I Am Gilbert, Hear Me Roar (or single-handedly ruin my organization)

Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has just authored his legacy, and it has nothing to do with leading the Cavs to a championship.   He will forever be remembered as the guy that not only let LeBron James get away, but acted like a petulant child in the process.  Gilbert is an owner; his job is to be a calculating, unemotional guy that focuses solely on improving the business of the Cavaliers.  Re-pricing LeBron Fatheads to cost $17.41, the year America's most infamous traitor Benedict Arnold was born, was just the latest in a series of almost inconceivable and certainly stomach turning moves by Gilbert.

Clearly, the Cavalier brand has taken a huge hit, but Gilbert has jumped into the LeBron-sized hole, picked up his shovel, and dug himself in even deeper.  James was a free agent with every right to leave and maximize his career.  Every single team was going to be upset that they didn't get James, so in the end, he couldn't possibly make everyone happy, so he may as well make himself happy, which is what he did.  It is his life, and he now gets to play with two other All Stars in a beautiful city, for a great organization and get paid a zillion dollars.  If Gilbert can't understand that, then he doesn't understand the very business he is supposed to be an expert in.

Whether or not James quit against the Celtics like Gilbert claims, I have no idea.  What I do know is that Gilbert is completely wrong when he says the Cavs will win a championship before the new look Heat.  He is wrong because his team doesn't have nearly enough talent to win a title, and even more because his recent display surely chased off any free agents dumb enough to consider Cleveland in the first place.  What NBA player wants to go a team with an owner that's more possessive than a jealous ex-boyfriend?

The Cavs were in bad shape the moment LeBron defected, but they are now on life support after Gilbert's false bravado incurred more league-wide antipathy then any NBA act since the brawl in the Palace.  His team and his coaches are now left to answer for his baffling comments, and LeBron now looks like the good guy compared to Gilbert.  If Gilbert had kept his mouth shut we would all be talking about James' self-aggrandizing hour-long special, his narcissistic behavior, and the way he led so many teams on (notice how so many teams seemed to be courting a girlfriend rather than a free agent).  Now LeBron can slip away into the South Beach celebration and has more motivation to beat the Cavs than he could have imagined.

I do understand how difficult losing James must have been.  Imagine if you and twenty-nine other guys were in pursuit of Brooklyn Decker, but only one guy could get her.  Think there might be some sniping, some hurt feelings, some jealousy there?  Of course, and LeBron was the sexiest free agent of all time, but it does a man no good to act like a foolish arse when he loses out on a girl, and it really hurts a business to act this way when they lose a free agent.

Players have to feel respected, and they have to be treated as businessmen because that is what they are.  NBA free agency is not personal; it's about each player finding what is best for their talents and reaching the best deal they can.  In essence it is capitalism in action, and if Gilbert can't wrap his head around that, then he needs to find a new profession.

--from Adam