Dan Gilbert doesn’t seem to be too worried about LeBron James’ potential departure in free agency this offseason.
In a recent episode of ESPN’s “The Hoop Collective,” veteran NBA writer Brian Windhorst spoke on the Cleveland Cavaliers owner’s confidence level about a possible future for his team without the four-time MVP.
“Dan Gilbert believes that he can build a championship team without LeBron, and I think he is looking forward to trying,” said Windhorst. “I don’t think he necessarily wants it to be next year, but I do think Dan Gilbert would like to maybe make a run of it.”
It’s an assertion that probably seems laughable to most given that James is widely seen as the best player on the planet and the sole reason that the Cavs, who otherwise looked like a lottery team, even made it to the Finals this year. Furthermore, when James left Cleveland for the Miami Heat in 2010, the Cavs went 97-215 (.311) in their four seasons without him and never once made the playoffs, despite winning the No. 1 overall draft pick twice over that span.
The circumstances are obviously a bit different this time, but Cleveland’s roster aside from James is aging, overpriced, and almost entirely devoid of any meaningful long-term assets other than the No. 8 pick in this year’s draft. We have heard however of at least one move the Cavs might pursue if James leaves, so Gilbert is more than welcome to try his luck and see how he does.
H/T SLAMOnline
