Pre-training camp updates
Posted September 27th, 2006 by Brian Windhorst
I spent a few hours at Quicken Loans Arena yesterday working on a few stories, some of which you’ll be seeing in the paper and online this week leading up to training camp. Most of the players have been working out for a week or more. Larry Hughes was on the court working on his jumper and he seemed to be in good shape. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao were working together. Sasha Pavlovic was there, he’s put in a lot of work in Cleveland over the summer. Luke Jackson is working his way back into shape after last spring’s back surgery. I’ve also seen Donyell Marshall and Eric Snow working out along with the rookies (Shannon Brown and Daniel Gibson) plus some of the free agents who will be in training camp.
I got a tour of the re-designed front offices, which I am told Dan Gilbert spent $3 million on. The old offices were very nice and all, but Gilbert said he felt it was too much like a law office so he re-did them. Basicly, he took all the bosses who had large offices along the windows and moved them to smaller offices in the interior of the building. Then he ripped down all the walls and put the majority of the employees into desks with natural light coming from the windows. There are lots of flat screen tvs everywhere and lots of sleek conference rooms done in a basketball theme. There’s even a spiral staircase with lighted glass steps that will change colors. There are lots of murals on the walls featuring teamwork themes and, as a special touch, basketball hoops on walls throughout the building. Damon Jones will be glad to find out there’s a huge picture of him getting piled on after he made the shot to beat the Wizards in last season’s playoffs.
Downstairs the Cavs have a brand new floor (pictured, click on it for a full-size view), which is supposed to not be as reflective. Fans watching on TV complained about the new LCD boards causing moving reflections on the floor during the game. I think for the third consecutive year, the lounge for players’ families and friends is being totally remodeled. Also, they’ve put in new underground suites that don’t even have a view of the court and are under the stands. To make room, the media was booted from its long-standing courtside seats and from its media room (they gave us a much smaller one with no bathroom). Sort of tells you what the Cavs think about us, eh? They don’t need us as much when things are going well.
Just wanted to give you an update. Look for a story tomorrow on Anderson Varejao and one this weekend on Shannon Brown, who allowed Beacon Journal columnist Tom Reed to hang out with him and his family earlier this summer at his house near Chicago and at his old high school.
September 27th, 2006 at 7:34 pm
love the new floor. why no pictures, brian?
September 28th, 2006 at 9:21 am
Brian, is it possible that part of the reason that Dan Gilbert is spending so much money updating the Cav’s physical facilities is to create a work atmosphere for LaBron James that would rival those in the BIG markets? (including even the Cavs’ office that he and his agent might walk through at times.) Those expenditures are not subject to the luxury tax. The upscale surroundings would also make the players and each employee feel that they are part of something special, which they seem to be. The feeling of riding a successful wave tends to increase productivity.
September 28th, 2006 at 12:58 pm
It’s a whole lot easier to move the furniture around than it is to find and sign talent. Bonzi Wells would have been a nice second scoring option for a year or so.
September 28th, 2006 at 1:38 pm
Ro, why in the world would James care about stuff designed to make a fan’s “experience” better or the experience of Scot Pollard’s girlfriends better? James is coddled anyway, if he wanted something for his own needs and/or the needs of his posse and his business buddies, all he needs to do is send his agent and/or one of his lackeys to make his request. It would take less than three seconds before his personal wish is granted.
With all that being said, Larry hit the nail on the head. It’s a shame that James is going to eventually get his rings, but the jeweler will be doing the fittings during orgy breaks in Jay-Z’s mansion.
It’s a helluva lot wiser to write-off IRS business expenses by renovating a room than it is to write-off nothing by signing talent to improve a ballclub. Gilbert didn’t get to where he is by being a dummy.
Hey, how’s Z’s kettlebell training progressing?
September 28th, 2006 at 3:45 pm
“It’s a helluva lot wiser to write-off IRS business expenses by renovating a room than it is to write-off nothing by signing talent to improve a ballclub. Gilbert didn’t get to where he is by being a dummy.”
Actually, you can amortize and deduct the cost of player contracts over the life of the contract. Given the likelihood that some of the renovations are capital expenditures, there’s probably little difference, if any, in the value of the write-off. In fact, you can deduct the player contracts faster.
September 28th, 2006 at 5:45 pm
Anon, Gilbert doesn’t want to pay luxury taxes, amongst his other tendencies when it comes to the failures to improve the talent level. Ya can’t write off luxury taxes.
Furthermore, any clever accountant can claim legitimate deductions. No doubt almost everything Gilbert’s authorized is going to find itself deducted in some fashion.
The guy is far more concerned with milking the dollars of corporate donors and cronies than he is with improving the “experience” of the average Joe Fan. When’s the last time anybody in this blog could afford to plant their butts in a Q suite, let alone the other fancypants amenities that nobody here will ever see? The man is smoke and mirrors, and his media coaches have done an excellent job working with him to teach him how to manage an alliance with the local sports media. With the exception of his canning of media favorite Reghi, he’s off-limits these days.
September 28th, 2006 at 8:55 pm
Actually, you can deduct luxury taxes too. Of course, a deduction is only a 35% government subsidy of the expense. You’re far better off avoiding the expense altogether. You at least receive something for your money when you remodel the offices. With luxury tax money, it just goes to improve your competitors.
September 29th, 2006 at 5:25 am
Luxury tax money is also improving your own team, assuming you’ve signed the right players.
And creating a team that has established a tradition of winning championships might be a wiser investment than remodeling, especially if you’re obsessively remodeling three years in a row.
September 29th, 2006 at 7:49 am
When you’re “obsessively” remodeling three years in a row, common sense dictates there’s far more associated with his compulsion than just interior decorating madness. If there’s a clever underlying way to improve his own bottom line rather than improving the team, that guy won’t hesitate to do it.
Now that I think about it, rather than making a gambit for the Brewers, he should have made a bid for the Reds. In some respects, Gilbert has a bit of that Marge Schott swagger.
September 29th, 2006 at 9:02 am
“Luxury tax money is also improving your own team, assuming you’ve signed the right players.”
That last bit is the rub, isn’t it? Many, if not most teams, paying the luxury tax, do so because of one or more bad contracts rather than the collection of good contracts. The Knicks are constantly trying to buy themself out of their current death spiral with new bad contracts to replace the old bad contracts. Sort of like Eric Snow replacing Kevin Ollie.
September 29th, 2006 at 9:41 am
Hopefully Dan Gilbert’s motive behind the media room situation was looking at a picture of your counterpart Branson Wright. Make sure you send him a thank you card. If the media isn’t behind them, then who is?
September 29th, 2006 at 11:55 am
Bringing up the Knicks and their payroll fiascos is like invoking the name of Hitler. It’s emotionally persuasive, but that’s about it.
September 29th, 2006 at 4:27 pm
Orgy break, everybody!
September 29th, 2006 at 7:26 pm
when reading tucker’s comments on this blog oh, these many months the only thing that comes to mind is what U.S. general tommy franks once said in reference to under sec. of defense doug feith: “he is the f***ing stupidest guy on the face of the earth.”
sorry if this is too much for some here but i calls ‘em like i sees ‘em…ha!
September 30th, 2006 at 4:04 am
I concur, Tucker is a stupid f***er
September 30th, 2006 at 6:46 am
You know, Tucker’s comments used to make me laugh. He was crazy, but usually funny. Ever since he’s gotten on this LeBron to NYC tirade he’s become boring and repetitive. Tucker, just get off it and return to your all-around witty hatred of everything. You can always refresh your LBJ to Brooklyn crusade three years from now, it’s not going anywhere.
September 30th, 2006 at 11:00 am
look, guys, i was actually *just kidding* about tucker. i don’t wanna drag this comments section down into expletives aimed at tucker. i just thought my post would be seen as a kind of *obviously* over-the-top joke post.
now, i do think that tucker is completely wrong about most everything he says vis-a-vis the cavs…
October 3rd, 2006 at 7:17 pm
KJ, don’t feel too bad I happen to agree with you about Tucker - he is wrong about most everything that he spews. I got the joke
Jamie
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