Posted on 07/08/2010 9:51:53 PM PDT by NohSpinZone
Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wrote an open letter to the team’s fans after LeBron James(notes) announced his decision to leave the franchise after seven seasons. Here it is in its entirety.
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
Panem et circenses
“He didn’t re-sign with US, so I’ll call him names”- that’s how I see it. Not very mature.
Maybe but it struck a chord with me as I was so f’ing sick and tired of this tool stringing his “decision” out so long. I couldn’t watch ESPN this whole week and that was driving me nuts!
No wonder LeBron left...this guy is clearly delusional....
LeBron “says”: http://www.johnspeedie.com/healy/benoit.wav
If one of them is injured, the Heat become a slightly above average team. Are they better than the Celtics? Probably. The Magic? Maybe not. This is a hypefest which could turn into much ado about nothing.
I think that the Celtics are better now. They have Perkins, Garnett, and now Oneil in middle. They play a vicious physical defense that mauled the Cavs and Lebron. The owner was right, he quit after game five because he couldn't pay the physical price that the Celtics dished out. I think that any team with an athletic front line and a deep bench will give them fits. They have no bench, no middle, no cap space. And they just gave up a real power guy with a nice outside touch in Beasley. Big mistake IMHO. They aren't going to win it all this coming year. No way.
I don’t give a damn about basketball, which I consider the most poorly designed and pointless human activity imaginable (hey, let’s call time out after we shoot a free throw, due to that there foul. ZZZZ). But, like I suppose just about everybody, I will be hoping King James falls on his face after this display of self absorption previously unknown in human existence..
LOL.... what a bizarre letter..... maybe such “venting” goes over with Cavs fans, but it strikes me as adolescent and more than a bit delusional, immature, unprofessional for an owner of a team....
Nice bravado with the ‘guarantee’ of a championship etc..... then again, since NEITHER the Heat nor the Cavs will win a championship in the current century it’s not exactly inaccurate to assert that the Cavs can win one ‘before’ James and the Heat can win one.....
Greatest. Letter. Ever.
Nah...it was necessary. Everyone in the NBA kissed Lebron’s ass for the last 3 weeks. This needed to be said and most of all needed to be done in the public square.
The lines have been drawn.
Just wait for Lebron to show up at MSG or the United Center in Chicago...he is in for pure hell. Oh and those 2 return games to Cleveland? Yeah, the words that will be uttered for days and weeks leading up to those games and during them will be tame in comparison to this.
Bottom line...he should have done this the way every other player does this...behind closed doors and a press release. He brought this on himself.
Dan Gilbert you magnificent bastard! Please buy the Indians
Who wants to spend their whole life in Cleveland? It’s cold and dreary and depressing. Plus, they never win nothin.
AGREED.
I was never a fan of this classless holligan.
I will be routing for ANY TEAM but Miami this season. I want James to follow Barkley as one who NEVER got a ring. Though, Sir Charles SHOULD have.
“Who wants to spend their whole life in Cleveland?”
Original and thought provoking argument,showing a diabolically clever and insightful wit. Bravo, bravo
It is one thing to decide that you no longer want to be in a relationship with your wife or girlfriend. It is another to publicly humiliate that person and do so with venom. What James dd was classless and typical. Typical of a narcissist just like the other big lib Asshole he stumped for in the elections, the other over rated moron BHO.
If you think that he will do better in Miami, think again. He had a very good team around him the last several years. Don't forget that they won over 60 games two years in a row. He is now going to a team to play second fiddle to Wade. His franchise and his future is much bleaker today than it was 24 hours ago.
not defending anything about how Lebron James handled things, and not really questioning that some such public statement from the Cavs is highly appropriate (given what transpired in recent weeks)
I simply don’t think that the “rant” aspects of the letter will accomplish anything positive (except maybe with Cavs fans, which may be the whole point I guess).
Similar themes should have been expressed in a more adult manner, imho
all the same criticisms of Lebron James could have been made, but in a more convincing and effective manner
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