Dan Gilbert fined...nobody surprised...

The NBA acted and acted quickly...okay...sort of quickly and fined Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert $100,000 for his comments about the LeBron Center/LeBronathon.

The story, from the Cleveland Plain-Dealer RIGHT HERE

((Dan Gilbert//Courtesy: WKYC-TV))

We also hope that Jesse Jackson will now go away. Not everything is what he thinks it is. Gilbert was angry and reacted that way. It doesn't make what he said right...but at least to most, he was the jilted lover who didn't even get the time of day before being left at the alter.

Commissioner David Stern also had a few thoughts about the person that Gilbert was hammering, one LeBron James. Stern, much like the rest of us, didn't have a huge issue with the fact that James decided to leave Cleveland, rather it was the way that he did it.

We've already posted our thoughts about one of PR's worst decisions, so we won't go into it. What we do hope is that the negative PR about what James...and in particular, his entourage did, will actually register, though we don't think it will. They really never thought it seems, that people would think that the "Decision" was a good idea. Why can't you just be classy and quietly tell the Cavaliers you are leaving and then show up and do a press conference in Miami the next day?

Anyway, enough, we are done reporting on this. This will be the last we talk about it. What is done is done, you can't change it, you just have to move on...and that's exactly what we are about to do.

In the meantime, check out this story about what Cleveland fans think about Jesse Jackson adding his 2-cents worth. Big thanks to WEWS-TV in Cleveland for this:

Gilbert Buries The Hatchet, Says LeBron Quit In Playoffs

((HT: NBA.com/cavaliers))

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert minced no words and pulled no punches after LeBron James decided to be the newest member of the Miami Heat. In an open letter, to his fans, he simply went off...

Among Gilbert's statements:

"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."

In a later interview with the AP, Gilbert claims his star/former star/former son of Ohio quit. This would be the game, in particular, that Gilbert is referring to where he feels James mailed it in...
Game 5 of the Celtics Series- the 32-point loss at home.
((HT: ESPN/NBAHDVideos))


The HQ thinks we're not done, yet...

Don't Say It's Izzo... Cleveland's New Coach...???

((HT: WLNS-TV Lansing))

A person familiar with the Cleveland Cavaliers' pursuit of Michigan State university head men's basketball coach Tom Izzo says the coach plans to visit Cleveland to discuss the team's coaching vacancy.

Izzo is expected to travel to Cleveland to meet with the Cavs and tour their facilities.

Two people in East Lansing said Izzo was on campus all morning. He is believed to be mulling a massive contract from the club worth up to $6 million per season.

According to ESPN, Izzo held a meeting with his Spartan players yesterday. Sources say that the players left the meeting with the vibe that Izzo would take the Cavs' job if it was offered to him.

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says the Cavs are still working more than the one angle with Izzo.Byron Scott seems to be on the radar as well, but Izzo is owner Dan Gilbert's number one.

Here's A "Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel" feature on the Izz...
Because, as we all know, nobody beats the Izz...
((HT: HBO Sports))

Gilbert Selling Cavs Stake To Chinese Group...?

((HT: Plain Dealer/Windhorst))

According to multiple sources within the Cavs, franchise majority owner Dan Gilbert has a tentative agreement in place to allow a group of Chinese investors to purchase a significant stake in the Cavaliers Operating Company, the entity that owns the Cavs and operates Quicken Loans Arena. The group is led by JianHua (Kenny) Huang, a Chinese businessman who has become successful by linking American and Chinese companies ((pictured, thanks Plain Dealer file)).

Huang and several of his partners were in Cleveland and attended Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference finals this week. He sat in Gilbert's courtside box Friday night and watched LeBron James hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to even the series with the Orlando Magic at one game apiece.

"Dan Gilbert has been approached multiple times over the past few years by investors that wanted to join the Cavs' ownership group," said Len Komoroski, Cavs and Quicken Loans Arena president said in a statement.

"This has recently happened again. As has been done previously, we're in the process of reviewing the possibility presented to us. Beyond that, we do not feel it would be appropriate to give further comment at this time."

Calls to Huang's company were not returned.

The direct impact of the move is securing the future of the franchise, which has been in a minority ownership flux for the last couple years as it loses millions in attempting to build a championship-quality team around James. It will not only mean an injection of capital but will open the Cavs to business in China. The move, which has been kept mostly secret in America, is being supported by the NBA as they have encouraged development in China.

The other effect, which is surely the more interesting side to Cavs fans, is how vital this new link could be for James -- providing a huge tie-in with an economy James is eager to tap.

One of the immediate impacts of Chinese part-ownership of the Cavaliers would be a much more aggressive marketing of LeBron James to Asia -- which could conceivably make it more attractive for James to stay with the team when his contract expires in the summer of 2010.Any team ownership transfer of more than five percent must be voted on by the NBA's Board of Governors following background and financial checks.

If the deal comes to fruition and is approved by team owners, it could help to remarkably strengthen James' relationship with the Chinese fans and consumers that he's been working to reach for the last four years.

Huang, who has been working with the Cavs for the last two years in securing Chinese sponsorship through one of this companies, would represent a direct link between hundreds of millions of Chinese basketball fans and James. If the deal comes off, Chinese fans could start to feel a connection to James and it could expand his business interests by remaining with the Cavs past next season when his contract with the team expires.

In other words, there is great potential in being with a franchise that has a deep relationship to China -- likely even more so than just playing in the largest market in America. There has been intense speculation that James will be attracted to playing in New York because of the business opportunities.

"You have to think globally," James said recently of his business interests. "I have a lot of fans in China and they're important to me."