Dan Gilbert letter may have long-lasting repercussions

Dan Gilbert letter may have long-lasting repercussions
Owner's motives have to be questioned. What will potential free agents think?

By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sports columnist


Published on Saturday, Jul 10, 2010

INDEPENDENCE: Dan Gilbert knew exactly what Cavaliers fans wanted to hear Thursday night.
So he brushed aside the possible consequences and blasted former superstar LeBron James in a letter that might be remembered as the most scathing rip job by an owner in the history of professional sports.
This wasn't just stunning on a local level. In one letter, Gilbert might have surpassed anything ever said by George Steinbrenner, Marge Schott, Mark Cuban, Jerry Jones or Charlie Finley, excluding Schott's Nazi and racist remarks.

It wasn't just that Gilbert called James ''our former hero'' and referred to his ''cowardly betrayal'' and the ''narcissistic, self-promotional buildup'' that was capped by an hourlong ESPN special in which James announced he was signing with the Miami Heat.
Gilbert denounced Akron-born James as a role model. ''Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there,'' Gilbert said.
There were sections written in bold-face capital letters. His words were punctuated with quotation marks and ellipses and with paragraphs to provide
pregnant pauses. No exclamation points were needed as Gilbert's venom spewed. His choice of the font Comic Sans, originally designed for comic book speech balloons and used on tags for Beanie Babies, even launched Internet criticism Friday.
Although the letter's rawness made it seem written in the heat of the moment, it was too well-crafted not to have been pondered for at least a few hours, if not days.
This was not a case of Gilbert sitting at his laptop typing frantically, punching send, then wondering, ''What was I thinking?'' The letter was scrutinized and questioned by more than one member of the Cavs' communications department.
Gilbert also bordered on cartoonish when he guaranteed the Cavs would win a championship before the Heat and by suggesting James would take the curse of Cleveland with him. Gilbert was shooting for the moon without a rocket on those two points.
The letter wasn't the end of it.
James 'quit' in playoffs
Late Thursday night, he told the Associated Press that James quit during the playoffs against the Boston Celtics.
''He quit. Not just in Game 5, but in Games 2, 4 and 6,'' Gilbert told the AP. ''Watch the tape. The Boston series was unlike anything in the history of sports for a superstar.''
Gilbert's Fathead company, which sells magnetic cutouts of sports figures, marked down its three James products to $17.41 after James' announcement. A Twitter subscriber pointed out that 1741 was the year of noted American traitor Benedict Arnold's birth.
''We were trying to make the most of some very disappointing news, and were looking for a price point that would represent how we felt . . . so, ummm, yes, the price point is not a coincidence with some other infamous folks who have left others feeling betrayed,'' Fathead's Todd Lunsford said via e-mail.
One of three LeBron Fatheads — two originally priced at $99.99 and a junior-size one at $49.99 — sold out on Friday and another was close, presumably snapped up by Heat followers who didn't care which uniform James was wearing.
Damaged reputation
In the aftermath of the letter, some suggested Gilbert damaged his reputation and that of the Cavaliers with his unprofessional outburst.
''Dan's owned the team for five years now. He's one of the most passionate owners in sports and I think he has the right to voice his opinion,'' Cavs General Manager Chris Grant said at a news conference Friday.
The biggest fear was how Gilbert's words will play with potential free agents as the Cavs begin the post-LeBron era. But this season's top free agents have already signed. In the future, Gilbert will have to overpay for talent and there are always players willing to reap those benefits.
New Cavs coach Byron Scott said Gilbert's letter wouldn't turn him off if he were still playing in the NBA.
''I don't think so,'' Scott said. ''He's showing a lot of passion for this city, showing a lot of passion for this organization. His passion and his desire to win a championship is probably even more so now.
''I know a lot of people probably think some of the things he said were maybe a little overboard. I thought he was probably speaking from his heart. He's the voice and the figurehead of this organization and he's going to do whatever it takes to be successful and win a championship. I'm both feet in with him and I'm ready to get going.''
Two big mistakes
As enjoyable as the letter was, Gilbert made two big mistakes. For all his derogatory remarks about James, he was ready to pay him $125 million for six years. And he viciously ripped James after coddling him for five years, apparently not considering himself one of the enablers who built James' enormous ego.
So although many, including myself, have questioned James' motives during the most hyped free agency period in NBA history, the same can be said of Gilbert's motives in writing ''The Letter.''
Was his response the rant of an angry businessman whose franchise just lost millions and now flirts with irrelevance? Or the best defense of its long-suffering sports fans that Cleveland has ever seen along with an urging to sleep well?
Chances are Gilbert might come to regret ''The Letter'' — at least for its guarantee — even if its perfectly punctuated prose was all the Nyquil that Cavs fans needed.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com.



A HOME billboard, part of a campaign to keep LeBron James with the Cavaliers, was vandalized after James’ announcement. The billboard is on North Main Street in Akron. (Phil Masturzo/Akron Beacon Journal)
View more photos>>
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INDEPENDENCE: Dan Gilbert knew exactly what Cavaliers fans wanted to hear Thursday night.

So he brushed aside the possible consequences and blasted former superstar LeBron James in a letter that might be remembered as the most scathing rip job by an owner in the history of professional sports.

This wasn't just stunning on a local level. In one letter, Gilbert might have surpassed anything ever said by George Steinbrenner, Marge Schott, Mark Cuban, Jerry Jones or Charlie Finley, excluding Schott's Nazi and racist remarks.



It wasn't just that Gilbert called James ''our former hero'' and referred to his ''cowardly betrayal'' and the ''narcissistic, self-promotional buildup'' that was capped by an hourlong ESPN special in which James announced he was signing with the Miami Heat.

Gilbert denounced Akron-born James as a role model. ''Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there,'' Gilbert said.

There were sections written in bold-face capital letters. His words were punctuated with quotation marks and ellipses and with paragraphs to provide
pregnant pauses. No exclamation points were needed as Gilbert's venom spewed. His choice of the font Comic Sans, originally designed for comic book speech balloons and used on tags for Beanie Babies, even launched Internet criticism Friday.

Although the letter's rawness made it seem written in the heat of the moment, it was too well-crafted not to have been pondered for at least a few hours, if not days.

This was not a case of Gilbert sitting at his laptop typing frantically, punching send, then wondering, ''What was I thinking?'' The letter was scrutinized and questioned by more than one member of the Cavs' communications department.

Gilbert also bordered on cartoonish when he guaranteed the Cavs would win a championship before the Heat and by suggesting James would take the curse of Cleveland with him. Gilbert was shooting for the moon without a rocket on those two points.

The letter wasn't the end of it.

James 'quit' in playoffs

Late Thursday night, he told the Associated Press that James quit during the playoffs against the Boston Celtics.

''He quit. Not just in Game 5, but in Games 2, 4 and 6,'' Gilbert told the AP. ''Watch the tape. The Boston series was unlike anything in the history of sports for a superstar.''

Gilbert's Fathead company, which sells magnetic cutouts of sports figures, marked down its three James products to $17.41 after James' announcement. A Twitter subscriber pointed out that 1741 was the year of noted American traitor Benedict Arnold's birth.

''We were trying to make the most of some very disappointing news, and were looking for a price point that would represent how we felt . . . so, ummm, yes, the price point is not a coincidence with some other infamous folks who have left others feeling betrayed,'' Fathead's Todd Lunsford said via e-mail.

One of three LeBron Fatheads — two originally priced at $99.99 and a junior-size one at $49.99 — sold out on Friday and another was close, presumably snapped up by Heat followers who didn't care which uniform James was wearing.

Damaged reputation

In the aftermath of the letter, some suggested Gilbert damaged his reputation and that of the Cavaliers with his unprofessional outburst.

''Dan's owned the team for five years now. He's one of the most passionate owners in sports and I think he has the right to voice his opinion,'' Cavs General Manager Chris Grant said at a news conference Friday.

The biggest fear was how Gilbert's words will play with potential free agents as the Cavs begin the post-LeBron era. But this season's top free agents have already signed. In the future, Gilbert will have to overpay for talent and there are always players willing to reap those benefits.

New Cavs coach Byron Scott said Gilbert's letter wouldn't turn him off if he were still playing in the NBA.

''I don't think so,'' Scott said. ''He's showing a lot of passion for this city, showing a lot of passion for this organization. His passion and his desire to win a championship is probably even more so now.

''I know a lot of people probably think some of the things he said were maybe a little overboard. I thought he was probably speaking from his heart. He's the voice and the figurehead of this organization and he's going to do whatever it takes to be successful and win a championship. I'm both feet in with him and I'm ready to get going.''

Two big mistakes

As enjoyable as the letter was, Gilbert made two big mistakes. For all his derogatory remarks about James, he was ready to pay him $125 million for six years. And he viciously ripped James after coddling him for five years, apparently not considering himself one of the enablers who built James' enormous ego.

So although many, including myself, have questioned James' motives during the most hyped free agency period in NBA history, the same can be said of Gilbert's motives in writing ''The Letter.''

Was his response the rant of an angry businessman whose franchise just lost millions and now flirts with irrelevance? Or the best defense of its long-suffering sports fans that Cleveland has ever seen along with an urging to sleep well?

Chances are Gilbert might come to regret ''The Letter'' — at least for its guarantee — even if its perfectly punctuated prose was all the Nyquil that Cavs fans needed.