I must say I also find it odd that anyone would assume a mortgage company called ‘Quicken’ is doing pretty well these days.

Hopefully the team will be back in the Finals this year, Hickson will turn into a very good big man and LeBron will see enough continued potential to stay.

p.s. don’t tell anyone else this but…..cleveland winters suck far worse than montana winters.

And you said exactly what I said … those huge contracts came when the mortgage business was riding the gravy train. It’s not great anymore.

Gilbert is not going to commit to anything past 2010 without James’ commitment. And James will not commit until Gilbert commits. Which won’t happen until James commits. So it just ain’t going to work.

I mean, you live in Montana. At least a lot of Montana is worth looking at when you’re freezing your ass off, even though a good free agent would never sign there. Cleveland is not a destination city for a young rich dude in fall and winter, unless you enjoy living in an area resembling the End of Days. So it will always have to come in a trade, and Gilbert will not take on a contract past 2010.

It’s more likely that Elvis will show up to buy a Snickers bar at my local Speedway a few blocks from here. James is going to say the right stuff, he always does. But folks like me who really loved the NBA in Cleveland, even when Stepien was playing polka, should be very concerned about what happens to the franchise afterward. That’s where my sole concern lies. Because it’s not like the Browns, if the NBA leaves Cleveland, it’s going to be like Cincinnati, it’s never coming back.

1994-95 20,338
1993-94 18,383
1992-93 18,329
1991-92 16,522

twenty thou in 94-95. gee, i wonder why you didn’t list that one?

and “stuck with contracts”???? puuuuuuuuulllllllease!!!! the signings of hughes, mo williams and picking up ben wallace’s garbage contract say otherwise. all of which came after gilbert bought the team. also, mo williams is currently signed past 2010 so that is one investment gilbert has made past lebron’s current contract.

the cavs are currently in position to do what all these lebron hopefuls are trying to do now. the cavs can not only resign lebron for the most cash but they can afford another big name to go along with him. take a look for yourself! they owe peanuts past 2010!

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/cleveland.htm

quicken loans is doing a hell of a lot better than most of the industry because gilbert had the foresight to stop doing crap loans before the collapse. gilbert has yet to make his business public for a nice revenue grab or look for a buyer so i’m going to guess he is still doing fairly well. the cavs/lebron are making him some nice coin too. with lebron this team is staying in cleveland. if he leaves…well, see ya cavs!

James can win anywhere. Period. And Dolan is willing to spend a helluva lot more than Gilbert ever will, and has the supporting market for it. I mean, the Knicks were awful last season, but it didn’t stop them from averaging over 19,000. With that same team in Cleveland, all the fake loudspeaker noise in the world wouldn’t have faked anybody.

I don’t know what the world will be like in 2020, but we’re talking about 2010. If you’re going to be a world hero, saying “we’re living in the Internet Age” doesn’t pass muster. Seriously, George, that’s just dumb, bring Stepien’s name into the argument. That’s the NBA equivalent of ramming the name “Hitler” into an argument.

Nobody is willingly going to come to Cleveland, so Ferry will have to trade for players. But there is no way in hell an investment in talent is going to be made past 2010. So it’s a Catch-22. James won’t sign unless the talent is already there, but no investment is going to be made past 2010 unless James is already contractually committed so it warrants that kind of investment.

I’m far more concerned about the franchise subsequently moving than I am James leaving. As insanely great as that arena lease is, Gund was ready to pack up when they were drawing nothing but flies. Gilbert has no roots in Cleveland, a couple of seasons of sh*t attendance, and this franchise is gone like the wind. Diehard Cleveland Cavaliers fans who still attended games no matter how cruddy they were should be far more concerned about this. It’s a very realistic concern.

the cavs will draw with lebron. places like new orleans, charlotte and o.k.c. may be reconsidering nba basketball though. sacramento, portland and minnesota probably aren’t going to enjoy watching crap hoops very long either. no telling what 2010 will bring. but the cavs will still be the high bidder and if gilbert maintains this level of commitment then the cavs will always be playing to win.