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It may be true, but it's unprofessional.

Lebron's true colors have been shown and this letter is just the beginning. The cavs are coming out with more stories with already today talking about how james made the cavs take away others players spouses parking spots which were part of the arena and made them park across the street and have to deal with threats of crime and freezing cold weather, just so jame's friends could have the spots. Lebron will be done before this season even starts. Gilbert will go after him about him quitting during games. Lebron knew he was leaving and would return any calls since the end of the season and with his "i spoil people" remark started his real identity to come out.

QUOTE(#2):

Originally posted 01:06 PM ET  07.09 by ctowntoidie

Lebron's true colors have been shown and this letter is just the beginning. The cavs are coming out with more stories with already today talking about how james made the cavs take away others players spouses parking spots which were part of the arena and made them park across the street and have to deal with threats of crime and freezing cold weather, just so jame's friends could have the spots. Lebron will be done before this season even starts. Gilbert will go after him about him quitting during games. Lebron knew he was leaving and would return any calls since the end of the season and with his "i spoil people" remark started his real identity to come out.

I'm not saying that Lebron is a saint. He's a glory hog jerk actually. The free agency circus proved that. However, Gillbert is being highly unprofessional. Sure, Lebron did him wrong, but as a business man he should know that players come and go and that he should find a more proper way to vent his frustration than to publicly bash Lebron in an email. Show ur displeasure on the court, not act like a bunch of middle school girls.

If he acted professionally and thanked LeBron for the 7 years in Cleveland. Then wished him good luck in Miami. How would the Cav's fans have felt about their teams owner?

He said what most Cav's fans were feeling......it makes him more identifiable to them.

After all his loyalty is to those fans....not to the Heats newest attraction.

As a Heat fan who benefits from LBJ coming here, I do think the way he handled himself (LBJ) was wrong...

But in the end, Gilbert looks worse for saying such stupid things.

I will say this though...LBJ did just donate $2.5million dollars to the Boys and Girls club after doing that show...so cut the guy some slack...if he does not do the show, they dont get that money...

Like him or not, that was very cool to do...

Donating money doesn't make you a better person and ordinary people do it all the time. He was wrong for not calling Gilbert back and then having one of his hired hands call him while the show was being aired to inform he that he was leaving. Jeffhart, when someone ditches YOU on national TV and then throws a little pity cash at you so HE can feel good check back in and tell us how you feel. Money can't buy you class-he's a selfish jerk that chose humiliation instead of being a man and leaving with dignity.

Vee is right on the money. Gilbert had every right to write that letter the way he did. And as far as class goes LBJ has none, saying that the TV show he did was justified because he donated money is just dumb. He has 2.5mil to donate any day of the week if he wanted to. Saying the money donated justified the tv show is stupid. LBJ has bought into his own hype now and he'll never be looked at same.

Say what you will about LeBron, but I agree that Gilbert's letter was uncalled for.

He was rightfully disappointed, but he should have been slightly more gracious about it. As an owner, he shouldn't lowering himself to the level of "fans" who burned #23 jerseys.

No, this letter was not justified. While I have no particular liking for LeBron James, and think this has been a shameful display of self aggrandizement, I still believe everyone has the right to choose their employer. Mr. Gilbert's statements were peevish, childish and unprofessional and frankly, sounded like so many sour grapes. How has LeBron James betrayed him, the team or the fans? He signed a contract and he honored it; playing hard for 7 years, now he has chosen to move on. I have never seen a team owner, in any sport, behave this way. If we expect our athletes to hold to a certain standard, then we should expect no less from the people who pay them.

I think it the owner and Cavs fan were upset that James didn't at least tell the team and favs where he was going before he told the whole world....Probably a knee jerk reaction to a player you thought only about himself....

What about the empty promises Mr. Gilbert made to LeBron? We going to build a "team" around you. I didn't happen in the 7 years LeBron was in cleveland, so he jumps ship. Can you really blame or fault him. All signs point to team ownership and Mr. gilbert has shown how he will crucify a player that chooses to leave his organization. Which NBA superstar will want to be a part of the Cavs now that they know what Mr. Gilbert is all about. My view of LeBron has and will not change. He is still the best player in the league and the best the NBA has to offer.

QUOTE(#4):

Originally posted 01:42 PM ET  07.09 by MattUSA

If he acted professionally and thanked LeBron for the 7 years in Cleveland. Then wished him good luck in Miami. How would the Cav's fans have felt about their teams owner?He said what most Cav's fans were feeling......it makes him more identifiable to them.After all his loyalty is to those fans....not to the Heats newest attraction.

you got a point there.
I think he was speaking tot he fans. And he was promissing he will make a bigger effort to bring the Cavs a champinship.

He didn't speak to LBJ. He spoke to the fans.

I could even bet that behind doors he said his goodbye, goodluck, pat on the back, was a good run, etc...

And besides, the unprofessional was LBJ. One hour special to announce his decision? That's a circus play.

QUOTE(#11):

Originally posted 09:54 PM ET  07.09 by papi23g

What about the empty promises Mr. Gilbert made to LeBron? We going to build a "team" around you. I didn't happen in the 7 years LeBron was in cleveland, so he jumps ship. Can you really blame or fault him. All signs point to team ownership and Mr. gilbert has shown how he will crucify a player that chooses to leave his organization. Which NBA superstar will want to be a part of the Cavs now that they know what Mr. Gilbert is all about. My view of LeBron has and will not change. He is still the best player in the league and the best the NBA has to offer.

#1. Dan Gilbert made every effort to put stars around LeBron James. Why did stars not come? Because LeBron would not indicate whether he was staying or going. In my opinion, James has some blame in this because he wasn't committed to stay and acting coy about it made it worse.
#2. I agree it was LeBron's decision. I think if you ask most Cav's fans they would tell you they understand the decision... but after touting loyalty as a key value all these years, the way he left Cleveland was overly insulting. Tell the team you are leaving IN PERSON, put out a press release like everyone else in the sports world does, and go to your new town. Don't do a one hour special, draw in the entire nation, utter some stupid statements about how hard the decision was and kick your hometown in the face.
#3. I think Gilbert went overboard with the letter. But...he also told Cleveland that he isn't just another owner.. he's a guy who takes sports personally, like the fans do. I probably would have handled it differently, but I like the guy's passion.
#4. Your last sentence bothers me... so the best the NBA has to offer is a guy who picks what even neutral cities news outlets describe as the cruelest way to leave his home town team? He may be a great player (and right now, Kobe is the best player in the league IMO because he has hardware - and I'm a Cleveland fan saying that), but he has a lot to learn about being a man.

Song Written about Lebron James Decision.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYICMNS62AQ

Funny how Dan Gilbert is passionate and will NOW do whatever it takes to bring cleveland a title now that LeBron is gone. Sound familiar? Hmmmmm.

while i agree that lebron handled the whole process all wrong and acted like a fool throughout it, i am appalled at gilbert's reaction. a few things:

lebron was a "free agent", not a "Cleveland agent". he was free to go wherever he wanted to go, and as an owner, you have to honor and accept that, which gilbert showed he couldn't do in his meltdown.

next, he accused lebron of quitting in the playoffs and of people covering up for him......if you think he "quit" in the playoffs and think he's a quitter in general, they why were you begging him to re-sign? you can find a player to fill his roster spot if you think he "quit" on you. and you were probably one of the people who covered up for him, too...

next, in his letter, right after his bogus "guarantee" about winning an NBA title before the Heat, he just talks complete gibberish and makes no sense. and that's half the letter.

the whole letter was in comic sans font...unprofessional much?...

and finally, rather than realizing what sort of negative light it might have brought to the city and at least explaining what he was saying, he instead had an assistant of his tell reporters that he doesn't regret anything about the letter. be a man and step up to the plate for your own responsibility, don't send someone to do it for you.

basically, dan gilbert acted like a teenage girl whose boyfriend just dumped her.

oh, and basically, Cleveland's main pitch to get him to re-sign was "you owe it to the city and your nearby hometown", instead of "we can put a team around you that can help you win an NBA title", which ohbytheway was Miami's pitch to lebron...

QUOTE(#5):

Originally posted 02:05 PM ET  07.09 by JeffHart24

As a Heat fan who benefits from LBJ coming here, I do think the way he handled himself (LBJ) was wrong...But in the end, Gilbert looks worse for saying such stupid things.I will say this though...LBJ did just donate $2.5million dollars to the Boys and Girls club after doing that show...so cut the guy some slack...if he does not do the show, they dont get that money...Like him or not, that was very cool to do...

I dont recall Lebron writing a check or taking the money out of his pocket. That is such a smoke screen to cover up the fact that Lebron is building his own ego here. If he was truly wanting to give the kids money, he should have just reached into his pocket and done so. He talked to a number of organizations but only had the nerve to tell the one he chose he was coming. The others deserved the same respect of being told without the hype.

QUOTE(#1):

Originally posted 12:54 PM ET  07.09 by Pittfan14

It may be true, but it's unprofessional.

Read what Mark Cuban said and you may just understand how professional it was.