Good for Dan Gilbert!

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 homegrown "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
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers [/i]

What a douche...

Who is going to want to go play for that guy after that? I mean, LeBron, no matter how you feel about him, brought MILLIONS to that area. This includes money that LeBron puts into community outreach and other charities.

IMO - That was a HUGE mistake on Gilbert's part!

I TOTALLY disagree with you on this one Mark, sorry.

LeBron is a primadona...

...did Jordan leave the Bulls when they sucked? It took him like 4 years to get them WINNING before the Championships started coming.

Then again, it is just BASKETBALL of which I watched.........ZERO games this year.

Have never really watched since Jordan left...

The level of self-importance for grown men that play kids games has so overwhelmed the sports for me that I have stopped watching major league stuff nearly all together. Never been a basketball fan at all. I've been developing a taste for minor league play where the influences of money are less intensely seen.

These guys do important stuff...

...like sell shoes for Nike!

I'm cool with him leaving but dont disrespect your old team on national TV and then have your sponsers throw some money at the boys & girls club, still doesnt make it right! Miami will not be a very deep basketball team and i wonder if these three realize they can only use one ball at a time! If they dont win he will forever be known as a great player that cant win the big games!

I agree that LeBron could have done it in a MUCH lower key way. The crazy part about sports these days is the media coverage and the fact that these guys are constantly in the spotlight. It must be difficult not to get caught up in all of the hoopla.

andrema wrote:

I agree that LeBron could have done it in a MUCH lower key way. The crazy part about sports these days is the media coverage and the fact that these guys are constantly in the spotlight. It must be difficult not to get caught up in all of the hoopla.

Aggreed, and south beach aint no cleveland! there will be tons of distractions for a young man with a boat load of money!

andrema wrote:

What a douche...

Who is going to want to go play for that guy after that? I mean, LeBron, no matter how you feel about him, brought MILLIONS to that area. This includes money that LeBron puts into community outreach and other charities.

IMO - That was a HUGE mistake on Gilbert's part!

I AM NOT a L. James fan. If anything it drives me nuts that he gets as much attention as he does without ever winning even one rings. Up to this point he is a very good player who has won nothing at all. I DON'T think James leaving is wrong. I may not have liked how he did it, but this is the "information age" and everything is reality TV and
public.

BUT this statement by Gilbert is being pretty universally bashed almost everywhere outside of downtown Cleveland. Just a bad move by him IMO. He looks terrible in all of this plain and simple. Good article - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/10/sports/basketball/10rhoden.html and another where Gilbert looks bad - http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5365793&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

And his statement about winning a championship before James is just plain silly. They will be lucky to win 40 games this year (or anytime soon) without a player on the level of James.