If, by now, you haven’t read owner Dan Gilbert’s scathing open letter to Cavs fans, do so now.
Done? Wow, right?
Our esteemed publisher, Gerardo Orlando, a proud Cavs fan, wrote that it’s this kind of dedication that makes Gilbert so loved in Cleveland.
I know emotions were running high last night, but this letter doesn’t make Gilbert look very good to the objective eye. Here’s why:
1. It’s hypocritical. Gilbert blasts LeBron for his “several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up” but would have been elated had LeBron announced he was going to stay in Cleveland. Elated. Gilbert also told the AP that he thought LeBron “quit” in the playoffs against Boston and Orlando. Again, these claws are only out because LeBron spurned the Cavs. Gilbert doesn’t make these accusations until after LeBron decides to leave, and his previous silence on the matter only served to enable LeBron’s childish behavior.
2. It’s out of line. Gilbert calls LeBron’s decision a “cowardly betrayal,” a “shocking act of disloyalty” and a “heartless and callous action.” Is Gilbert talking about his decision to go to the Heat or is he talking about the one-hour special? It’s not entirely clear from the wording in the letter, but LeBron had every right to pick whatever team he wanted to. That’s what the term ‘free agent’ means. The Cavs were lucky enough to win the NBA lottery and the right to draft LeBron, and they enjoyed his services for seven years and two MVPs. He even re-signed with the Cavs after his rookie contract was up. After back-to-back flameouts in the playoffs, it’s no surprise that a sheltered superstar like LeBron would shift the blame and start to look elsewhere.
I agree that the one-hour special was completely narcissistic and a terrible way for the city of Cleveland to find out that their beloved son was leaving home. But Team LeBron never looked at it that way. They wanted to capitalize on the interest in the decision and justified the special by selling advertising and generating a lot of money for a worthy cause.
Should they have known better? Sure. But these guys are obviously in over their heads, public relations-wise. LeBron’s image has taken an absolute dump over the last week, even if Team LeBron had the best of intentions.
Have they learned their lesson? Only time will tell.
But back to Gilbert, who goes a step further and guarantees that the Cavs will win a title before the Heat do. Cavs fans might call this bold, but I call it laughable. Is Gilbert going to refund everyone’s money if the Heat win a championship first? These kinds of empty guarantees make Gilbert look small.
LeBron said all along that ‘winning’ was the most important thing, and everyone seems surprised that he’d rather play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh than Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison? The only surprising thing about this whole spectacle is that he would break up with Cleveland on national television in such a brutal way. The city deserved better.
But take the ‘hometown’ and ‘spectacle’ aspects out of it for a moment. A young superstar, in his prime, takes a pragmatic view and decides less money to join forces with two other stars in order to win multiple championships. Wouldn’t we normally laud this move?
LeBron absolutely deserves to get hammered for the ‘spectacle’ aspect, and his decision proves that he’s more worried about his own legacy than he is about the Akron/Cleveland area. But why is this surprising? He didn’t root for the Cavs, Indians or Browns growing up; he has always been a front-running fan, instead rooting for perennial winners like the Bulls, Yankees and Cowboys. The signs were there.
Now, I am interested in how LeBron and the Cavs got to this point, and Gilbert promises to share some stories about how this all transpired. Specifically, I’d like to know how involved LeBron was in the acquisitions of Shaq and Jamison and whether or not he really chose either of those players over Amare Stoudemire, who was available for most of the last two seasons. And if including J.J. Hickson in a potential deal was the dealbreaker, everyone involved should have their heads examined.
If LeBron wanted those specific players and then couldn’t win with them, then he bears much of the responsibility. In an era where the Lakers were able to wrest Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies for his little brother and a couple of bags of potato chips, it’s amazing that the Cavs weren’t able to get a better sidekick for Lebron.
Gilbert may not be completely honest about those personnel decisions, so Danny Ferry might be the guy to talk to. However, Ferry is a pretty classy guy, so he may not be willing to speak ill about his former owner or superstar. How about Steve Kerr?
In the end, what’s done is done, and there’s nothing that Dan Gilbert or anyone in the Cavs organization can do about it now. While I understand the frustration with the way that things played out, LeBron had every right to pick another team based on whatever criteria he saw fit. Gilbert’s letter may embolden the fan base, but around the country it’s only going to generate sympathy for LeBron in a time when his image desperately needs that kind of help.
I don’t think that was Gilbert’s intention.
