Cav's Owner Writes Letter to All Fans

[Card Magnet]

No real thoughts to share on this...it is what it is.

http://www.comcast.net/articles/sports- ... 066393604/

Statement from Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert addressed to Cleveland fans in the aftermath of LeBron James announcing he plans to sign with the Miami Heat:

---

Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight.

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his ``decision'' unlike anything ever ``witnessed'' in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.

Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.
Spurned Fans Burn LeBron Jersey

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

``I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER 'KING' WINS ONE''

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our ``motivation'' to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown ``chosen one'' sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And ``who'' we would want them to grow-up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called ``curse'' on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former ``King'' will be taking the ``curse'' with him down south. And until he does ``right'' by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland.

Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day....

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue....

Dan Gilbert

Majority Owner

Cleveland Cavaliers

 

[matfanofold]

A very interesting read!


But I must question it's legitimacy....


I just think the owner/writer of that has come off as 'low class', and should be above all the venemous darts he threw at King James. Say what you have to say, but why be childish about it? I'm very unimpressed with the attitude put forth in that 'letter' and hope the team and upper managment have better judgement than he who put forth this letter.

 

[KOBEARODLT]

gilbert will be lucky if that cavs team see's the playoffs within the next ten years, guy sounds like a jerk no wonder lebron wanted to leave

 

[lisu]

What a jerk.

 

[Jared]

I just gained so much respect for Dan Gilbert. (Not kidding either)

 

[bodiaz]

Same guy who owned rock financial, a company famous for giving 500000 loans to unemployed hobos. This guy has a lot to with why the economy is where it is at today. I love the fact that he bought the cavs for a ton of money, and now the franchise is worthless! Couldn't happen to a netters guy! Enjoy your 500 fans a night!

 

[Tomlinson21RB]

The letter drips of hypocrisy, false promises, and a "poor me attitude" like nothing else I've ever read. Whether you hate or like Lebron, this kind of letter from the OWNER of an NBA franchise is pathetic.

 

[Card Magnet]

Same guy who owned rock financial, a company famous for giving 500000 loans to unemployed hobos. This guy has a lot to with why the economy is where it is at today. I love the fact that he bought the cavs for a ton of money, and now the franchise is worthless! Couldn't happen to a netters guy! Enjoy your 500 fans a night!

He is now starting up his own casino.

 

[KOBEARODLT]

The letter drips of hypocrisy, false promises, and a "poor me attitude" like nothing else I've ever read. Whether you hate or like Lebron, this kind of letter from the OWNER of an NBA franchise is pathetic.

100 percent....what a dumb mistake, what all star player is going to want to play for this loser now since they know if they leave they will get publicly ridiculed.

 

[maxpower]

The letter completely justifies LeBron's decision to leave.

Overall, it just shows Gilbert to be a major league dbag (as one commenter so aptly put it, he's now the NBA's craziest Gilbert). I'm not sure why LeBron or any free agent would want to work with him.

Also, if LeBron was a quitter, why work so hard to re-sign him? It doesn't line up.

Finally, if you have the capacity to work hard and deliver a championship to the city, why didn't you do it already? Either you weren't trying hard before (which sucks) or you won't be able to make good on your ridiculous threat (which also sucks).

 

[lisu]

It's completely not professional or unclassy for the CEO to write this. If your top employee left for another competitor, do you trash him publicly? No, you thank him for his years of service and move on. Get OVER it.

 

[Jaypers]

Two words - sour grapes.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if he wrote this letter days ago.

 

[brouthercard]

You oughta know that Clevlandis Morrisette is just bitter about LeFavre James leaving them.

 

[championMan]

Gilbert should have said, "no matter which team Lebron goes to or how many endorsements he gets, or how many championships he wins. He'll still never be as wealthy as me"

 

[Card Magnet]

Update :lol: .

Apparently, he wrote the letter in "Comic Sans" font...not something that's really fitting for the tone.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/07/09/ ... tml?hpt=C2

(CNN) -- Dear computer users: If you're ever going to write a fuming letter, think twice before setting the font to the oh-so-mockable Comic Sans.

Take it from Dan Gilbert, the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the NBA team that lost its star basketball player, LeBron James, on Thursday night.

After Gilbert posted a rant -- in the cutesy Comic Sans typeface -- about James' departure on NBA.com, bloggers, newspaper writers and Twitter pundits lashed back with a collective message that essentially said this:

Unless you're a fourth-grader, or being ironic, or the author of a comic book, or on vacation from the 1990s, never use that typeface.

On Twitter, discussion of Gilbert's font choice briefly trumped the debate about James' move to the Miami Heat, according to the blog TechCrunch, which posted a screen grab of the trending topics from that messaging site.

One of the blog's writers, MG Siegler, says the font faux pas is especially egregious given how much press Gilbert's letter is receiving.

"Normally a staple among six-year olds and grandmothers, Gilbert for some reason decided to use the font to write what will undoubtedly be the most public message he will ever write," he writes. "And it's too bad, because the content of the message itself is quite good -- very juicy. Gilbert's use of quotes, capitalization, and bolded letters makes it very clear just how pissed off he is."

Siegler calls Comic Sans "probably the worst font ever to grace the computer screen."

Comic Sans is the brainchild of Vincent Connare, who created the font while working as a "typographic engineer" at Microsoft in the 1990s. There were primarily two ideas behind the font's origin: Microsoft wanted a font that was more "FUN" than the rest, and comic-book lettering hadn't transferred well from books to the computer screen.

"There was a consistent style used in comics, which was quite unlike the style of lettering you see in newspaper cartoon strips," Connare writes on Microsoft's website dedicated to the font. "I also noticed that many people were inappropriately using drafting lettering in comic speech balloons."

Since the '90s though, Comic Sans has become a mockery on the internet. A movement called "Ban Comic Sans" has been trying to kill the font.

"The typeface has been used in countless contexts from restaurant signage to college exams to medical information," an introductory post on the site bancomicsans.com says.

"These widespread abuses of printed type threaten to erode the very foundations upon which centuries of typographic history are built."

In a CollegeHumor.com video about a fictional "font conference," a guy representing Comic Sans swoops into the final scene, dressed as a boyish superhero in a cape and tights, only to find that all of his friends have already been killed.

"Y'all good? I'm gonna peace out. If anyone needs me, Comic Sans will be over here!" the character says before stepping out of the frame.

Connare is apparently able to maintain a sense of humor about his creation.

"If you love it, you don't know much about typography," he told The Wall Street Journal in 2009, before adding: "If you hate it, you really don't know much about typography, either, and you should get another hobby."

As for Gilbert, the Cavs' owner, the font choice may have served the purpose -- whether intended or not -- of getting his message out to the public.

Stories about the fuming letter on the websites for The Washington Post, ESPN, CBS Sports and Time all mentioned Gilbert's choice of Comic Sans.

"You see, he wrote in Comic Sans so that you would know he's serious," Matt Moore writes on a blog at CBSSports.com.

On a Washington Post blog, Michael Lee writes that Comic Sans only adds to the "ridiculous nature of the evening" on Thursday.

TechCrunch's Siegler, referring to the fonts made up mostly of symbols, said he will "await a LeBron response in Wingdings."

 

[Tomlinson21RB]

Fined 100K.

 

[Card Magnet]

Fined 100K.

Reallly?

 

[Tomlinson21RB]

Fined 100K.

Reallly?

YUP