Lebron and Gilbert

[MMacOH]

This probably doesn't deserve it's own thread since there are so many out there so please feel free to move it if need be. 

Lebron showed last night that he wants the easy way out.  He doesn't care about the challenge or being the best, he just wants to be able to say that he has rings and thinks this will build his legacy.  He's a kid with a lot to learn, he proved that last night. 

As for the Gilbert letter, here is what I told my buddy:

There is a growing sentiment that Gilbert's letter from last night is going to cause future free agents not to want to sign with the Cavs.  I don't get this.  Gilbert did everything he could for Lebron for 7 years.  He built state of the art practice facilities.  He gave Lebron's friends fake jobs within the organization.  He paid incredibly large sums of luxury tax money to bring in whoever Lebron wanted.  He brought in a proven coach to run the team.  He introduced Lebron to Warren Buffett.  He did everything he could to make Lebron's life fulfilling and his team competitive.  This is all any free agent could ask for.

The reality is that Lebron caused Gilbert to write that letter in the manner that he did.  Lebron created this free agent spectacle and dragged it out for so long that the Cavs are now behind the eight ball for free agency this year.  Lebron led Gilbert to believe that he was coming back right up until he announced his decision.  Lebron didn't even have the courtesy to call and thank Gilbert for everything he did before he made his choice.  Lebron showed that he really is just a kid who has no idea what character and respect mean.  It's too bad because I thought he was different, silly me for letting myself be duped.

Gilbert's response could have been more professional but Lebron just weaseled 100s of millions of dollars out of Gilbert's pocket and didn't even have the class to thank him for it.  This is what entitlement does, it breeds egoism.  I bet Lebron can't even understand why people are mad.  He just wants to win and be the best.  I can respect that fact.  Go play the game with 2 of the best and make your life easier, I am sure it will be fun.  His 'real fans' will respect him because he is now winning championships.  He doesn't even realize he just spit on the rest of the league and everyone before him who did it the right way.  Jordan, Bird, Magic, they all had faults, but at least they understood the bigger picture and how to handle things.  Hopefully someone will teach Lebron what class, respect and humility really mean in the future so that he can realize what a punk he is right now.

[wiley]

This probably doesn't deserve it's own thread since there are so many out there so please feel free to move it if need be. 

Lebron showed last night that he wants the easy way out.  He doesn't care about the challenge or being the best, he just wants to be able to say that he has rings and thinks this will build his legacy.  He's a kid with a lot to learn, he proved that last night. 

As for the Gilbert letter, here is what I told my buddy:

There is a growing sentiment that Gilbert's letter from last night is going to cause future free agents not to want to sign with the Cavs.  I don't get this.  Gilbert did everything he could for Lebron for 7 years.  He built state of the art practice facilities.  He gave Lebron's friends fake jobs within the organization.  He paid incredibly large sums of luxury tax money to bring in whoever Lebron wanted.  He brought in a proven coach to run the team.  He introduced Lebron to Warren Buffett.  He did everything he could to make Lebron's life fulfilling and his team competitive.  This is all any free agent could ask for.

The reality is that Lebron caused Gilbert to write that letter in the manner that he did.  Lebron created this free agent spectacle and dragged it out for so long that the Cavs are now behind the eight ball for free agency this year.  Lebron led Gilbert to believe that he was coming back right up until he announced his decision.  Lebron didn't even have the courtesy to call and thank Gilbert for everything he did before he made his choice.  Lebron showed that he really is just a kid who has no idea what character and respect mean.  It's too bad because I thought he was different, silly me for letting myself be duped.

Gilbert's response could have been more professional but Lebron just weaseled 100s of millions of dollars out of Gilbert's pocket and didn't even have the class to thank him for it.  This is what entitlement does, it breeds egoism.  I bet Lebron can't even understand why people are mad.  He just wants to win and be the best.  I can respect that fact.  Go play the game with 2 of the best and make your life easier, I am sure it will be fun.  His 'real fans' will respect him because he is now winning championships.  He doesn't even realize he just spit on the rest of the league and everyone before him who did it the right way.  Jordan, Bird, Magic, they all had faults, but at least they understood the bigger picture and how to handle things.  Hopefully someone will teach Lebron what class, respect and humility really mean in the future so that he can realize what a punk he is right now.

At this point I would say Gilbert looks foolish both for the catering and for the letter....I think in the long run he hasn't hurt his chance at free agents...any more than unglamorous Cleveland already does....(not knocking Cleveland).

[Rondo2287]

Sorry this Happened to you MMACoh, you have always been a great poster here and i respect your opinions.  I think that this is a severely shortsighted and reactionary letter by Gilbert.  I dont see the upside for him on this one, and by ending it guaranteeing that Cleveland will win before Lebron just makes him look like a fool.  Without resigning lebron they will be stuck in mediocrity or worse.  Cleveland needs to dump contracts now and fast.  I would take Sideshow Bob off their hands..

[wiley]

Sorry this Happened to you MMACoh, you have always been a great poster here and i respect your opinions.  I think that this is a severely shortsighted and reactionary letter by Gilbert.  I dont see the upside for him on this one, and by ending it guaranteeing that Cleveland will win before Lebron just makes him look like a fool.  Without resigning lebron they will be stuck in mediocrity or worse.  Cleveland needs to dump contracts now and fast.  I would take Sideshow Bob off their hands..

yes.  if he's serious about the Cavs winning a title before Lebron, then he need Lebron to never win a title, because that's how long it's going to take Cleveland, more than the rest of Lebron's career.  Therfore, he needs to take some short-term steps, called Miami Title Prevention Steps, to make his promise come true....

STEPS:

STEP 1.  Varejao to Celtics for Sheed's contract.

Celtics win next two titles with best defense in history (Perk, Varejao, O'Neal, Garnett, etc..)
By then, Kobe's too old to put the Lakers over the top, especially with Ok. City and Portland challenges, so:

STEP 2.  Help Ok. City and Portland Trailblazers as much as possible.  With a couple of pieces both of those teams will be unbeatable (Oden's health necessary in Portland's case)

STEP 3.  Evaluate landscape and continue with Miami Title Prevention Plan.

[gileyal]

I think its an emotional response by someone who feels betrayed. He obviously did everything he possibly could to accommodate Lebron and in response got to watch Lebron spit in his face on national TV.

Lebron would like to hide under the claim that he had an impossible decision. He loves Cleveland but they were not real contenders. That's of course a complete farce. He could have easily brought in Bosh into a team that won 60 games in back to back seasons.

[More Banners]

Cleveland will be a much better basketball team to watch (not sure about wins, though).  I'm sure they'll move the ball much better without James dominating almost every possession.

It looks to me like they're not in that bad of shape.  They're not trading Sideshow Bob, though, since he's their only center, and they have Jamison and Hickson, two solid players at the PF spot.  Perhaps Mo Williams will have a bit more freedom on the court to do something with Lebron out of the way.  They need a backup center (like everyone else) and are in immediate need of a wing, but have about $9 million in cap space, plus Delonte's non-guaranteed contract to move around.

Rather than have a fire sale and immediately rebuild, their best move would be to try to get the best player they can at wing and try to make a run under Byron Scott as underdogs before Miami can fill out their whole roster with title-level depth.

They'll junk the roster next year when reality sinks in.

[the_Bird]

Cleveland's got so many bad contracts, it's tough.  Not sure how they can shed all of them.  Three more years of Mo Williams and Boobie Gibson, four more years of Varejao.  Varejao's probably their second-best player, which is pretty frightening.

What they ought to do is trade Varejao, but make any trade partner also absorb Boobie Gibson.  If Cleveland called up Danny and offered AV and Boobie for 'Sheed's contract and Big Game Davis, Danny would have to think long and hard about that.  SOME contending team would bite.  They could clean two of their bad contracts out pretty easily, which would just leave Mo Williams and Antwan Jamison in the next two years, and Mo in 2013 (assuming he picks up that last plater option).  

So, let the team suck for two years.  Get some lottery picks, buy a first rounder or two next year, give Hickson the starting role and see if he's really a building block or not... and in two years, you can either be a player in free agency or pick up some guys in trades.

The alternative - plug in the hole as SF with the MLE, keep AV, don't make any trades....  I'm not sure this team's core, even getting lucky with an MLE acquisition is much more than 35 wins.  Probably closer to 30.  Is the remaining talent level in Cleveland better than Indiana, as an example?

Make some trades, suck for a couple of years, rebuild and come back in 2012.  Or, plug along somewhere south of mediocrity.

[Andy Jick]

Right when I thought Mark Cuban was the most idiotic owner, Dan Gilbert decides to show up...

He will regret this...If he has any brains at all he will realize how foolish, immature and stupid this letter came across.  Someone should have been there to hold him back, remind him to take a deep breath and not say anything spur-of-the-moment that could cause harm.

As I stated in another forum, Gilbert showed his arrogance is equal to that of LeBron's...

[the_Bird]

Right when I thought Mark Cuban was the most idiotic owner, Dan Gilbert decides to show up...

He will regret this...If he has any brains at all he will realize how foolish, immature and stupid this letter came across.  Someone should have been there to hold him back, remind him to take a deep breath and not say anything spur-of-the-moment that could cause harm.

As I stated in another forum, Gilbert showed his arrogance is equal to that of LeBron's...

Meh, the only real downside to the letter is that he's almost committed himself to not tearing down the team and rebuilding, like I think they ought to.  He can't make that "guarantee" and then start trading away some of his bad contracts.  Kind of locked himself into a "WIN NOW!" stance, when Cleveland is completely devoid of the premier talent that you NEED to win.

Was the letter childish?  Of course.  If Tom Brady bolted New England, would Robert Kraft write that letter?  Of course not.  If Piece signed with the Clippers, would Wyc have written that?  Of course not.

But...  it's his team, he was p---ed, his fans are p---ed, and his fans are going to appreciate that he's as p---ed off as they are.  Any fine that Stern imposes will be worth it in terms of the good public relations.

Basically, the story COULD have been "Cleveland did not do enough to keep LeBron James happy, therefore he left."  Instead, the common sentiment is that "LeBron James is a spoiled Edited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline. that betrayed his hometown."

[MMacOH]

Right when I thought Mark Cuban was the most idiotic owner, Dan Gilbert decides to show up...

He will regret this...If he has any brains at all he will realize how foolish, immature and stupid this letter came across.  Someone should have been there to hold him back, remind him to take a deep breath and not say anything spur-of-the-moment that could cause harm.

As I stated in another forum, Gilbert showed his arrogance is equal to that of LeBron's...

Lebron punked him completely, made him look like a fool, saddled his team with false promises, which in turn led to taking on tons of salary, misled him for 6 weeks after the fact and you think Gilbert is the arrogant one?  Lebron didn't even tell Gilbert of his plans, he had to hear it on TV. 

The championship guarantee was out of emotion, and I don't think that is true.

Not sure how it will cause harm.  Any player who sees everything Lebron got will feel very confident in how they will be treated in Cleveland.  The only time you will get backlash is if you go on National TV and publically humiliate the team and city.

[Finkelskyhook]

 Was the letter childish?  Of course.  If Tom Brady bolted New England, would Robert Kraft write that letter?  Of course not.  If Piece signed with the Clippers, would Wyc have written that?  Of course not.

Neither Brady nor Pierce would be so classless, arrogant and (most appropriate word in the Gilbert letter) Narcissistic to overhype themselves to this pathetic facade that the messiah put forth to celebrate himself.

Hopefully someone will teach Lebron what class, respect and humility really mean in the future so that he can realize what a punk he is right now.

The messiah wouldn't know any of those acronyms mean if they kicked him in the ass.