. Wade will always be bigger in Miami, making Lebron number 2.

I never said it didn't show he didn't want to win, I said he's walking into the win. He doesn't want to work for the win, he wants to go to a super team that's already been handed the hardware by most people.

I'm tired of everyone saying they didn't try, bringing in Mo Williams, Antwan Jamison, Delonte West, Shaq, and now JJ Hickson is improving, that's a pretty damn good team. Jamario Moon is a good role player and so is Anthony Parker. Gibson can shoot the 3 pretty damn well. Varejao is OK but has unlimited amounts of hustle. You also don't tell me what I expected, because I actually know that there's more than just Lebron out there on that court. The other players are better than you give them credit for and with Byron as the coach, they'll be better.

They've brought in as many people as they can under their cap, they've done the best damn job they can.

 

[simpsons_fanatic742]

You can replace Dan Gilbert's name with all Cavalier fans. He was just expressing the entire feeling of Cavs fans and as one of those, I'm glad he did this. This shows he isn't just funding a team to make money, he cares about this team. He wants to win, not just make money. The majority of what he said is true, Lebron wants to take the easy way out instead of earning the title, he wants to have it handed to him. Jordan didn't leave after losing, Kobe never left the Lakers, and Magic never left the Lakers. Lebron wants to walk in the door and be handed the title, well fine.

Now that the angry fan is out, I do still think that it shows that he wants to win and isn't just the money behind the company throwing money at it so it makes him more. As a few days pass, he'll probably feel that some of it is too harsh, but I think he'll stick by these words. It's pumped up Cleveland fans, and I even heard someone say that he wanted him to own the Browns and the Indians too, so that they'll win something. Lebron went where he thought he could the title the easiest, and not working for it like other stars in the past. I get that this isn't old school, but I prefer old school if that's how the new school will go. Durant signed an extension with the Thunder and he hasn't even gotten to the 2nd round of the playoffs yet. Lebron has gotten to the Finals before and he still decided to leave.

The bolded point: Durant did what James did and sign an extension after their first contract. Let Durant play this contract out and see if doesn't leave Oklahoma. James signed the extension just like Durant just did, but he didn't win a championship in Cleveland so he left. And let's face it, Cleveland wasn't doing anything to help that case.

From all of the fallout and reaction to James' decision, I feel like I'm the only one who still loves LeBron. Look, I'm worried about his legacy as well in that if he wins a title, people will just point to who he played with, but as you can see in basketball, you have to play alongside great players to win and that is what James was doing. LeBron tried to stay in Cleveland and bring Bosh or Amare with him, but those 2 guys didn't want to come so what is James supposed to do? Stay in Cleveland where he probably wouldn't of gotten support on the court and stay for another 6 years ringless?

This whole hometown thing is ridiculous. Apparently if you end up playing for your hometown you can never leave and you are tied to them for your whole career. Give me a break. I honestly believe that James would of loved to stay in Cleveland, but it's every player's dream to win and he is going to the situation that he feels has the best chance. We see teams trade away hometown heroes and people say it's a business, but because the player decides to leave he is an ego-centric, shamless, betrayer?

I honestly hope that Miami wins the championship every year these guys are together (unless the Raptors have a chance to win it, but let's be real here).

As for Dan Gilbert, what a disgrace that letter was. James gave you 7 seven years of his life and talent and you go and say that about him? Your franchise would be nothing without James. He made you a shit ton of money and brought you team exposure and sellout crowds. That letter must make LeBron think his decision is that much better with an owner who apparently thinks very little of you. Had James of picked Cleveland during the special, Gilbert wouldn't of thought of him as egotistical, even though it's the same situation. It's all because James picked the best situation for him and Gilbert now realizes that his team and franchise are going to suffer.

Seven years Gilbert and the best you gave James was Antawn Jamison and he still made it work fairly well. It was a gutless move by a broken hearted owner. If you thought so badly about James, then why did you fight to get him back? I don't care how good he is, if you believed he quit on your team you wouldn't bring that player back. Shut your mouth Gilbert and take it like a man. I hope Cleveland tanks every season you are the owner of that team and I hope Miami wins 6 straight championships. You burned a bridge here because of your stupidity.

 

[Davi323]

If any one of us were in LeBron's shoes, we would have done the same thing. NFL free agents are allowed to sign with Super Bowl contenders, but LeBron isn't allowed to sign with the team he thinks gives him the best chance to win? Rubbish.

 

[CH David]

I said this in the Sports Bar. As unprofessional as it was from Dan Gilbert, it is still funny. I read it this morning at school and couldn't stop laughing. Was it wrong of him to do? Probably. Do I blame him? As a guy who likes it when owners show themselves to be human at times, no I don't. He is passionate for his team to win a championship, and this looks like a possible tool to try and motivate a team that just got deflated. So go ahead and say he was unprofessional and will regret it. Big fuckin' deal. He said what he said, and like KB said, to me it makes him human rather than some face in a luxury suite.

 

[Platypus Palsy]

If any one of us were in LeBron's shoes, we would have done the same thing. NFL free agents are allowed to sign with Super Bowl contenders, but LeBron isn't allowed to sign with the team he thinks gives him the best chance to win? Rubbish.

No, I wouldn't have signed with the Heat. I would've wanted to stay at home and bring a championship to a town that hasn't had any sport success in a long time and stayed with an owner very committed to winning and trying to give me everything he humanly can.

The NBA and NFL are completely different animals. Lebron can carry a team on his back if needed in the NBA, but no one player can do the same in the NFL. Singular players are more highly valued in the NBA than in the NFL. It's easier to put together a roster of good players in the NBA considering you don't need to sign 56 players. I'd also like to point out that Miami isn't even the team that gives him the best chance, that would go to Chicago. So in the end he still didn't make the right decision.

 

[The Insano Shiekh]

Guarantee a title win before Wade and LeBron get there? Psh. Mo Williams is old, Antawn Jamison is just terrible, and everyone else on the Cavs SUCK.

You know, I read a report on this on ESPN.com, and I couldn't agree more. In one line of the article it stated:

"Dan Gilbert should change his name to Benjamin Button."

I agree with that, because he acted like a pre-teen last night over LeBron leaving. The only reason LeBron went to the Cavs in the first place was because the Cavs won the fucking lottery. Before that, they were terrible, but look where LeBron brought them, he brought them to playoff appearances more than a lot of their draft decisions could have, and Gilbert has the balls to say that LeBron quit? Please. Maybe LeBron knew that Gilbert didn't give two shits about him in the first place and only wanted him there for the money. Now, karma has come back and bit Gilbert right in the ass, and all he's going to be able to do is watch while the Heat go to stardom and success and eventually get a finals win 5 years before the Year 2011 Cavaliers are even in consideration to make the #8 seed for the playoffs. Hey, Gilbert, FUCK YOU!