Spears: Would the Cavs win the D-League championship?

I took some grief for having the Cavs ranked dead last in our NBA preview, but after a decent 7-9 start, the Cleveland has lost 30 of its last 31 games and has the worst record in the league.

In the video clip below, Yahoo! Sports Marc Spears and Greg Anthony talk about how the Cavs rebuild. At one point, Spears wonders if the Cavs would win the D-League championship:

Some might write of Spears’ comments as a joke, but he said he wasn’t “clowning,” and that the roster is that bad.

Of course the Cavs would win the D-League championship, and it’s an insult to imply that they wouldn’t. Antawn Jamison is a two-time All-Star and Mo Williams made the All-Star game in 2009. J.J. Hickson and Anderson Varejao are two pretty good bigs.

Perhaps Spears was talking about the team as it stands, with Williams and Varejao both sidelined with injuries. This roster would still win the D-League, but on any given night, they could have a tough time with a D-League team. Right now, the Cavs are starting Ramon Sessions, Manny Harris, Christian Eyenga, Jamison and Hickson, with Anthony Parker, Daniel Gibson and Samardo Samuels getting most of the minutes off the bench. This roster would have a few tough nights in a 50-game D-League schedule.

In terms of rebuilding, the Cavs are going to have a tough time attracting a big name free agent after Dan Gilbert’s scathing letter about LeBron after “The Decision.” The letter may have won the hearts of Cavs fans everywhere, but it’s not going to appeal to a free agent looking for a new home. They need to blow up the roster, and that means trading away their three best assets — Jamison, Williams and Varejao — for prospects and/or draft picks. For the Cavs to become a playoff team again, they need to draft really, really well, and strike gold when they have the opportunity to overpay a free agent. That means giving a max deal to a guy who isn’t deserving, but eventually that player grows into his contract. It’s an unlikely scenario, but it’s one that the Cavs have to be counting on if they are hoping to make the postseason anytime soon.

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Cavs owner Dan Gilbert rips LeBron James in scathing letter

Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James reacts to a play against the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter in Game 6 of their NBA Eastern Conference playoff basketball series in Boston, Massachusetts May 13, 2010. REUTERS/Adam Hunger (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

You have to read it to believe it, but Dan Gilbert held nothing back in an open letter to fans posted on Cavs.com.

He said that LeBron “deserted” Cavs fans with a “several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up.”

He said Cavs fans “simply don’t deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.”

Then he said this:

“I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE”

Wow.

There’s much more – read the whole thing.

This is why Cavs fans love Dan Gilbert. It’s hard to imagine the Cavs making a quick comeback, but having a dedicated owner willing to spend millions of dollars is critical to success in the NBA.

Finally, Gilbert also said this:

“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.”

I suspect we’re going to be hearing a little more about LeBron’s game 5 meltdown and the circumstances surrounding it. We should expect nothing less after reading this letter. Stay tuned . . .

UPDATE: Gilbert just told the AP that James “quit” on the Cavs during the Celtics series. Ouch! He goes on to say that “people have covered up for (James) for way too long. Tonight we saw who he really is.” Like I said, expect much more . . .

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