Nobody is saying Dan Gilbert is a war criminal or on the same level as Donald Sterling. That being said, it is like rooting against Kentucky because of Calipari or having Bo Ryan get on your nerves. This thread is basically people saying why they will cheer for or cheer against the Cavs. I am in the "cheering against the Cavs" camp for various reasons:
(1) As pointed out by pbiflyer, Gilbert only apologized for the scathing letter because LeBron wanted to come back. The letter was posted on the Cavs website and taken down just this week. Pat Riley released a statement yesterday thanking LeBron and saying nobody can fault a guy for going home. Riley, internally, was likely upset like Gilbert was in 2010. However, Riley took the high road.
(2) The Cavs fans are just pathetic. In 2010, it was as if life would end for that city. "How will we move on!" "Our King has left us!"Get a grip Cleveland. Marquette had Tom Crean and Buzz Williams leave, 2 coaches highly admired when they left, but Marquette is bigger than any 1 person and the fans quickly move on and look to bigger and better things. Not that Crean or Buzz were on the same level as LeBron, but the point stands. That is part of it for me, the Cleveland fan base show themselves to be a bunch of wimps.
(3) While I do not doubt LeBron truly admires his hometown state and the team that drafted him.....that all existed in 2010 when he left. LeBron said this was about more than basketball. I think it has a lot to do with basketball. Cleveland now has some young, upcoming talent (Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins). Miami has a 32 year-old hall of famer in D Wade, but a D Wade with bad knees and a questionable remaining future in basketball. This is about LeBron and basketball, as much as he would like to point to everything else.
(4) As a Wade and Miami fan since Wade was drafted in 2003, it was annoying how LeBron and Bosh were sort of ridiculed for joining Wade in 2010. LeBron was criticized for having to join an already NBA champion to get a ring. Now, the national media (ESPN) is in love with this story. ESPN wants fans to get behind LeBron and Cleveland. I don't get it, no thanks ESPN.
1. The letter was off the site years ago.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/dan-gil...011753257.html
2. Many fanbases would do the same thing.
3. Perhaps...but lots of athletes do the same thing.
4. Don't watch ESPN. It's not that hard.
(1) There was a remnant link found on the NBA website that was taken down this week. The point remains he wrote what he wrote which is pathetic.
(2) Your opinion, not a fact. I disagree.
(3) 2010, it was because he could not win in Cleveland. 2014, because he is concerned he will not be able to win in Miami. Just be upfront about it.
(4) ESPN was an example, they are at the forefront, but many other sources embracing and cheering LeBron back to Cleveland. The same way there seemed to be criticism of the big 3 teaming up in 2010. There will be plenty of people not cheering for LeBron and Cleveland.