I'd laugh if Dan Gilbert is right and Cleveland wins a championship before LeBron. Go JJ Hickson!

Since link was on bottom of page: http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/gilbert_letter_100708.html

[Edited on July 8, 2010 at 11:29 PM. Reason : Added link]

7/8/2010 11:29:16 PM

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2010/07/legone_lebron_james_confirms_h/2845/comments-35.html

orig: http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/gilbert_letter_100708.html

Quote :

"A Letter From Cavaliers Majority Owner 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 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...."

7/8/2010 11:32:42 PM

pat riley is about to become a great coach again

7/8/2010 11:36:00 PM

Can an entire city be placed on suicide watch?


^^JJ FTW!!!!!

7/8/2010 11:36:04 PM

^^^

7/8/2010 11:42:05 PM

so now Michael Beasley is going to the Timberwolves

7/8/2010 11:43:15 PM

betrayal? what are those fuckwads on? its a business, your contract was up. Quit crying you failure of a state.

7/8/2010 11:46:28 PM

wow

who greenlit that letter?

somebody needs to grow the fuck up

comic sans? really??

7/9/2010 12:03:50 AM

ahhahaha

Quote :

"@adamjmartin: new rankings (1.) 2Pac's 'Hit 'Em Up' (2.) Dan Gilbert's letter to Cav's fans/Lebron (3.) Nas's 'Ether'"

7/9/2010 12:05:51 AM

Quote :

" @sethmeyers21 Angry letter! Silly font! Angry letter! Silly font! http://bit.ly/9MjmNZ"

[Edited on July 9, 2010 at 12:08 AM. Reason : whoops]

7/9/2010 12:07:02 AM

pop question hotshots

Shaq signs with the Lakers...Lakers meet the Heat in the Finals

Who do you pull for..........

Who do you pull for

7/9/2010 12:07:47 AM

shoot the hostage



(and the hostage would be me, in that scenario)

[Edited on July 9, 2010 at 12:18 AM. Reason : ]

7/9/2010 12:09:42 AM

is adam morrison still on the lakers?

7/9/2010 12:09:58 AM

Quote :

"pop question hotshots Shaq signs with the Lakers...Lakers meet the Heat in the Finals Who do you pull for.......... Who do you pull for"

I would just root for no injuries. Would probably pull for the Heat, though it would be nice if we got Kobe another ring.

7/9/2010 12:15:44 AM

Lolz on Wade and Lebron having to share the ball.

7/9/2010 1:06:37 AM

i really don't care about much in this whole hullaballo

but i will say that contemplating Cleveland's pro sports history in the past 40 years really makes me feel better about our own "NC State Shit"

also, Dan Gilbert's open letter was fucking retarded. simply unbelievable.

Quote :

"comic sans? really??"

[Edited on July 9, 2010 at 1:33 AM. Reason : .]

7/9/2010 1:32:16 AM

god just LOL at everything that happened tonight....its surreal...the corporate whoring (vitamin water, bing, U of Phoenix, Boys and Girls Club, etc), ESPN's self-promotion (which isn't that unusual, I guess), Lebron's self-aggrandizing, putting children in the background to make him look like a good guy, Jim Grey, Dan Gilbert's meltdown in comic sans. Was this mentioned in revelations?

7/9/2010 2:12:12 AM

Quote :

"because they didnt go out and sign anyone so far this offseason? thats probably because they wanted to know whether or not he would come back. No point in signing another complementary player for Lebron if he's planning on jumping ship."

That's why they fucked up to begin with. All they ever did was sign "complementary" players. Lebron didn't exactly need a Wade or Bosh in Cleveland, but he needed better than an aging Antawn Jamison/Shaq/Ben Wallace. Or any other "complementary" players they've signed over the years. Cleveland should have done what every other team that was courting Lebron did, sign a big name player. Chicago got Boozer, New York got Amare, and we all know what Miami did. What the fuck did Cleveland do?? Absolutely nothing. There aren't any real big names left. And what was Lebron going to do, trust the Cleveland front office to put together a team that would help them win the title?? Something they have been unsuccessful in doing the past three years when they had the best player on the planet. Fuck that. Cleveland's front office is to blame.

Quote :

"I guarantee the Cavs didnt just sit on their ass with their fingers crossed hoping he would come back. the Cavs have a pretty good front office, Lebron had them in handcuffs until he made his decision, but I'm sure they presented numerous options"

Other teams didn't "present options"...they went out and did something. And obviously their options weren't good enough. Cleveland fans only have their front office to blame. Yeah...Lebron could have been a little more "loyal"...but he probably saw a Groundhog Day version of the next 5 or 6 years going on in Cleveland.


As far as Lebron going to Miami. Meh...I think it will end up hurting his legacy a bit if they end up winning a few championships. But not too much...especially if he continues to dominate and put up triple double like numbers. His legacy will definitely be fucked if they don't win 2 or 3 titles though. I still think he'll end up being viewed as a better, more dominant Magic Johnson. Not quite the killer instinct/win at all costs player that Jordan was and Kobe is. This past post season put a big dent on how he was viewed as a winner. He might have seen the writing on the wall and said either "I've got to win now" or "I'll never be able to do it by myself in Cleveland, I've got to go somewhere else." Either way, he obviously felt his time in Cleveland was done or whatever the Cavs front office proposed to him just wasn't enough.

And I just can't hate Miami because Wade is one of, if not my favorite NBA player. I just hope he doesn't take too big of a backseat to Lebron in the next few years.

And who knows what will happen to Miami. You can't predict right now, because you don't know who they're going to get rid of and who they're going to add. It's going to be tough to sign good young players because they're all afraid of the potential lock-out and want to get that money now. And you don't want to depend on aging veterans to fill out the rest of your roster.

That being said...you never know who's ring-hungry enough to sign for pennies. Should be very interesting to see what Riley does with the rest of the roster.

7/9/2010 2:51:48 AM

Quote :

"you can't win with NO bench, I dont care what 3 you got. "

just make lebron the bench. then you have the best bench in the nba and dont have to alter wade or lebrons game.

7/9/2010 4:52:56 AM

Quote :

"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"

Double negative?

7/9/2010 7:39:54 AM

Would be funny if Lebron showed up to the first practice wearing



[Edited on July 9, 2010 at 8:07 AM. Reason : ]

7/9/2010 7:55:40 AM

The reason he left seems obvious to me. The Cavs didn't do enough to make Cleveland livable. If Cleveland spends the same amount of money as Miami, gets big names like Bosh and Wade (out of thin air it would seem), and somehow could compete with Florida's zero percent income tax, it's still fucking Cleveland. Despite what The Drew Carey Show says, Cleveland does not in fact rock. Rivers used to spontaneously combust in that town. Fire rivers? Didn't Dante write about those in one of his cantos?

Now down to business. Is anyone starting a pool on weather LeBron gets caught with blow or straight crack yet? It's a city of temptation. He could take the JaMarcus approach. Get fat sippin on that sizzurp.

Day one of the post LeBron in Cleveland begins today.

7/9/2010 8:03:22 AM

wow, that letter radiates butthurt

7/9/2010 8:11:34 AM

Lol, kobe isn't half the player magic was. Magic is one of the greatest players in the history of the game. Sheesh people have such short memories.

I think its hilarious kobe won't be on the only superteam out there so he'll actually have to play well in order for his team to win this year. I'm willing to bet he will fake an injury like vince carter did this year so he has a ready made excuse for losing.


Now, the heat aren't good enough to win yet so they need to be smart in the pieces they add. I think ben wallace should be their primary target he's coming off a monster season and they need defense and rebounding badly to beat the lakers. I think chalmers is solid enough if they can find a cheap veteran backup option for him. Getting rid of beasley was a good move since he looks like a total bust and they don't need any distractions.


Good lord the celtics panicked taking on jermaine oneals corpse but I guess they are worried about perks knee injury.

Travis outlaw is a good player but my god the nets overpaid.

As of right now the east stands in this order (reg season):

Orlando - loaded, duhon is a small upgrade but they need to resign redick

Miami - need to round out the roster

Atlanta - still a 50+ win team but they need to get a center badly

Milwaukee - great offseason acquisitions, ilyasova can only get better, if bogut is 100pct they may be #3

Boston - rolling the dice for the postseason but this is going to be a really ugly reg season team

Chicago - boozer addition makes them better but they need to replace heinrich

Charlotte - need to resign felton to stay in this spot but a sign and trade would be better to make space for chris paul. This roster isn't settled yet and thank god the tyson chandler for beasley and jeffries deal didn't go through what the fuck is jordan doing


The 8 seed shouldn't even exist bc as of right now there isn't another team in the east that can win 35 games, I'd have to give a slight edge to the knicks I guess

7/9/2010 8:23:05 AM

Quote :

"kobe isn't half the player magic was."

Lost me there. Magic is a legend, but Kobe has consistently been the most potent offensive player in the game for years now. Saying he's not "half the player magic was" is crazy talk. I don't like Kobe, but they're equals in terms of impact IMO

7/9/2010 8:34:56 AM

Christ, that letter

You have to wonder how Gilbert made all that money with Quicken with that kind of mindset

7/9/2010 9:12:00 AM

exactly

7/9/2010 9:19:31 AM

I agree, but the way Lebron did it was a bitch move as well.

7/9/2010 9:22:13 AM

there are so many things wrong with that letter that its no wonder that Lebron left. There is no way that was the first time he showed his ass like that. Noone needs another reason to leave Cleveland but Gilbert somehow is just that.

He is motivated now? Now he is serious about championships? Why not work that hard when the best player in the world fell in your lap 7 years ago? The Cavs deserve to be as terrible as they are going to be next season with an owner like that.

7/9/2010 9:27:15 AM

imagine the effect the letter would have had if he wrote the following in "Chiller" font.

"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."

7/9/2010 9:27:40 AM

The Cavs franchise literally lost over $100 million in value over night, so the guy has a right to be upset.

I wouldn't be surprised if he took the mic pregame at the Heat's first game in Cleveland next season and officially called him out Kevin Nash style.

"You know, for 7 years now, LeBron has been acting like he can walk on water. And I agree with him...because everyone knows a turd floats."

7/9/2010 9:31:56 AM

Gilbert is a fucking loser. Does he not have any staff that maybe would have looked this over and told the dipshit he comes across as a whinny little bitch?

7/9/2010 9:36:04 AM

surprise? the cavs never wanted to spend enough to get him really quality teammates you act surprised by this....

there are reasons why teams like cleveland, New Orleans, Minnesota, Memphis, Toronto, Utah, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver, Indiana, New Jersey, and Orlando have either never even BEEN to a finals series or ever WON a single one.

they are either small time markets, the owner sucks, or they are the second fiddle team in their city/area.

7/9/2010 9:39:46 AM

i think what Cleveland fans are struggling with is the fact that he didn't leave for more money or shallow reasons, he left to win. he left because after 7 years he doesn't have faith that anyone Gilbert puts in charge will have the ability to build a dynasty.

no cleveland franchise will sign anyone the caliber of James. It has to sting that even the ones that born and raised in the area want out.

[Edited on July 9, 2010 at 9:42 AM. Reason : o]

7/9/2010 9:41:08 AM

How many games does this team win next year?

PG Mo Williams
SG Delonte West
SF Jamario Moon
PF Antawn Jamsion
C Anderson Varejao

Over/under 25

7/9/2010 9:46:13 AM

so much fail in this thread

7/9/2010 9:58:11 AM

Lebron may have just done the only thing that could get the majority of America to root for the Lakers in the finals next year.

7/9/2010 9:58:36 AM

7/9/2010 9:59:36 AM

How are you going to hate on the fact that the Cavs wouldn't spend money when they were one of the top 5 teams in the league in salary? Gilbert was paying plenty of luxury tax to try and appease Lebron.

Every single transaction made by Gilbert over the last couple of years probably came with Lebron's blessing. I would give Lebron equal blame for the team that was constructed during his tenure. They made every effort to win, they made trades at the deadline to try and get better talent. They won the most games last season. They weren't exactly a bad team.

7/9/2010 10:00:13 AM

^^^ definitely under. wont sniff 25.

Somebody made a good point last night that Magic, MJ, and Kobe didnt have to go chasing somebody down to win championships. Bitch move and with or without winning rings, a tarnished legacy.

7/9/2010 10:01:52 AM

They never got him a decent teammate or a decent coach, so yeah, I can't blame him for leaving. With that said, no way in hell I ever root for that Heat team. Which sucks, because individually, I like all 3 of those players.

Quote :

"Lol, kobe isn't half the player magic was. Magic is one of the greatest players in the history of the game. Sheesh people have such short memories. "

Yeah, but Kobe doesn't have AIDS.

[Edited on July 9, 2010 at 10:05 AM. Reason : :]

7/9/2010 10:04:46 AM

they never got him a decent teammate or coach?

Mo Williams, Shaq, Antawn Jamison, etc. etc. arent decent players?! Granted they arent superstars like Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh, but they are definitely above average players - hell they are ALL STARS. With all the money Cleveland had tied up in Lebron, it was not possible for the Cavs to sign anyone except for these average to above-average players. They were trying to find the right combination of players that could contribute when Lebron had an off-night while still being humble enough to let Lebron take the majority of the teams shots. They were looking for Lebron's Bill Wennington, Toni Kukoc, Steve Kerr, John Paxson and Horace Grant - unfortunately he needed Scottie Pippen

as far as them not having a decent coach, thats just a retarded statement. Mike Brown was the coach of the year two years ago and led the Cavs to the best record in the league the year before he was fired. He was the scapegoat and was fired even though he is a good coach. The Cavs werent going to get Phil Jackson or Popovich to come coach the Cavs, if thats what youre getting at. Maybe you mean they needed to hire Coach K or Tom Izzo, who are unproven coaches in the league. They went out and got Byron Scott - regarded by many as the best coach available

ugh, just so much fail

[Edited on July 9, 2010 at 10:14 AM. Reason : asdf]

7/9/2010 10:12:36 AM

mike brown was a terrible coach, he just rode lebron for all he was worth

7/9/2010 10:18:17 AM

Mike Brown was one of the worst coaches in the league and I'll fight anyone who says different

Matt Doherty could have won 50 games with that team the last few years

7/9/2010 10:18:37 AM

Quote :

"Mo Williams, Shaq, Antawn Jamison, etc. etc. arent decent players?! Granted they arent superstars like Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh, but they are definitely above average players - hell they are ALL STARS."

Out of all the teams in Eastern and Western Conference Finals, that supporting cast was EASILY the worst. Shaq?? That guy has been washed up for the past 3 years. In their current state, Mo Williams and Jamison are barely above average players.

You can rest all of the blame on Cleveland's front office for letting this happen.

7/9/2010 10:24:08 AM

^^^^You're Right, Magic, Kobe and MJ didn't have to chase down other players to win championships. 2 of those players played for the Lakers, a franchise that has done nothing but win for the majority of their time. Cleveland is the anti Lakers, they know nothing but how to mismanage.

An athlete's prime is so short, that he doesn't have time to wait around to see if they can reverse the trend of professional sports in Cleveland and get their shit together.

7/9/2010 10:26:17 AM

2 for 7, and the only ones I got right stayed with their own teams

Quote :

"Dwyane Wade I think he stays with Miami. Tired of leading the retard crew, he'll get his wish when the front office signs.... ...Amare Stoudemire Never really meshed with Nash personally even though they were one of the most prolific offenses in League history. Tired of getting blocked in his route to the Finals by the behemoths out West, he'll seek refuge in South Beach and embrace (and routinely get dominated in) a new rivalry with Dwight Howard. LeBron James signs with the Chicago Bulls. The money doesn't matter, because the contracts from NY, NJ and whoever else will alll have the exact same dollar value, besides the extra year and 30 mil on Cleveland's offer. But LeBron feels he's outgrown Cleveland, and Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao weren't the complementary players he felt he could win titles with. In the Windy City, he teams up with young studs Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, along with... ...Chris Bosh to instantly form the best starting 5 in the East, if not the entire NBA, with Luol Deng as the 5th wheel. The Bulls are a lock to win 55+ games for the life of James and Bosh's contracts and become the top draw in the league on par with LA. Championships are another matter entirely, something no one can predict, but I think LBJ thinks this is his best bet to be in position to win a title each year going forward. Dirk Nowitzki stays with Dallas, and I can't really fathom any other outcome. Mark Cuban has some of the deepest pockets in the league, and although he hasn't proven you can ride him to a title, Dirk remains one of the top players in the game, and Cuban will be more focused with finding the pieces to surround him. Joe Johnson is destined to be overpaid. He is a good, not great, player, and with so many teams clearing cap space in hopes of signing Lebron or Wade, someone will be left at the altar and give Johnson a max deal for 2/3 max production. I see the Knicks signing Johnson and... ...Carlos Boozer as their fans light themselves on fire. They move from being a terrible team to a middling Eastern Conference pseudo-contender and hover around the 45 win mark for the next several years. Not good enough to contend for a ring, and too good to get a high enough draft pick to land an impact rookie. Similar to the situation of the Charlotte Bobcats, Houston Rockets, and a handful of other teams. "

7/9/2010 10:30:57 AM

do you not think that if Kobe stayed with the Hornets, he would have eventually left to pursue a championship?

7/9/2010 10:31:44 AM

Quote :

"Lol, kobe isn't half the player magic was. Magic is one of the greatest players in the history of the game."

i started to react to this, but then i saw who posted and was like oh ok





if Kobe never left the Hornets, I think he would have had a similar career to Kevin Garnett. KG was in Minnesota forever, IMO a similar type of market as CLT

[Edited on July 9, 2010 at 10:34 AM. Reason : ]

7/9/2010 10:32:41 AM

and then decided to react anyways?

7/9/2010 10:34:41 AM