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May 20, 2010SABR-Toothed Triber: Branyan, Strikeouts, Value, and Hate
May 20, 2010With the drama of LeBron James’ free agency playing out like the last episode of LOST, I thought it would be prudent to take a thorough look at this Cleveland team to see what kind of shape they are in. In order to do this I will have to try and be as objective as possible. So if I say something that sounds cold or unfeeling towards a beloved player you know why from the start. It will be necessary to look at the players, coaching staff, owner and front office in order to do this correctly.
Dan Gilbert is currently evaluating the front office and coaching staff, so let’s start with the guy at the top. Gilbert became the majority owner of the Cavaliers in March of 2005. Since that time the Cavaliers have the best 5 year record of any team in the Eastern Conference (272-138) and trail only the Mavericks (283 wins) and the Spurs (281 wins) in the West. They are the only team to escape the first round of the playoffs each year in that span.The Spurs, Lakers , Heat and Celtics have all won titles in that time period.
Major Moves
Gilbert fired Paul Silas before the 2004-2005 season was over. One month later, GM Jim Paxson was next. He hired Mike Brown before getting his GM in place in Danny Ferry. All of these moves were questioned at the time, and with good reason. It seemed like Gilbert was a wrecking ball, and was going to be too much of a hands on owner for someone who didn’t come from the basketball community. Gilbert, true to his word brought in the people that he believed in and then let them do their jobs. Success has followed even if it hasn’t been championship-level success.
You can’t mention Gilbert’s ownership of the team without acknowledging his commitment to improving the franchise overall. The Cleveland Clinic Courts practice facility in Independence has been called by many to be the premier facility in the NBA. Additionally he has invested his own money (around $21 million) into upgrades at Quicken Loans Arena. Gilbert has taken on minority investors, including Usher Raymond and a Chinese group that has helped expand the market for the Cavaliers (and specifically LeBron James.)
The Nucleus
The Gilbert era is unique to the fans of Cleveland. Unlike his counterparts in the owners’ boxes at Cleveland Browns Stadium and that place where the Indians play (it’s just not the Jake anymore, but I can’t stand to call it anything else) Gilbert seems willing to spend whatever is necessary to bring a championship parade to the streets of Cleveland. Beyond that, he seems genuinely interested in keeping his team and front office accountable to that goal.
Could Gilbert be spending too much? Is it possible that green-lighting moves like the Shaq trade has actually made the team regress?
It’s an interesting theory. I would submit that the basketball side of the front office needs to be able to differentiate those types of situations. When your employer tells you to get the job done at all costs and you fail to do so who gets the blame? It seems hard to blame the employer. In the end Dan Gilbert will be ultimately responsible, and he will reap the consequences at the ticket window and in a resale price should he choose to sell the team.
I don’t know how objective this first installment has been. Truth is, politics and casinos aside, I think Dan Gilbert is the best owner this town has ever seen. He is passionate about the team, but willing to let his coaches, players and front office personnel do their jobs. He supplies financially for every need they might have. He isn’t afraid to spend money. When was the last time you thought that way about a Cleveland owner? If there is hope for the future of basketball in Cleveland (particularly in a post-LeBron setting) Dan Gilbert is a big reason for that hope.
45 Comments
You can’t discount Gilbert’s worst move: bringing in Fred McLeod.
“The Nucleus” – I get it! #cellularbiologyjokes
i feel the same way about Randy Lerner despite the media potrayal otherwise.
he has been a browns fan since he was a kid, he spends $$$ whenever necessary (on upgrades to Berea, on firing coaching staffs and FO’s that he feels are ineffective, on players, etc.)
the only issue with Lerner has been that he hasn’t hired the correct people for the FO. hopefully, he got it right this time with Holmgren, but it’s hard to look at his attempts and say he has been a bad owner (he stays out of the way of the football people and gives them the finances they need).
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as for the rest on Gilbert, yeah, he’s been a great owner. i also love the pro-active nature of him so far. he went out and got Usher as a minor investor to appeal to the younger demographic (including James). he went out and got the Chinese investors to demonstrate to James he was willing to help him become a global icon (and add $$$ to his own cophers as well). and he’s investing in the local casinos to make sure he has enough $$$ to keep investing in the Cavs for years to come. all while not becoming a whiny Cuban like media-“DezBryantMomFormerOccupation”
thumbs up to Gilbert.
Gilbert has been a great owner. The only other Cleveland owner that has come close in my lifetime is Dick Jacobs.
I just want to point out that it is complete BS that we were not allowed to comment on the Gloria James rumors post.
You guys decide to pat yourselves on the back for not discussing the rumors. You claim that since a cease and desist letter was sent, it proves the rumors are bogus. As an attorney, let me tell you, the only thing that proves is that they hired an attorney!
It should also be noted that the site has ignored the letters, insisting that the rumors are true.
I am not saying I think the rumors are true. I certainly doubt them. But when rumors reach that level of dissemination, you guys should chime in. I love this site, I go here all the time for insightful Cleveland fan-based analysis. I would much rather hear your guys’ take on the rumors (as crazy as they MAY be)than from deadspin, tmz, etc.
Otherwise, keep up the good work. Just my humble opinion.
@TSR – it’s not bs, all of those comments clearly wouldn’t be suitable for the family friendly nature of this site. Besides what else are these guys going to say that TMZ or any of those other garbage sites haven’t already said.
yeah i thought it was weird that there were zero comments on that article…!
i think what tsr is saying is “if the rumors are true, please wfny, make it palatable for the cleveland sports fan!”
@ todd – no, it was more crying about a post having comments closed. Stin’s got it.
I think we can discuss it without getting into the(gasp) PG stuff. I mean, if anything, we are talking just about sex.
I was thinking we would discuss the likelihood of it occurring. Whether, true or not, it has any affect on the free agency spree and how it would explain game 5.
Really, Denny? Crying?
Way to take a cheap shot at an honest, fair natured opinion on how you guys handled one issue out of thousands. Get over yourselves. You guys are NOT journalists. Journalists don’t base their stories on tweets and they mix in a spell check every once in a while.
If this post doesn’t make the site or you don’t see me again….it is because big brother couldn’t stomach the truth!
@TSR3000 – You have made this argument before and, again, I tell you go some place else. Why does this site have to be the total end all of all YOUR sports needs? The guys have made it clear what they choose to cover and if you dont like it I am sure there are plenty of sites you can go to in order to get your rumor fix. I just dont get your constant complaining of this non-story. Besides, what else can possibly be said?
Get over yourself TSR… you talk about cheap shots then call out the guys who put up solid content all day long.
Mark said it a lot better than I did.
@TSR – Go buy a national enquirer for that garbage….
If you doubt the rumors validity then why blow up the comments about how you desperately need to comment on them?
You have to be impressed with Gilbert. I am glad you brought up the view that he was thougt as a wrecking ball after he bought the team. Gilbert has proven he is anything but. Support – financial and otherwise – is exactly what he gives and what you really want out of an owner.
im not defending Dolan exactly but its unfair to compare him to Jacobs – its not an apples to apples comparison. When jacobs was the owner, there wasnt payroll a disparity between teams (cough cough, yankees) like there is now. things really got out of hand once the yankees invested in the YES network to get all that TV revenue, which no other team in any other market could feasibly compete with. Jacobs was the owner in a totally different baseball economic climate. he was the owner with a fantastic team (all those great young prospects like the Rays now), no direct competition from the Browns for many years, a brand new stadium with “new-ness” appeal. he had the perfect storm and it allowed him to reinvest in the team. Dolan, unfortunately for him, bought high and cant “keep up with the jones’s” (cough cough, yankees) like Jacobs able to do, alot of which is attributable to factors beyond Dolan’s control.
Thanks for stopping by TSR…
On a lighter note, nice write up Rick. I think the willingness to spend isn’t as simple as it seems. Sure he doesn’t care to spend to get it done, but it’s not about bringing in the best pieces, it’s brining in the right pieces… If that makes any sense.
@Mgbode – I sort of agree with your point about Lerner, he’s got deep pockets and has made moves…just not the right ones. If Mike Brown and Danny Ferry hadn’t panned out we’d probably be screaming for Dan Gilbert’s head as well.
With that said though Dan Gilbert seems to have assembled a solid front office, and without that teams typically don’t win much so he get’s an A+ in my book.(even if you know who isn’t here next year)
“I think Dan Gilbert is the best owner this town has ever seen.”
While from reports he is not a tightwad, my jury’s still out on Gilbert’s supremacy in Cleveland sports.
The success of the Cavs during Gilbert’s ownership may be mostly attributable to prior owner’s rumored tanking of a season to obtain Lebron James.
I imagine there would be a wonderfully heated debate as to whether Paul Brown or Bill Veeck (both before my time) occupy the “best owner” seat, instead.
“Truth is, politics and casinos aside, I think Dan Gilbert is the best owner this town has ever seen.”
While I’m admittedly younger than a lot of folks, I agree completely with this – though I can’t help but be offput a little about the casino issue. Not because he’s for them, and wants to “inject money into the Cleveland economy”, but the fact that he essentially turned his basketball team into cheerleaders for his casino project.
But you know what? I’ll take those warts if they’re what are needed to have an owner on par with Gilbert.
@Matt- Brown was really only a part owner of the Browns. It was part of his initial salary package.
@TSR- You can have the opinion that we should or shouldn’t cover whatever story you want. That doesn’t mean we’re going to.
As for us being ‘real journalists’- as an attorney you know that regardless of our medium we could still be held accountable for what we write.
Interesting, sounds like it was Gilbert’s call to keep Brown around all these years. We had all the pieces this year, except for coaching obviously. Perhaps Ferry wanted to bring someone else in after the Orlando loss, but was handcuffed.
Denny- “turned his basketball team into cheerleaders for his casino project” take out casino and insert political and you got the Suns owner.
I do like how Gilbert is willing to spend money. When you add up the luxury tax, he is spending a lot of money. So, some of the moves haven’t worked out. It’s better we spend and try to be competitive than not spend and enjoy mediocrity.. I would like Gilbert buying the Tribe. Spending 100 Mil in baseball can field a very competitive team.
A for Dan Gilbert.
It was an error to post the cease and desist letter (says me).
The best – Arhtur B. “Mickey” McBride, owner of the original Browns simply becuase he hired Paul Brown, arguably the greatest coach of all time.
The worst – How about Ted Stepien?
Rick
Thanks on the Brown info.
While I don’t disagree that Gilbert is a great owner, obtaining such a glowing image is made much easier when you have the best player in the league on your team that wins 50-60 wins a season.
In my opinion, Randy Lerner would have similar appeal if the Browns had a legit franchise QB and won a playoff game in each of the previous 4 years, including a trip to the Super Bowl, even if they didn’t win it. There wouldn’t be the public pressure on him to tear it down every three years, which has made him look bad. He just didn’t inherit the greatest situation.
The Dolans, well.. I can even give them a little bit of a break because they own a moneyball team. That being said, they knew what they were getting into, and when they DO decide to spend money they spend it badly.
“Randy Lerner would have similar appeal if the Browns had a legit franchise QB and won a playoff game in each of the previous 4 years, including a trip to the Super Bowl, even if they didn’t win it.”
I’m pretty sure in this town, we’d have a few Randy Lerner statues. Maybe an Al Lerner statue out of respect as well.
I mean, could you imagine the different landscape if the Browns had a the same level of success as the Cavs or the Indians the past 20 years?
/needs more slander
I think Al Lerner will have something built in his honor eventually. The players do wear and AL on their sleeves to honor him.
@ Scott – DAN GILBERT IS SHORT LOL
@Scott- Dan Gilbert has zero lips.
@Scott- I have another one.
Dan Gilbert is a predatory lender
i wish him good luck, he should move away from ohio and choose a team that suit him best. i’m sure he’s very disappointed on how o’neil played all season long. lebron as well as kobe knows o’neal is not worth two cents on anyone’s team.
if you want a championship run next year with lebron, then get rid of o’neal, that’s the only way you can bring hope a championship ring.
@4: Ditto
I am and have been over the fact that WFNY chose not cover the rumors. I simply wanted to make my point why I thought they should have. Not a big deal.
My next point was that they posted a story that claimed their decision was validated and did not give anyone the option to comment on it. I simply thought it was bush league to post a story that pats yourself on the back and doesn’t allow us to comment or point out that nothing has validated.
You guys do run a legit, respectable site. I would never expect you to run the rumor without some type of fact checking.
OK I AM DONE.
The rumor has legs; I’m not going to boast about my “sources”, but will just say that the cease and desist letter is a smoke/fire issue.
That aside, I don’t disagree w/ the decision to rescind the comments section on that story. At this stage, could we really have a profitable discussion about anything? Perhaps that will change if/when more information comes out. In the meantime, let’s talk about good things, like summertime and Jake Delhomme having a good day at Browns OTA’s
I remember the Kosar-era years very well, but I was a little young to be aware of any ownership/coaching issues. I remember being surprised when Shottenheimer was fired. Can any of the older people here comment on what it was like around the time Rutigliano, Shottenheimer and Carson were replaced? Was there overall disapproval from the public and calls to have these guys replaced?
Robbie- I am young, 22, but I think this type of dislike for sports decisions stems from the internet and 24 hours news cycle. There is just so much information out there. We heard about Mangini’s practice techniques. This kind of story is the run of the mill nowadays. Back in the 80’s this kind of information, I’m assuming, was news. A player speaking out about a coach or a player giving inside information is easy to come across in today’s social networking world.
TSR I agree with you and made the comment about it on another thread and was told this is a “family site”. So I guess this means we need to stick to Disney type topics? It is a story that should be discussed because if LeBron did get wind of this after game 4 it would certainly explain his disinterest in playing in game 5. He did come back to have a good game 6 but you could tell something was wrong with the team even in that game. I found it very ironic that after being told that this was “off limits” to be discussed another thread was posted from LeBrons atty about the same topic. I too like this site but that is very inconsistant.
crazy & TSR- I understand the need to voice your opinion on the issue. It makes a little bit of sense and I’d love to try to break the rumors down and fit it into what I saw in game 6.
But, you guys have to know that a conversation like that probably wouldn’t be for the faint of heart. There may be some inappropriate things said about all parties involved and WFNY is just taking precautions. I, for one, actually think there could be a grown up conversation about the allegations, but even the topic itself isn’t family friendly.
When can you ever have a discussion or a debate on here without it
melting down? It’s no wonder “rumors” cannot be discussed. I for one
am glad about the decision based on alot of what I read here. Age does
not equal maturity or for that matter IQ.
Go LeBron 2 time, 2 time MVP!
Boogey- I’m usually the one who gets off topic.. So I promise to behave