Dan Gilbert's open letter to the Cavs' fans. (Cleveland, Bryan: home, living in)

[FlyiMetro]

Originally Posted by Drover

I can see why he wouldn't want to talk to such a childish git.

As much as this ruins the city of Cleveland....I dont think your trolling is helping the issue.

[NCbyChoice]

Originally Posted by sophialee

Let me take a wild guess here. None of you people who don't like the letter are from Cleveland? Yeah, that's what I thought.

I am from Cleveland. Loved the letter!

I am not from Cleveland, nor am I a Cavs fan...and I must say that I LOVE the letter! Matter of fact, it was one of the best things that I have read in quite some time.

Brilliant! It redirects a team and city from a "boohoo, so sad for us" attitude to a "pissed off, f$#% YOU" mission statement.

Don't think for a second that many of the players in the league weren't turned off by the circus act produced by James and his people during this time period (I have discussed it at great length with a well known former NBA super star). This letter will actually attract the type of individual and possible free agent that the team is looking for.

And for those that say they did nothing to help him win...BS. Nobody could have predicted that Antawn Jamison would have played that bad. At the time of the trade everyone acted as though that was the final piece of the puzzle.

[granny-nanny48]

I guess words can't describe how unloyal LeBron turned out to be, Clevelanders all know that he threw in the towel during the playoffs, he lost his interest in Cleveland long before he became a free agent! Most honest players, respect the city their grew up in, but he really screwed the Cleveland Fans, he never planned on helping them achive the cities dream of winning, during the playoffs his focus wasn't on Cleveland, it was on his self righteous own self! I have been a Cleveland fan all my life, I really feel bad for the kids of Akron and Cleveland, here is a superstar who spoke of being loyal to his home city....he always said Akron first, you don't need anything but to do good to make your city proud. Then on national television he puts his hometown out to pasture, and puts his self centered circus media on Miami. I hope Miami never wins a championship, and I know Dan Gilbert will bring home the ring to Cleveland! Go Cavs!!!

[high mileage]

I can understand many people of NE Ohio being infuriated at LeBron's decision, and it is blatantly obvious that people there are looking at the situation through a different lens. People have to realize, at the end of the day, the NBA is a business, and LeBron's decision was a business move. Dude even took a paycut to go down to Miami, and from watching "The Decision" last night, you could tell it pained him greatly to leave his native area that has shown him so much loyalty.

He wants to go down in history as a great, and he yearns so much to win that he was willing to literally put everything else aside. He definitely has the heart and drive of a champion and I respect him for that. Honestly, if i were in his situation, I do not know if I could have done it.

There was a lot of reverse psychology going on from the Cleveland media saying things such as he would not be able to drive a stake through our hearts like that knowing how much we have been through.

This is not to be taken as a jab, attack, joke, mockery, or whatever you want to call it. I know Cleveland has not won in a LONG time, but I think the area places too much emphasis on sports. Sure, cities like to win, but with Cleveland 'crying' over sports, it makes the city look bad. It makes it seems as if the city lives through sports and there is nothing else going on there, which is not the case. I think Cleveland needs to take this as a loss and get over it! It's ashame how people can place one person on such a high pedestal.

[NCbyChoice]

Originally Posted by high mileage

This is not to be taken as a jab, attack, joke, mockery, or whatever you want to call it. I know Cleveland has not won in a LONG time, but I think the area places too much emphasis on sports. Sure, cities like to win, but with Cleveland 'crying' over sports, it makes the city look bad. It makes it seems as if the city lives through sports and there is nothing else going on there, which is not the case. I think Cleveland needs to take this as a loss and get over it! It's ashame how people can place one person on such a high pedestal.

^ Kinda the way Boston did before the Sox finally won?

[captaincatfish]

Originally Posted by Cleveland_Collector

Cavaliers: Open Letter to Fans from Cavaliers Majority Owner Dan Gilbert

The truth is the truth.

Y'know, I'll confess to a bit of snap judgment...last night, after the 'Decision' (LOL), I had a few unkind things to say about Mr Gilbert...but a good night's sleep, and the light of a new day (and this letter) brought the truth to light...

I still feel that LeBron wanted to win, and he bolted for the Heat because, in his mind, they gave him the best chance to win...and I STILL ain't mad at him in that respect...

But I have to tip my hat to Dan Gilbert...that letter was the most impassioned response I've seen from the owner(ship) of a sports team in a LONG time...he very well could've sat somewhere and cried in his beer, or maybe burned a jersey or two, like some supposed adults did in video clips I saw last night (yeah, I said it...like burning jerseys and crying and calling names is gonna make the situation any better)

To his (Gilbert's) credit though, from what I read in the letter, he basically told LeBron to f**k off, we'll circle the wagons and carry on without ya, thank you very much---and I'm gonna hold him to the promises he made to us fans in the letter...build on what you have now, with LB gone, there may be enough money in the till to attract some good players to come on board, and try like all hell to bring a title to Cleveland, Mr James or no Mr James...

This is a city that has survived 62 years and counting of baseball futility, 46 years of football futility (since '64 Browns win), a burning river, inept local government, constant razzing from the national media, and now 40 plus years of NBA futility...Cleveland has pulled itself off the mat so many times and gotten back on it's feet and said 'is that the best you got?', the departure of a basketball player should be just a blip on the radar screen to a city full of tough, resilient, loyal blue-collar folk, of which I'm proud to be a native of...

Thank you Mr Gilbert, welcome coach Byron Scott and anyone else who wants to wear the Wine And Gold, and GO CAVS

[costello_musicman]

^^^ Nice post

[high mileage]

People are praising Dan Gilbert for the letter saying it needed to be said, he's speaking the truth, etc. I really did not see the 'f**k you Lebron' vibe in the letter like some people are saying. What I saw was equivalent to a playground fight between two kids and the loser leaving with cuts and bruises, crying and saying "THAT'S WHY I'M NOT YOUR FRIEND!"

[JimboUSMC17]

I also understand you all feel betrayed and I do understand why Gilbert wrote what he wrote, but he should have kept it to himself. Now unfortunately Cleveland has been tagged as a bunch of crybabies. I think as the owner who represents the whole organization, it would have been better for him to just say, "Hey, we're sorry he didn't choose to stay but we wish him well." That would have been the classy thing to do. Instead, he has embarrased a whole organization and city in the eyes of everyone else in the country.

Now I'm a Knick fan and really wanted Lebron to go to NY, but he made the decision he felt was best for him. IMHO, he would have a better shot if he went to the Bulls but I'm sure he didn't want to be in MJ's shadow for 5 or 6 years.

Lebron last season made it clear he wanted the Cavs to trade for Stoudamire. Instead they got Antawn. That was probably the last draw for LBJ. The organization couldn't provide him with a second stud to work with, and after Bosh said "heck no" to being traded to Cleveland earlier this week, it pretty much put Miami on top in his mind.

I'm sorry this had to happen to you guys and agree LBJ should have taken a different route in announcing it, but what Gilbert wrote was just childish and the whole franchise had lost respect in the eyes of many.

[pknopp]

Great letter. Im glad he had the balls to post it. It says that while I doubt hell be able to live up to his word, it shows that he at least has the desire to try.

I stole this but it sums up the move on LeBoobs side of things. Yesterday he woke up as a Jordon but went to bed as a Pippen.