It's Time to Forgive Dan Gilbert

[LyXo]

Cavs Fans: It's Time To Forgive Dan Gilbert
By Amar Panchmatia
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Aug 20, 2005, 07:30

He has been called a lot of things in five months. Meddlesome. Shallow. Clueless. Arrogant. Tyrannical. Snobby. Look through a dictionary, and chances are that Cavs fans have used up the entire book on describing new majority owner Dan Gilbert.

Impatience has been a tragic flaw of Cleveland sports fans these days. You can't blame them, since the city hasn't won anything of significance since the 1964 Browns captured the NFL championship. Since then, the city has seen championship caliber teams like the Browns and Cavs of the '80's as well as the Indians of the '90's come crashing down to choke jobs and botched opportunities that have been immortalized forever. All you need to hear are the words "The Drive," "The Shot," and the mere reference of the Florida Marlins to understand what I'm talking about. Add to it the fact that cheap owners such as current Tribe owner Larry Dolan, former Cavs owner Gordon Gund, and the always-diabolical (outside of Baltimore, that is) Art Modell considered the thickness of their wallet to be primary to the competitiveness of their franchises.

Cleveland just hadn't gotten it right. Despite true die-hard fans who are as passionate and knowledgeable as any in the country, the city is a backwards sports town.

Gilbert is in the initial steps of changing all of that, despite the heap of insults and scrutiny thrown at him almost immediately after buying the team for an unprecedented $375 million. After coming on to the scene, he weathered a massive mudslinging session directed his way by fans and media alike, wiped the dirt off his face, got up, and continued to proceed with the long-term championship dream he had for his organization.

The 42-year old CEO and co-founder of Quicken Loans, the Michigan-based company that is also the nation’s top online mortgage lender, has already committed a maximum contract to LeBron James once the Cavaliers icon is due for a contract extension next summer. To casual bystanders, that may not seem like a big deal, as anybody can see why the Cavs would throw as much money as possible at James to ensure that he stays a Cavalier for his entire career. But for Cleveland fans who had been through it all, the commitment spoke volumes. To hear that money from the organization's side of things would not be a factor in keeping a star player in Cleveland had to warm the hearts of the city's fans. For a town that had seen the Cleveland Indians get outbid for the services of stars Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, and Jim Thome, effectively decimating the nucleus of a team that was on the verge of a world championship in the 1990's, one can see why committing max dollars to James a year in advance was a revolutionary move in the Rock 'n Roll city.

Firing head coach Paul Silas (unlike the termination of general manager Jim Paxson, who deserved it) was met with a firestorm of controversy and skepticism. It was just a process of taking one step back to take two steps forward. While Gilbert didn't land Phil Jackson, Larry Brown, or even Flip Saunders on his team's sideline or front office, he did come away with two gems named Danny Ferry and Mike Brown. Many Cavs followers remember Ferry for being a bust as a player for the organization for ten seasons. But those same fans now can correlate his involvement with the team with the free agent signings of Larry Hughes and Donyell Marshall, along with the re-signing of All-Star center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Brown, like Ferry, is a novice to his current job title, but he hasn't had a chance to prove himself yet like Ferry has. If he enjoys the same kind of success as Ferry has, nobody in Cleveland will remember Paul Silas anymore.

Also worth noting: with the business acumen of Gilbert, whose company, Quicken Loans/Rock Financial, was named to Fortune Magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list, and an emerging executive like Ferry, fans can expect to never again see gaffes like "Carlos Boozer-gate" pulled by Gordon Gund and Jim Paxson last year.

Then there is the question of the Cavs' stomping grounds. Yes, the name "Gund Arena" has been replaced by "Quicken Loans Arena." As promised, Gilbert didn't make the name ridiculous and kept it classy. It is now the first sports venue in Cleveland to don the name of a corporate sponsor. Even though Gilbert's own company endorses the arena, no other team in the city's history had been able to capitalize off of the benefits which come from the phenomenon of having a corporation sponsor a facility. Whether it be from interior funds or from the advertising Gilbert will get from the arena's name, he has continued to take steps into making the Cavaliers, once the laughingstock of the NBA, into a world-class organization.

In addition, Gilbert is already planning on giving the 10-year old arena a facelift this early into its existence. Gone will be the hideous light-blue seats that clash with the team's current color scheme and remind fans of the horrendous several years before the "LeBron era" began. In will be new wine-colored seats, a color which makes sense, along with a new state-of-the-art scoreboard which will have many breakthrough features in addition to an HDTV video screen. Sure, the amenities in an arena really don't matter when it comes to what does: wins and losses. But try forming an argument saying how Mark Cuban's involvement in making the American Airlines Center in Dallas into an unbelievable facility (one prospective free agents look forward to playing in night in and night out) hasn't contributed to the Mavericks' resurrection. You'll have quite a hard time.

And that's what Gilbert has done: pay attention to details. How else can you explain bringing on R&B superstar Usher Raymond as a co-owner? Usher's enthusiasm paralleled Gilbert's, and both saw the prospect of investing in the Cavaliers as a goldmine. Despite the addition of James, there was nowhere to go but up for a franchise that was star-crossed throughout its history until one fateful night in Secaucus, New Jersey on draft lottery night in 2003. But realizing that they were already at a disadvantage by fielding a small-market team looking to fight for a share of the bright lights, they have taken the necessary steps to make a reasonable transition into what might inevitably be one of the league's flagship teams in a decade.

Pretty good read.

I just want to add something about the Paul Silas firing. I know I've said it before, but it's worth bringing back up.

I was pretty surprised when I found out about it, but not really. I had been talking about how Silas was terrible for the past few weeks, and finally it had been justified. When I watched the news, each and every sports analyst was bashing Gilbert for being rash, impatient, and whimsical. Easiest things to say. "I do not agree with the firing now, he should have waiting til the end of the season." Blah, blah blah.

Although their argument holds merit, it's the easiest criticism they could come up with. If they looked at the big picture, they would see that it was not worth keeping Silas around. He was failing and was due for a firing.

Let's just take a look at this scenario. What if Silas was retained for the full season? Say that happened, and we had a bit of a turnaround and squeaked into the playoffs? Remember, Silas' goal at the beginning of the season was to get to the playoffs. That was everyone's goal. Make it to the playoffs, first round sweep, let's regroup for next year. What then? How much harder would it be to fire a guy that met his objective? I would assume there would be more controversy if you fired a "successful" coach over a slumping one.
With Silas at the helm, McInnis would probably still be around, hankering for a large contract. Among other things that could have went sorely wrong with Silas influencing decisions.

Silas was clearly not part of the mold that Gilbert wanted to create, and rightfully so. The head coach position is one of the most vocal of them all, one that is always in the media, with the character of the team being reflected off of him. Did we want a guy that would bash current and former players? Can't make chicken salad with chicken-you-know-what? See you next Tuesday? It may be hilarious, but it shows a complete lack of class. That's not what we want.

So Gilbert made the right decision, from all perspectives. Perhaps he should have waited and tried to get some playoff experience for our team, but Amar put it perfectly: we took a step back to take two steps forward.

 

[KI4MVP]

Gibert was impatient with people he didn't put in place. If that is isolated, then it's okay - if he shows the same impatience now that he's hand picked people to run the team, then there is a problem.

 

[LyXo]

I don't think that will be the case, LJ4MVP.

Kenny Natt is still around from the previous coaching staff.
Warkentein remains part of the front office.
Several scouts are still there.

He's choosing people that fits his mold, regardless of where they're from or their history.

 

[E-Light]

Several scouts are still there..

Really? Who? I thought Ferry fired the entire scouting department. :chuckles:

 

[KI4MVP]

I don't think that will be the case, LJ4MVP.

Kenny Natt is still around from the previous coaching staff.
Warkentein remains part of the front office.
Several scouts are still there.

He's choosing people that fits his mold, regardless of where they're from or their history.

my point was he had no say in who was running the team last year so it is perhaps understandable that after spending the money he did that he may not have patience with the people who were here. He made the calls on who is running the team - I would expect him to have a bit more patience this year.

 

[MHSpecialist]

lyXo nice article posted and nice comments. I agree with you. I think Gilbert got way too much flack from the media hacks. Silas was itching to be fired. No one would have complained about it if we would've made it to the playoffs anyway. For whatever its worth, I've heard that Silas was a bit of an A-hole. I work with someone who is good friends with Z, and she said that Silas hated Z and was very disrespectful to him. She said one time they got in an argument and Z told him to F-off. She also told me that Z was very upset when he heard that Sarunas signed w/ Indy. She said Z said "He's dead to me." She's supposed to be getting me some Stretch Z's and bobbleheads. Sorry to go off on a tangent, but thought it was interesting. Anyways, back on topic, I think Gilbert is going to do whatever he can to bring a championship to Cleveland along with making the Q an awesome place to watch a game. I can't wait.

 

[CleveRocks]

Silas tanked when he realized he was not part of the long term plan, but firing him hurt this years team. They were not going to make the playoffs without Silas, they needed only one more game to make the playoffs with Silas. And the Playoffs would have been good for us and for Lebron..

Mcinnis could hanker all he wants, but we would have sent him and Silas on thier way anyway. It simply woudl have been less distracting for the team.

But that is behind and we should leave it there. We are what we are and we are moving in a hopeful direction. The test will come after the jump ball..

 

[Kypus]

lshe said that Silas hated Z and was very disrespectful to him. She said one time they got in an argument and Z told him to F-off. She also told me that Z was very upset when he heard that Sarunas signed w/ Indy. She said Z said "He's dead to me."

Meaning Sarunas right?

 

[Maximus]

She also told me that Z was very upset when he heard that Sarunas signed w/ Indy. She said Z said "He's dead to me."

That's a phrase Z uses often....it's just his sense of humor. Sarunas was in Cleveland last week staying with Z.

 

[MHSpecialist]

She also told me that Z was very upset when he heard that Sarunas signed w/ Indy. She said Z said "He's dead to me."

That's a phrase Z uses often....it's just his sense of humor. Sarunas was in Cleveland last week staying with Z.

That's how I gathered it to mean, it sounded joking when she told me that.

 

[Kypus]

Good to hear he was joking around then. I would understand if he was upset for real, it sounds like Z did everything he could to get his buddy here. It just didn't work out.

 

[bob2the2nd]

one of the probelms with todays sports is no one is given a chance, and if the media doesnt like the first couple of moves that are made then that person is made into a villian, like Gilbert was. Most of the vilification was done by the media, and unfortionatly fans are easily swayed. I would say most of the people on this board never felt like Gilbert was bad and was only doing what was required, I think this article was more about the media saying they forgive dan rather than what most fans believed.

 

[TyGuy]

I never worried about mr. gilbert, what i liekd about him all along was he had deep pocketbooks. He seemed liek a smart guy, so as soon as he got himself a good gm, he has stuck in the background just dishing out the pay dirt like he is suppsoe to

 

[Kypus]

Here's an older article that talks about the lengths Gilbert and Ferry went to in retaining Z, flew to LAX airport to catch him before his vacation. And Mike Brown bought flowers for Z's wife- haha!
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14967129&BRD=1698&PAG=461&dept_id=21848&rfi=6

Gilbert is so proactive compared to the Gund regime. I didn't agree with the timing of Silas' firing, but the media got carried away with what he did in 1 week. To me there was nothing he needed to be "forgiven" for.

Gilbert and Brown surprise Ilgauskas at Los Angeles airport

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Cavaliers coach Mike Brown had no idea cloak-and-dagger activity would fall under his job description.
He joined forces with Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and went undercover to help reel in Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas in free agency.
Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry was brainstorming and asked Brown and Gilbert - who were at the summer league in Las Vegas at the time - to show their appreciation to the 7-foot-3, 260-pounder.
Ilgauskas was about to leave on vacation to the Far East, but he had yet to agree on a contract. Brown and Gilbert flew to Los Angeles International Airport to meet up with Z before he left the country with his wife, Jennifer.
"We zoom off to LAX," Brown said. "We land and get off our plane and Howard Schultz is there."
Schultz owns Starbucks and the Seattle SuperSonics. The Sonics had plenty of cap space at the time, and both immediately thought Schultz was there for the same reason they were - to recruit Ilgauskas.
"Dan gets excited," Brown said. "We have to go undercover. We're panicking. Dan says, 'I'm going to go investigate.' We walk over to Howard. 'What are you doing here?' He doesn't tell us anything. Howard gets in a car, and we're right behind him. Dan tells the driver, 'Stay behind that car!' I think I'm in 'Spy Kids III.' "
They soon realized Schultz wasn't there to corral Z and head to the terminal. But they ran into another obstacle.
When they tried to go through security - they both purchased first-class, one-way tickets about a half-hour earlier - red flags went up.
"Maybe because I'm better looking, but they let me through," Brown said. "(Gilbert is) stuck back there. They have his shirt off, his shoes off."
Brown got through security, but realized they had gone to the wrong terminal.
"Z's at the international terminal," Brown said. "We missed him."
So Brown and Gilbert took a shuttle to the international terminal. Along the way, Brown purchased an "I Love You" balloon and some roses for Z's wife. Gilbert walked behind him a couple paces to make sure no one got any strange ideas.
They finally met up with Ilgauskas and his wife.
"(Jennifer) was floored," Brown said. "We sat down and had lunch with them. I truly believe our connection between Dan and Z and his wife and myself helped in the whole process."
Soon thereafter, Ilgauskas and the Cavaliers agreed on a five-year contract worth an estimated $53.4 million. It reportedly starts at $9.2 million for the 2005-06 season.
Ilgauskas, Larry Hughes (five years, $59.7 million) and Donyell Marshall (four years, $22 million) have all agreed on contracts with the Cavaliers. Ferry said none of the players have officially signed their contracts. Hughes and Marshall will attend a press conference at Quicken Loans Arena at 12:15 p.m. Thursday.
The venue formerly known as Gund Arena has a new name, even though the old signs are still in place. The official naming rights were purchased by Quicken Loans, Gilbert's online mortgage company, for an undisclosed amount. There was no official announcement on the transaction, and it's unsure when it will become official.
The NBA's moratorium was lifted at noon on Tuesday. The Cavaliers will spend an estimated $135 million on the three free agents. After their spending spree this summer, the Cavaliers have about $3.7 million remaining under the salary cap.
Ferry insisted that his first priority in free agency was Hughes and not Bucks shooting guard Michael Redd.
"Before Michael Redd came to town, we had already gone pretty far down the road with Larry," he said. "An agreement was made that night after we sat down with Michael. (Hughes) wanted to be in Cleveland and wanted to be a part of what's going on here."
The Bucks offered about $22 million more than the Cavaliers could offer Redd.
"We moved on before (Redd) could make his decision," Ferry said. "We were fighting an uphill battle with the difference in money."
Brown also took a road trip to St. Louis to meet with Hughes and his family.
"I had a chance to meet his wife and kids," he said. "I rolled on the floor and played with (the kids). Then (Brown and Hughes) spent some quality time, talking about X's and O's, and about things off the court. After speaking with him, you sense his will and desire to be the best. He showed character to me. We want good character people here."
Ferry said the Cavaliers were never even in the ballpark with Sonics guard Ray Allen. The other top-flight shooting guard, Phoenix's Joe Johnson, was a restricted free agent. That was too risky for the Cavaliers, since the Suns could match any offer made to Johnson.
The Cavaliers are still in the market for a point guard and met with unrestricted free agent Damon Jones on Monday. Ferry said he's been offered a contract.
Jones might ask for the rest of the money the Cavaliers have left under the cap.

 

[The Oi]

Sounds like a lot of ineptitude at the airport!! At least they eventually got to Z though. Hope our team doesnt take such a roundabout route to success.

Id be interested to know what caliber of girl Z is married too. What does J-Ill look like?