Dan Gilbert rips Lebrons Asshole

[mook]

Yes. Karl Malone went to the Lakers to play with Shaq, Kobe, and Gary Payton. And they lost Rasheed Wallace. That was a great Finals.

Karl Malone was not an expensive whore, though. He did it for the vet minimum for one year after dedicating 17 years to Utah.

I don't really begrudge him the ring chasing in the twilight of his career. The guy more than paid his dues.

Bosh and LeBron had the perfect example of where their careers were headed just by looking at Kevin Garnett in Minnesota. Loyalty to an incompetent franchise just means you're willing to waste the peak years of your career losing when you shouldn't have to. Garnett would have as many rings as Tim Duncan if Minnesota were run as well as San Antonio. Instead he has one ring, and only that one because he finally abandoned that sinking ship.

 

[BGrantFan]

Dan Gilbert was super-duper loyal to Mike Brown and Danny Ferry, wasn't he! First time in his life, I'm guessing, where this crybaby couldn't get what he wanted, and he has a meltdown once confronted with that reality.

 

[barfo]

I'd say James is the one being "unprofessional."

There's not a limit of one. They can both be unprofessional.

barfo

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Why would Gilbert be mad? Lebron just sang a little song, called "Cleveland Doesn't Know":
[video=youtube;0Vyj1C8ogtE]

 

[Shooter]

There's not a limit of one. They can both be unprofessional.

Yes, and one can be WAY more unprofessional than the other one . . .

That would be James.

 

[Shooter]

Loyalty to an incompetent franchise just means you're willing to waste the peak years of your career losing when you shouldn't have to . . .

You must be joking. Cleveland did everything possible to get LeBron a championship, including securing the services of Shaquille O'Neal. All their efforts resulted in several winning seasons, an Eastern Conference Championship, and an appearance in the NBA Finals.

 

[Minstrel]

You must be joking. Cleveland did everything possible to get LeBron a championship, including securing the services of Shaquille O'Neal. All their efforts resulted in several winning seasons, an Eastern Conference Championship, and an appearance in the NBA Finals.

The NBA Finals appearance was entirely James...his supporting cast was pathetic that year. Cleveland tried hard, I agree with that...but Minnesota tried hard to surround Garnett with enough talent. By and large, both teams failed. Garnett was labeled a "loser" for not winning much, and then magically became a winner when he joined the Celtics. Smart athletes (who care about that perception) can pretty easily see the lesson there.

 

[oldmangrouch]

This is all Gilbert's fault for being nice to the kid. The only way to make a dog loyal is to beat it and keep it half starved.

Or not. Maybe Gilbert wanted to (gasp!) win...and he appreciated having one of the top 2 players in the league on his team. Maybe LBJ is just a selfish egotist who deserves to be taken to task for his "rub their nose in it" approach.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

The NBA Finals appearance was entirely James...his supporting cast was pathetic that year. Cleveland tried hard, I agree with that...but Minnesota tried hard to surround Garnett with enough talent. By and large, both teams failed. Garnett was labeled a "loser" for not winning much, and then magically became a winner when he joined the Celtics. Smart athletes (who care about that perception) can pretty easily see the lesson there.

Quite correct. But from now on, smart athletes are not going to create hour-long espn specials to announce where they're going.

 

[Minstrel]

Maybe LBJ is just a selfish egotist who deserves to be taken to task for his "rub their nose in it" approach.

I don't doubt that this is true. The one-hour TV show to crush the sporting dreams in Cleveland was beyond cold. As I said in another thread, it broke the dial on obnoxiousness.

James is an opportunist. He and his personal team (not sports team) are pretty creative in finding every marketing avenue. It's fairly clear to me that James wants to be the biggest sports star ever (at least, as far as US sports goes). He and his people are doing whatever it takes to accomplish that, no matter how ruthless.

It doesn't bother me, because I long since stopped looking to athletes for people to admire personally. I enjoy watching them play their sport and that's the extent of my relationship to them. James may be a jerk, but it doesn't impact me at all.

 

[mook]

You must be joking. Cleveland did everything possible to get LeBron a championship, including securing the services of Shaquille O'Neal. All their efforts resulted in several winning seasons, an Eastern Conference Championship, and an appearance in the NBA Finals.

lol. Yeah, Shaq was a real catch wasn't he. I notice you've never said, "We need Shaq on our team!" after his first season in Miami. Why? Because he's nothing but a role player at this point. A role player with a superstar ego.

"All their efforts". LMAO. None of those Cleveland teams even sniff the playoffs without LeBron James. None of them. Not one.

It's a pathetic joke to suggest that Cleveland put him in the best possible position to win a championship. Name one teammate in seven seasons he's had in Cleveland with a PER over 18. (I can't think of any.) Hakeem was the last guy to win a championship with no teammates with a PER over 18, and he only pulled it off once (and while Jordan was retired). By comparison, the Blazers had four different players with PER's over 18 last year!

Yeah, LeBron got paid in Cleveland. But he earned every penny. Looking over all those mediocre rosters, how can anyone honestly say the owner and the GM earned their paychecks too?

 

[Masbee]

Well, of course there is.

But what I meant is, an owner who would write that might very well be an owner that one would want to get away from. It's hard to imagine Paul Allen writing something like that no matter how much a player had disappointed him. It's very, very, very unprofessional.

barfo

Thank you for injecting some sense into this thread.

The LeBron hatred is so blinding apparently, that some can't see that Dan Gilbert in one crazy sob. I guess he doesn't care about reputation. I guess he doesn't realize that stupid unprofessional shit done YEARS ago is likely why the Bulls - who though in many ways were best postioned to nab LeBron - didn't get it done.

 

[mook]

I had to look it up, and it does look like Boozer and Ilgauskas were right above my threshold, and Gooden was for one season. All of their peaks were right in LeBron's first few years when he was still coming into form. Gooden was also good for one season. So three scoring big men with mediocre-to-laughable defense.

Taking that trip down memory lane reminds me of how badly Cleveland management fucked up the Boozer re-signing. That doozy six years ago is probably why LeBron is no longer a Cav today.

 

[Masbee]

Yes, and one can be WAY more unprofessional than the other one . . .

That would be James.

I can't fathom how you come to that conclusion.

LeBron is a Star. The talent. He is 25 years old. His job is to think about himself and his career.

Gilbert is an owner/management. He is supposed to build teams and do that by luring talent.

He lucked into LeBron, one of the biggest stars, and failed to build a good enough team so that WITH LeBron they had a good chance to win.

NO national commentator said that LeBron would have the best chance of winning a ring if he stayed in Cleveland.

LeBron leaves. Make of that which you will. Call his right to shop teams and leave Cleveland "unprofessional" if you like, despite that being a bizarre attitude.

Gilbert, the executive, the owner, the adult, the professional, goes off. That will help him to build a winning team how? That will help him attract talent in the future how?

I think it is abundantly clear who is the unprofessional one here.

I also think we all now have some insight into previously hidden data as to why LeBron HAD TO leave. Ownership was a problem.

 

[Shooter]

lol. Yeah, Shaq was a real catch wasn't he.

Yes, he was. Many NBA commentators at the time believed that getting Shaq would put Cleveland over the top. The idea of James and O'Neal on the same team was discussed ad nauseum, and everyone seemed to think that it made Cleveland a true contender for the title.

"All their efforts". LMAO. None of those Cleveland teams even sniff the playoffs without LeBron James. None of them. Not one.

And you think Portland would sniff the playoffs without Brandon Roy?? Or Miami without Wade? Or Phoenix without Nash? The fact is, you subtract a great player from almost any team, and that team is going to struggle. Chicago without Michael Jordan didn't have a chance at a title.

It's a pathetic joke to suggest that Cleveland put him in the best possible position to win a championship. Name one teammate in seven seasons he's had in Cleveland with a PER over 18. (I can't think of any.)

And yet James was ecstatic to get Mo Williams and Shaq on his team. Go figure! I guess LeBron knows nothing about talent . . .

 

[Minstrel]

As a matter of fact, he was. Many NBA commentators at the time speculated that getting Shaq would put Cleveland over the top. The idea of James and O'Neal on the same team was discussed an nauseum, and everyone seemed to think that it made Cleveland a true contender for the title.

Because those people were reacting to Shaq's famous name, rather than his declining production and defensive presence.

 

[Shooter]

LeBron is a Star. The talent. He is 25 years old. His job is to think about himself and his career.

One can do that without being totally classless . . . James didn't.

LeBron leaves. Make of that which you will. Call his right to shop teams and leave Cleveland "unprofessional" if you like, despite that being a bizarre attitude.

James botched this thing in a lot of ways, and everybody is saying so. You don't leave your team of 7 years, which has made you rich beyond your wildest dreams, by having "a friend" call the team owner and break the news to him. That's totally bush league, and everyone knows it.

I also think we all now have some insight into previously hidden data as to why LeBron HAD TO leave. Ownership was a problem.

Oh, yeah, "ownership" was the problem, alright. They pampered James in every way possible for 7 years, and treated him like a true king. I wouldn't be surprised if they sent someone over to his house every night to wipe his butt.

For that kind of royal treatment, they deserve everything they get!!!

 

[Masbee]

One can do that without being totally classless . . . James didn't.


James botched this thing in a lot of ways, and everybody is saying so. You don't leave your team of 7 years, which has made you rich beyond your wildest dreams,

I didn't make an assertion as to the level of professionalism of LeBron in my post.

I am concedeing the issue, and maintaining that the "talent", be in sports star, singer, actor, whatever, often do act "unprofessionally". It is common. Not particularly remarkable in fact. Not really news. Dog bites man. BFD.

My post was about the unprofessionalism and "crazy" of Dan Gilbert.

Your comment about the Cavs "making James rich beyond his wildest dreams" is a fundamental misunderstanding and misreading of the situation, and is possibly why you come to such indefensible conclusions.

James would be rich in any of the NBA cities where he might have been employed.

James would have been MUCH richer at this point if he had been drafted by the Knicks or by a team in Texas or Florida with no state income tax.

James would have been rich if he had played in Europe.

James is the star talent. He was going to be rich regardless.

It is only because of the draft that Cleveland was showered with an extremely lucky windfall that netted them hundreds of millions of dollars in value.

THEY were the lucky ones.

 

[MARIS61]

Childish hyperbole.

For the right money, Gilbert would also gladly take a job with Miami.

 

[Masbee]

Oh, yeah, "ownership" was the problem, alright. They pampered James in every way possible for 7 years, and treated him like a true king. I wouldn't be surprised if they sent someone over to his house every night to wipe his butt.

For that kind of royal treatment, they deserve everything they get!!!

Ummm, you changed your post.

Ok. Again - so what?

What is remarkable about management "pampering" the star talent?

Are you implying that the Knicks or Mavericks or whatever team wouldn't have been pampering LeBron's ass this entire time if they had had him?

Is that your contention? That LeBron was better off being a star in Cleveland than elsewhere?

Is your contention that stars, like say, Tom Cruise is never "pampered" by management?

Or, is it really your constant moaning about the fact that some people don't "deserve" that which they are given?

 

[mook]

Yes, he was. Many NBA commentators at the time believed that getting Shaq would put Cleveland over the top. The idea of James and O'Neal on the same team was discussed ad nauseum, and everyone seemed to think that it made Cleveland a true contender for the title.

lol. Yeah, "everyone" being those who hadn't been paying attention to Shaq's steady decline. After failing as the second best player on the Miami team for two straight years, and then failing as the third best player on the Suns team for another year, it was hardly shocking he'd fail as LeBron's second best player. Well, maybe it was shocking to you and Gilbert. It wasn't to anybody who'd been paying attention.

And you think Portland would sniff the playoffs without Brandon Roy?? Or Miami without Wade? Or Phoenix without Nash? The fact is, you subtract a great player from almost any team, and that team is going to struggle. Chicago without Michael Jordan didn't have a chance at a title.

Actually, yes. I think Portland probably does make the playoffs this year even without Roy. And some years I think Phoenix would've made the playoffs without Nash. And the year Miami won the title they probably were a playoff team in the East without Wade. If you replace Roy, Nash or Wade with James, any of those teams would have a title already.

And yet James was ecstatic to get Mo Williams and Shaq on his team. Go figure! I guess LeBron knows nothing about talent . . .

He was a starving man given half a can of Spam. When you are hungry enough even that shit looks like prime rib.

 

[Shooter]

lol. Yeah, "everyone" being those who hadn't been paying attention to Shaq's steady decline.

Garnett was in decline when he joined the Celtics, yet he still played a major role in their championship. Same goes for Drexler when he joined Houston. Shaq could have easily done the same thing with Cleveland, but he didn't. Big deal. It was still a major acquistion of a major player, and it shows that Cleveland was pulling out all the stops to get James a title.

Actually, yes. I think Portland probably does make the playoffs this year even without Roy.

You're kidding yourself. This team was in a dogfight for a playoff position for most of the season, even when Roy was in the starting lineup.

If you replace Roy, Nash or Wade with James, any of those teams would have a title already.

Now you're really talking nonsense. If I know anything about the NBA, it's that you can't predict who would or would not have won a title with a certain player on the team. There are too many unknowns.

 

[noknobs]

You're kidding yourself. This team was in a dogfight for a playoff position for most of the season, even when Roy was in the starting lineup.

That's because it wasn't just Roy who was hurt for parts of the season. It's hard to gain a steady foothold on the playoffs when you go through a stretch in which you don't have Batum, Outlaw, Oden, Joel, Rudy, and Roy playing. SEVEN key guys. It's a miracle we made the playoffs at all.

 

[oldmangrouch]

No offense, but much of this argument misses the point.

When KG left the Wolves, he had at least as much reason to be bitter as LeBron. Did he humiliate the team on his way out the door? Did he crap all over the fans?

LeBron had a perfect right to change teams. He didn't have to be such a douche about it. Forget Gilbert - he didn't have to be so callous to the fans that worshiped him.

 

[Natebishop3]

Gotta love Dan Gilbert...

In addition, Fathead.com, an online retailer owned by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert dropped the price of its LeBron Fathead wall decals from $99.99 to $17.41, which happens to be the same year Revolutionary War traitor Benedict Arnold was born.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5369316

 

[Masbee]

Gotta love Dan Gilbert...

LeBron Fathead wall decals from $99.99 to $17.41, which happens to be the same year Revolutionary War traitor Benedict Arnold was born.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5369316

Nope. Don't love him.

Though it is funny, doesn't mean I love him. Dude is a clown. I laugh at clowns. I don't love clowns.

I especially don't love clowns that are suppose to be sober, responsible adults in a position of power and authority that affect the lives and livelihoods of many people.

 

[Natebishop3]

Nope. Don't love him.

Though it is funny, doesn't mean I love him. Dude is a clown. I laugh at clowns. I don't love clowns.

I especially don't love clowns that are suppose to be sober, responsible adults in a position of power and authority that affect the lives and livelihoods of many people.

Because obviously I was being serious...

 

[BGrantFan]

Because obviously I was being serious...

That's pretty funny by Gilbert. Childish, unprofessional, and petty, but funny.

At what point does Gilbert put a hit out for James, or incite violence against James? He's basically pouring gasoline on an inferno in Cleveland. I mean, Cleveland is such a dump that The Flats, which was basically renovated in the late '90s to be their equivalent to the Pearl in Portland, has already flamed out and is once again a wasteland.

 

[Natebishop3]

That's pretty funny by Gilbert. Childish, unprofessional, and petty, but funny.

At what point does Gilbert put a hit out for James, or incite violence against James? He's basically pouring gasoline on an inferno in Cleveland. I mean, Cleveland is such a dump that The Flats, which was basically renovated in the late '90s to be their equivalent to the Pearl in Portland, has already flamed out and is once again a wasteland.

I'm sure he has some reason in his mind... who knows what it is. Probably just trying to keep local support for the team though James is gone.