Woj on Lebron: Cavs are unsure if he will stay

[MBunge]

I don't trust Woj regarding anything related to Lebron. He's been stirring the pot for years.

That said, Lebron absolutely should play the "upgrade or I'm leaving" card. Gilbert has not spent as much as he could to improve the Cavs, and I'm sure that that doesn't go unnoticed.

Personally, if I'm Lebron I'm signing in Boston next off-season for the MLE, haha. Screw LA, go to a team made for your talents.

Horford / Zizic
Lebron / 2018 BRK #1
Hayward / Crowder
Bradley / Brown
IT / Fultz

That's how you beat Golden State.

"Gilbert has not spend as much as he could to improve the Cavs ..."  Technically true Roy, but they have spend FAR MORE than the league average and had the HIGHEST team salary at around $128.5 million this year.

I don't quite get your point.

Smitty77

He could have paid more to make the team better. He didn't, which broke his promise to Lebron.

Lebron has increased the value of the Cavs by literally hundreds of millions of dollars. Gilbert putting any budgetary restrictions on the team is unacceptable.

By that same financially ignorant reasoning, LeBron also cost Gilbert hundreds of millions of dollars when he left Cleveland the first time.

If Gilbert promised to spend limitless amounts of money on the Cavs to soothe Lebron's ego, it's fair to criticize him for making a stupid promise he was never going to keep.  But LeBron also deserves criticism for being such an enormous man-baby that Gilbert had to make such an insane commitment.

Mike

[MBunge]

TOO funny. They have built the 2nd best team with the 2nd best assembly of top end talent! They should have spent the money on Delly though, I think he is the piece that puts them over GSW. I also believe they could have found a stud with the 27th pick but they squandered that too.

Did Gilbert maximize his team's chances, or were decisions based on money?

It's a pretty simple question, and the answer is obvious. When your net worth is $6 billion, and your star player has made you hundreds of millions, it makes no sense to cut corners.  Gilbert has spent a lot, but he could have done even more. 95% commitment isn't enough for Lebron, and he'll choose his future employer accordingly.

And that kind of thinking is why you are worth considerably less than $6 billion.

Mike

[Roy H.]

I don't trust Woj regarding anything related to Lebron. He's been stirring the pot for years.

That said, Lebron absolutely should play the "upgrade or I'm leaving" card. Gilbert has not spent as much as he could to improve the Cavs, and I'm sure that that doesn't go unnoticed.

Personally, if I'm Lebron I'm signing in Boston next off-season for the MLE, haha. Screw LA, go to a team made for your talents.

Horford / Zizic
Lebron / 2018 BRK #1
Hayward / Crowder
Bradley / Brown
IT / Fultz

That's how you beat Golden State.

"Gilbert has not spend as much as he could to improve the Cavs ..."  Technically true Roy, but they have spend FAR MORE than the league average and had the HIGHEST team salary at around $128.5 million this year.

I don't quite get your point.

Smitty77

He could have paid more to make the team better. He didn't, which broke his promise to Lebron.

Lebron has increased the value of the Cavs by literally hundreds of millions of dollars. Gilbert putting any budgetary restrictions on the team is unacceptable.

By that same financially ignorant reasoning, LeBron also cost Gilbert hundreds of millions of dollars when he left Cleveland the first time.

If Gilbert promised to spend limitless amounts of money on the Cavs to soothe Lebron's ego, it's fair to criticize him for making a stupid promise he was never going to keep.  But LeBron also deserves criticism for being such an enormous man-baby that Gilbert had to make such an insane commitment.

Mike

Gilbert broke a promise to Lebron, and he didn't maximize the Cavs' chances at a title this year.

It's not "financial ignorance". Gilbert made a commitment, and didn't follow through. Lebron left money on the table to join the Cavs, and has made Gilbert hundreds of millions. Bron Bron has held up his end of the bargain.

If Lebron bolts, good for him.

[Roy H.]

TOO funny. They have built the 2nd best team with the 2nd best assembly of top end talent! They should have spent the money on Delly though, I think he is the piece that puts them over GSW. I also believe they could have found a stud with the 27th pick but they squandered that too.

Did Gilbert maximize his team's chances, or were decisions based on money?

It's a pretty simple question, and the answer is obvious. When your net worth is $6 billion, and your star player has made you hundreds of millions, it makes no sense to cut corners.  Gilbert has spent a lot, but he could have done even more. 95% commitment isn't enough for Lebron, and he'll choose his future employer accordingly.

And that kind of thinking is why you are worth considerably less than $6 billion.

Mike

Lol. Perhaps. I missed "MBunge" on the most recent Forbes list as well, though.

Lying to your best and most important employee seems like a bad idea. I'm pretty confident in the "don't cut corners and don't lie to the guy who has made you hundreds of millions of dollars" thinking.  I guess that's what's holding me back.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

Talking about spending money to maximize his chances to win the title, who exactly could they have paid for to put them over GSW? Right, no one! That is as simple as it gets!

[Roy H.]

Talking about spending money to maximize his chances to win the title, who exactly could they have paid for to put them over GSW? Right, no one! That is as simple as it gets!

Who knows, right? Game 3 and Game 5 were close. Maybe adding another rotation player helps. Maybe having an additional first rounder interests Indy in a deal centered around Love for PG13.

I think the Lebron hatred clouds people's perception. Let's say you're working toward a raise / promotion at work. Before joining your particular department, your boss promised you that s/he'd do everything in his / her power to get you that raise. If you later saw your boss back-tracking on that commitment, wouldn't you be upset?

Even Lebron is an employee. He has certain expectations, and if his boss lies to him, he's going to be upset.

[Celtics4ever]

Gilbert broke a promise to Lebron, and he didn't maximize the Cavs' chances at a title this year.

They made moves and got a big man in Bogut who got injured.   I don't think he moves the meter much for CLE if he was healthy though.

[Moranis]

Gilbert broke a promise to Lebron, and he didn't maximize the Cavs' chances at a title this year.

They made moves and got a big man in Bogut who got injured.   I don't think he moves the meter much for CLE if he was healthy though.

Dellavedova might have made a difference (you know in a close game 3 where they needed a stop).  They needed someone who can defend on the bench and who could still shoot the ball.  You know your classic 3 and D type player.  He was a perfect fit in that role coming off the bench.  And it wouldn't have cost them a thing except money to retain him. 

[dreamgreen]

I don't trust Woj regarding anything related to Lebron. He's been stirring the pot for years.

That said, Lebron absolutely should play the "upgrade or I'm leaving" card. Gilbert has not spent as much as he could to improve the Cavs, and I'm sure that that doesn't go unnoticed.

Personally, if I'm Lebron I'm signing in Boston next off-season for the MLE, haha. Screw LA, go to a team made for your talents.

Horford / Zizic
Lebron / 2018 BRK #1
Hayward / Crowder
Bradley / Brown
IT / Fultz

That's how you beat Golden State.

"Gilbert has not spend as much as he could to improve the Cavs ..."  Technically true Roy, but they have spend FAR MORE than the league average and had the HIGHEST team salary at around $128.5 million this year.

I don't quite get your point.

Smitty77

He could have paid more to make the team better. He didn't, which broke his promise to Lebron.

Lebron has increased the value of the Cavs by literally hundreds of millions of dollars. Gilbert putting any budgetary restrictions on the team is unacceptable.

By that same financially ignorant reasoning, LeBron also cost Gilbert hundreds of millions of dollars when he left Cleveland the first time.

If Gilbert promised to spend limitless amounts of money on the Cavs to soothe Lebron's ego, it's fair to criticize him for making a stupid promise he was never going to keep.  But LeBron also deserves criticism for being such an enormous man-baby that Gilbert had to make such an insane commitment.

Mike

Gilbert broke a promise to Lebron, and he didn't maximize the Cavs' chances at a title this year.

It's not "financial ignorance". Gilbert made a commitment, and didn't follow through. Lebron left money on the table to join the Cavs, and has made Gilbert hundreds of millions. Bron Bron has held up his end of the bargain.

If Lebron bolts, good for him.

It would be interesting to see how much profit the Cavs have made since Lebron returned to Cleveland. Paying the luxury tax must hammer away at the bottom line otherwise teams wouldn't be so scared of it.

[wdleehi]

It is not about what we think of the moves the Cavs made.



It is all about the moves Lebron thinks the Cavs made.  And it seems pretty clear from his comments, he was not happy.




But as for him moving to LA, I don't see it.   It is easier to adjust the Cavs while playing in the East where there is no team that has stepped up to that level yet (come on Celtics) vs. finding a team with the right mix of cap space and star players to quickly build a team that can take the Warriors on in the West.   

[Roy H.]

I don't trust Woj regarding anything related to Lebron. He's been stirring the pot for years.

That said, Lebron absolutely should play the "upgrade or I'm leaving" card. Gilbert has not spent as much as he could to improve the Cavs, and I'm sure that that doesn't go unnoticed.

Personally, if I'm Lebron I'm signing in Boston next off-season for the MLE, haha. Screw LA, go to a team made for your talents.

Horford / Zizic
Lebron / 2018 BRK #1
Hayward / Crowder
Bradley / Brown
IT / Fultz

That's how you beat Golden State.

"Gilbert has not spend as much as he could to improve the Cavs ..."  Technically true Roy, but they have spend FAR MORE than the league average and had the HIGHEST team salary at around $128.5 million this year.

I don't quite get your point.

Smitty77

He could have paid more to make the team better. He didn't, which broke his promise to Lebron.

Lebron has increased the value of the Cavs by literally hundreds of millions of dollars. Gilbert putting any budgetary restrictions on the team is unacceptable.

By that same financially ignorant reasoning, LeBron also cost Gilbert hundreds of millions of dollars when he left Cleveland the first time.

If Gilbert promised to spend limitless amounts of money on the Cavs to soothe Lebron's ego, it's fair to criticize him for making a stupid promise he was never going to keep.  But LeBron also deserves criticism for being such an enormous man-baby that Gilbert had to make such an insane commitment.

Mike

Gilbert broke a promise to Lebron, and he didn't maximize the Cavs' chances at a title this year.

It's not "financial ignorance". Gilbert made a commitment, and didn't follow through. Lebron left money on the table to join the Cavs, and has made Gilbert hundreds of millions. Bron Bron has held up his end of the bargain.

If Lebron bolts, good for him.

It would be interesting to see how much profit the Cavs have made since Lebron returned to Cleveland. Paying the luxury tax must hammer away at the bottom line otherwise teams wouldn't be so scared of it.

Profit is a pretty hazy concept, because teams manipulate the books to say whatever they want.

The real measure is franchise valuation. The Cavs' value is $1.2 billion, up something like $800 million since Lebron left the first time. Valuation of all teams has risen, but the Cavs' value has fluctuated greatly based upon first Lebron leaving, and then coming back.

Conservatively, Lebron's return has raised Gilbert's net worth by $200 million.

[Moranis]

I don't trust Woj regarding anything related to Lebron. He's been stirring the pot for years.

That said, Lebron absolutely should play the "upgrade or I'm leaving" card. Gilbert has not spent as much as he could to improve the Cavs, and I'm sure that that doesn't go unnoticed.

Personally, if I'm Lebron I'm signing in Boston next off-season for the MLE, haha. Screw LA, go to a team made for your talents.

Horford / Zizic
Lebron / 2018 BRK #1
Hayward / Crowder
Bradley / Brown
IT / Fultz

That's how you beat Golden State.

"Gilbert has not spend as much as he could to improve the Cavs ..."  Technically true Roy, but they have spend FAR MORE than the league average and had the HIGHEST team salary at around $128.5 million this year.

I don't quite get your point.

Smitty77

He could have paid more to make the team better. He didn't, which broke his promise to Lebron.

Lebron has increased the value of the Cavs by literally hundreds of millions of dollars. Gilbert putting any budgetary restrictions on the team is unacceptable.

By that same financially ignorant reasoning, LeBron also cost Gilbert hundreds of millions of dollars when he left Cleveland the first time.

If Gilbert promised to spend limitless amounts of money on the Cavs to soothe Lebron's ego, it's fair to criticize him for making a stupid promise he was never going to keep.  But LeBron also deserves criticism for being such an enormous man-baby that Gilbert had to make such an insane commitment.

Mike

Gilbert broke a promise to Lebron, and he didn't maximize the Cavs' chances at a title this year.

It's not "financial ignorance". Gilbert made a commitment, and didn't follow through. Lebron left money on the table to join the Cavs, and has made Gilbert hundreds of millions. Bron Bron has held up his end of the bargain.

If Lebron bolts, good for him.

It would be interesting to see how much profit the Cavs have made since Lebron returned to Cleveland. Paying the luxury tax must hammer away at the bottom line otherwise teams wouldn't be so scared of it.

Profit is a pretty hazy concept, because teams manipulate the books to say whatever they want.

The real measure is franchise valuation. The Cavs' value is $1.2 billion, up something like $800 million since Lebron left the first time. Valuation of all teams has risen, but the Cavs' value has fluctuated greatly based upon first Lebron leaving, and then coming back.

Conservatively, Lebron's return has raised Gilbert's net worth by $200 million.

of course if he leaves again, that will drop a great deal again. 

In a vacuum I don't have any real issue with what Gilbert has done, however if he made explicit promises to James and then broke those promises, then James has a right to be angry and if he is angry enough, he will leave.  I'd like to think that they will work it out, but those two have a history, so who knows, and there is still this summer and next season for working it out.

[Birdman]

He is NOT going anywhere..he will retire a Cav.  He is a King in Cleveland and u saw what happen when he left for Miami. .

[Ed Hollison]

I would be shocked if Lebron stayed in Cleveland beyond this year. Aside from Irving and Love, that team is going to be hopelessly capped out and devoid of draft picks and young assets, with little wiggle room to improve.

Recall that Lebron did exactly the same thing in Miami. He recognized that Wade was breaking down, and that the Heat didn't have the cap room or flexibility to improve the roster. It would have been an absolute slog to try and defeat the West in the finals had he stayed with the Heat. So what did he do? He bolted to a team that already that already had one superstar (Irving), and had just landed the #1 overall pick in the draft twice in a row (which became Love). Of course, Lebron via that famous open letter couched the decision in terms of "coming home", and most of us fell for it.

A franchise bending over backwards to accommodate Lebron is no guarantee that he will reciprocate by staying for the long haul. That's what the Heat tried, and it didn't work. Recall that Lebron tweeted his love for Shabazz Napier ahead of the 2014 draft, during a time when Miami wasn't sure if he'd stay or go. Riley then traded the Heat's #1 PLUS a second rounder for Napier, in an obvious bid to please James. Didn't matter. He left anyway. Napier is now playing on his third team in three seasons, having averaged 4ppg last season at age 25.

Call it like it is: Lebron makes demands of his franchises, urges them to sacrifice future assets and flexibility to win now, and then bolts after the soil is scorched.

[Donoghus]

He brought CLE a title.  He came thru on that.  He owes that city nothing. 

If he thinks they've topped out and will start to circle the drain, he's entitled to get out of dodge.  Hell, he did it once before.  What difference does it make now?