Dan Gilberts "Cursed" open letter to LeBron James...

I'm sort of surprised no one has mentioned that metro Detroiter and Quickens owner Dan Gilbert got fined by the NBA for his open "Judas" letter to LeBron James, who's leaving for Miami.

The story....

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/me...-000/19551572/

The "cursed" letter...

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/cl...ames/19547598/

I guess one can't blame Gilbert since the move drops the value of his Cleveland Cavalier's franchise by one or two hundred million....

Ohio's outpouring of support in favor of Gilbert...

http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/gi...nt_100713.html

I think it's only costing him about $100,000 so he probably doesn't much care about the fine

Agreed jcole.... it was probably worth it just to get it out of his system.

I wonder how LeBron James's reception will be like in the future when he returns to Akron to visit family and friends....

There's a whole thread about it on the Sports forum, to which I have contributed a perhaps overly long posting:
http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?t=6228

My view is that my fellow MSU grad Gilbert had made a total whiny ass of himself over this. And has looked like a total classless hypocritical jerk next to LeBron James.

I was going to post about Gilbert but decided not to because Dan Gilbert proved that he is a hypocrite. No one can rationalize his letter because it reflected a sore loser who lost the grand prize. He acted like Greg "The Hammer" Valentine when Valentine wrecked the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Belt when Tito Santana beat him for the title back in 1985. [[shout-out to the old school WWF fans)

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Originally Posted by R8RBOB

I was going to post about Gilbert but decided not to because Dan Gilbert proved that he is a hypocrite. No one can rationalize his letter because it reflected a sore loser who lost the grand prize.

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The worst part is that he had the prize for 7 years, during which time he never put the other players around him to win the ultimate prize. All LeBron did was almost single-handedly take the Cavs to their only Finals and 2 60+ win best-record-in-the-league seasons, filling Mr. Gilbert's seats in the process. For a franchise that had almost always been second- and third-rate losers before. I certainly understand why Dan was unhappy to lose the competition for LeBron's services, but calling someone out as a "betrayer" after they've more than fulfilled their contractual obligation to you and raised the value of your franchise several times over in the process makes you a real a-hole in my book.

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Originally Posted by EastsideAl

The worst part is that he had the prize for 7 years, during which time he never put the other players around him to win the ultimate prize. All LeBron did was almost single-handedly take the Cavs to their only Finals and 2 60+ win best-record-in-the-league seasons, filling Mr. Gilbert's seats in the process. For a franchise that had almost always been second- and third-rate losers before. I certainly understand why Dan was unhappy to lose the competition for LeBron's services, but calling someone out as a "betrayer" after they've more than fulfilled their contractual obligation to you and raised the value of your franchise several times over in the process makes you a real a-hole in my book.

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That is why I felt the letter and the words that Gilbert used to rip LeBron was a chickenshit act. His anger was about his bottom line. LeBron leaving and no successor in the wings to continue the act means loss of revenue and Gilbert knows it. He remembered what happened to Chicago after Jordan retired and Phil, Scottie and Rodman all left. The Bulls in regards to making money went downhill and this is Chicago. Cleveland's value dipped immediately after LeBron said "South Beach."

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Originally Posted by Gistok

I'm sort of surprised no one has mentioned that metro Detroiter and Quickens owner Dan Gilbert got fined by the NBA for his open "Judas" letter to LeBron James, who's leaving for Miami.

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I think this action would never have been taken, had it not been for Jesse Jackson going off on his "plantation, master and slave tirade".

Strern and the NBA have a zero-tolerance policy on the First Amendment, as owner's are held to a different standard as the players.

Gilbert can now use this as an out, so that he can ditch Cleveland and buy the Pistons.

Yeah that was kind of classless. That makes two recent bizarre actions. The other being the envelope to Kwame. One can start to wonder.

He is really swinging for the fences on this. Cleveland a title before Miami? Yet if LeBron doesn't win anything in Miami Dan's hex will be right up there in sports legend with the Cubs' billy goat curse.

So much for that "personal guarantee", Dan.

Yeah Gilbert must be a real idiot... look at all that Detroit real estate he's buying up too... do I hear any complaints about that??.........

[[Sound of crickets....) :p

whatever... i didn't watch the nba playoffs. i was hoping for anybody but miami, but it's not what it was back in the day. never will be again either...

Somebody's watching. They're ratings have been through the roof. Mostly Lebron haters I imagine.

... well, Oklahoma proved that even smaller-market teams can make the playoffs/finals with the right talent and coaching/management.. it's going to take being marketing Cleveland [[or Detroit) as a destination city for potential draftees.. if they keep losing top talent to free-agent fever, they'll be perpetually in also-ran status..

I wish anyone besides Miami would of won, can't stand lebaron, definitely not a trow back player, can you imagine magic or Larry on a different team or zek Joe or bill,

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Originally Posted by Lowell

Yeah that was kind of classless. That makes two recent bizarre actions. The other being the envelope to Kwame. One can start to wonder.

He is really swinging for the fences on this. Cleveland a title before Miami? Yet if LeBron doesn't win anything in Miami Dan's hex will be right up there in sports legend with the Cubs' billy goat curse.

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He pledged to repay $60,000 each, plus interest, to the four men: Peter Karmanos, Dan Gilbert, Jim Nicholson and Roger Penske.

http://www.freep.com/article/2009110...d-loan-signing

I'm totally on Dan Gilbert's side. Lebron had every right to leave Cleveland. It's the total disrespect he showed to the organization when he left. You don't make management and ownership watch a one hour special on ESPN titled the decision to find out where you're going to sign. People don't realize Cleveland altered their practice schedule around Lebron's schedule, made their travel plans around Lebron's schedule in case he had a party to go to on the road, gave his entourage a free suite and access to the team, and then he doesn't have the decency to tell his team he's leaving?

As I read somewhere, it wasn't exactly a "full season" as we know it,

I was delighted that Miami won the championship. Not for any particular reason but only that it meant the season was over. I hate basketball. Dumb game. Only surpassed by soccer.

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Originally Posted by Gistok

Yeah Gilbert must be a real idiot... look at all that Detroit real estate he's buying up too... do I hear any complaints about that??.........

[[Sound of crickets....) :p

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Lol, and that has WHAT to do with this letter?

You can be on his side, but it doesn't make his personal guarantee to the people of Cleveland that the Cavs would win a championship before Lebron and the Heat do any less embarassing for him.