Gilbert levelled his guns at James Thursday in a blistering verbal attack on the reigning NBA MVP for signing as a free agent with the Heat.
He described James as "selfish" and said his actions were a "cowardly betrayal" of his hometown.
"You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal," Gilbert said in the letter to the Cleveland fans. "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.
Gilbert said he couldn't believe that one of Cleveland's native sons would let down the city like this.
"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."
Not long after James' decision to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh with in Florida was announced, one of his jerseys was shown being burned in the city's streets.
"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," Gilbert wrote.
"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."
James says he felt "awful" about leaving Cleveland but he believes his chances of winning an NBA title are better in Miami.
"Winning is a huge thing for me," said James, who added he left more than 30 million dollars on the table by not re-signing with Cleveland.
4 comments:
I'm not surprised by the backlash over LeBron's decision to join the Heat. I'm from the O-State and there is no doubt in my mind that having him as a member of the Cavs did a whole lot to improve their overall status as a professional team. He was the draw for their ticket sales.
I can accept some disappointment, but this is a little extreme. LeBron is not Cleveland's savior. If they can win without him, great. I don't know how the owner can guarantee a championship. Personally I hoped that he would've stayed. The team wasn't terrible. They made it to the eastern conference finals. Sometimes you gotta press through.
But nevertheless, he was a free agent. He had enough foresight to create an opportunity like this for himself, to explore other options and not be kept in a box. It's not like he sought to get out of his contract.
WOW. Stuart Scott put in great perspective this morning when he said this is called "FREE AGENCY." Just like anyone else who is a free agent, he had the TOTAL right to pick and chose as he saw fit, without the need to explain himself to anyone or anything. Proud of the fact that he left his home state to venture out elsewhere. I hope he grows, matures, and finds all that his soul is calling for him to find on his journey.
The team is terrible and has always been. He is mad because the only way they got to the finals was with LeBron. He knows it will go back to business as usual (very low ticket sales and many empty seats). I am Glad he left. He has the right to experience the world while he is young. He doesn't owe Cleveland anything. God gave him his skills.
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