Written by Ben Golliver at SI.com
There were no winners when LeBron James and Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert parted ways in 2010, only dueling off-putting caricatures that took years to fade. On one side, James was painted as a me-first superstar who thought nothing of embarrassing his home team and state on national television. On the other, Gilbert lived down to the worst stereotypes of an entitled and scorned billionaire owner by publicly lobbing personal potshots at his former franchise player.
But if James decides to leave Cleveland for a second time, he will not find himself stuck in another public relations stalemate with the Quicken Loans founder. No, by refusing to re-sign David Griffin, Cleveland’s popular GM, Gilbert just gave James the perfect cover story if he wants to bail for LA or parts unknown next summer.
While Gilbert painted the decision as “mutual” in a press release and Griffin copped to “fit” issues in a text to ESPN.com, this one can’t be swept under the rug. Not when James publicly endorsed Griffin in recent months. Not when Gilbert prevented Griffin from interviewing for other since-filled front office vacancies around the league. Not when Gilbert has once again parted with an executive during an ownership tenure marked by persistent front-office turnover. Not when an organization whose very motto is “All In” apparently couldn’t come to terms financially with the executive who constructed the only title-winner in the franchise’s 47-year history. And not when James followed up reports that he was “disappointed” and “shocked” by Griffin’s departure with a read-between-the-lines message of support.
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