Great but Scary Article

[Karma]

Cavs owner focusing on wrong clock

By Tom Reed

Cavaliers owner and amateur prop comic Dan Gilbert was last seen at Gund Arena handing new coach Mike Brown a souvenir clock.

It was Gilbert's way of showing the former Indiana Pacers assistant he would be given time to succeed. Get it?

Someone might want to ply Gilbert with another useful tool for measuring time. It's called a calendar.

The official start to the NBA's free-agency period is July 1. In truth, savvy player agents already are negotiating deals with general managers and presidents of basketball operations from the league's 30 teams.

The Cavaliers are the only franchise without a full-time front office in place. They have roughly $25 million in cap space -- the second most available behind the Atlanta Hawks -- and no general manager or team president on board to spend it.

Eight days away from the most crucial week of the LeBron James era and the Cavaliers' house resembles the morning after a Delta toga party.

You think Detroit Pistons coach Larry Brown, the man rumored to be the Cavaliers' next president, woke up today focused on selling the merits of Cleveland to free agents Michael Redd or Ray Allen? :chuckles:

Michael, I've got a little thing I need to attend to tonight, but let's talk soon. Did I tell you Dan Gilbert is putting in new wine-colored seats at The Gund?

By courting the likes of Larry Brown and San Antonio Spurs executive Danny Ferry, Gilbert is waiting until the last minute to finalize the Cavaliers' brain trust.

The NBA Finals have played out to a decisive seventh game. The Cavaliers can't make a formal announcement until the weekend at the earliest -- if indeed Brown and Ferry are their management team. The ailing Brown is expected to visit the Mayo Clinic and might meet with the New York Knicks about their coaching vacancy.

Tick, tick, tick. The shot clock is winding down and the Cavaliers haven't called a play.

Can a team make an immediate impact through free agency?

Absolutely. Look at the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns the past two years. Each has made major strides. Neither was in the process of rebuilding its front office.

The Suns reached a deal to acquire reigning league Most Valuable Player Steve Nash within hours of the July 1, 2004, deadline. They secured Quentin Richardson not long after. The good players will go quickly.

The Cavaliers need more than a max-contract shooting guard. They must hit on second- and third-tier free agents, as well. The importance of the coming weeks can't be overstated. It might serve as the franchise's last opportunity to overhaul the roster with James on it.

What are the strategies and contingency plans? How do they divvy up the free-agent money? What will they do with Zydrunas Ilgauskas? Will Redd or Allen come to Cleveland as a second offensive option?

New Cavaliers management could have formulated answers several weeks ago had Gilbert hired other viable candidates such as Indiana Pacers executive David Morway, Denver Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe or promoted interim Cavaliers GM Mark Warkentien.

Do you think agents are negotiating behind the scenes seriously with Warkentien not knowing if he will be calling the shots or even be a part of the organization in two weeks? The uncertainty is undermining his efforts.

Gilbert might have under-the-table agreements with Brown and Ferry, but neither man has been in a position to give the Cavaliers his undivided attention.

The owner's infatuation with Brown would be more understandable if the outstanding coach had front-office experience. He doesn't. Brown is impatient. He is a congenital waffler. He still loves to coach. These are not good traits for an NBA executive.

He also doesn't have time to grow into the position. A possible league-wide lockout, which might have temporarily postponed the free-agent period, has been averted. That's good news for everyone long term, but the immediate effect could be detrimental to the Cavaliers.

Tick, tick, tick. Cavaliers coach Mike Brown can only look at his new clock and hope his owner's gamble pays off before time expires.

Beacon Journal

Just echoeing our concerns.

 

[Glen Infante]

Did I tell you Dan Gilbert is putting in new wine-colored seats at The Gund?

I love the blue seats.

 

[LyXo]

Whatever dude, maroon seats would be pimp

 

[TruBuckeye22]

the Gund needs new score boards too, those new fangled video boards that always shopw the Cavaliers winning would be nice.

 

[TrueCavsFan23]

they would actually match our colors!

 

[PIP]

break the whole thing down.......

we need new seats, scoreboard, and more important then all a HYPED PREGAME INTRO...... that pistons intro was nice........

we need that pyro show- with explosions, smoke ect...... i know that atmosphere gets the pistons hype before the game..........

 

[cavincali]

do the seats at the gund have padding???

 

[Glen Infante]

Yes, every seat in Gund Arena is padded. Wine seats would match our scheme, but I have grown onto the current blue seats and I see them as a symbol of what Gund Arena is.

The blue seats have been there since the building has been built and i will be sad to see them go. I feel it makes the place looks energetic, bright, and vibrant. They compliment the wine and gold bringing out the wine and gold on the floor.

Meh, must be an artboy vision thing I have...

 

[Cleveland56]

those blue seats were ugly. Very happy to see them go. And they are also putting in new scoreboard systems and other stuff. Gilbert has put $10 million into the Gund. Now we just need to change the name of the arena...