Larry Brown Sports

It took more than two years, but it appears that Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is finally beginning to think rationally as he continues to deal with the pain of losing LeBron James. As you likely remember, Gilbert wrote a hilarious letter to Cavs fans after LeBron signed with the Heat and emphatically guaranteed that Cleveland would win an NBA championship before LeBron won one.

LeBron is already the proud owner of a flashy NBA championship ring, and Gilbert now regrets making that promise.

“Looking back now, that probably was not the most brilliant thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Gilbert said Tuesday — the day LeBron got his shiny new ring — according to an Associated Press report.

“If you’re going to predict something that doesn’t happen and you’re going to do it publicly, you’d for sure take it back,” he continued. “When that happened when they won, it was the end of the end of the end of that whole thing. Now there’s nothing more to talk about. In a way it was like a little bit of a relief. If they didn’t win it, it would’ve been still another thing of who’s going to win it (first).”

There was nothing left to talk about back when Gilbert was trying to look into whether or not the Heat tampered with LeBron, but he was still hung up on it. Now that LeBron has won a championship and it probably won’t be his last, Gilbert really has to prove to the fans that he can get past losing one of the biggest stars in NBA history. He can start by focusing on his own team and his own team only.

As talks for that blockbuster, four-team proposed Dwight Howard deal have apparently stalled, it was reported on Tuesday that one of the involved teams — the Cavaliers — have become the hang up in the trade. One report says the Cavs are completely out. Another says they’re just wavering. Either way, it appears the Cavaliers are in some way holding the proposed trade hostage.

That’s no surprise to one anonymous NBA GM, who told Fox Sports’ Sam Amico that the Cavaliers have a reputation of being difficult:

East GM says Cavs least-favorite to deal with. “They irritate the crap out of everyone. But that means they’re being smart. I applaud them.”

— Sam Amico (@SamAmicoFSO) July 10, 2012

A team owned by Dan Gilbert “irritating the crap out of everyone”? I am shocked.

There was some speculation last month that LeBron James could one day return to the Cavs. Given the inconsiderate way LeBron left Cleveland, many people were outraged by the report. Well get ready Cleveland, because LeBron says he would be open to playing for the Cavs again.

“I think it would be great, it would be fun to play in front of these fans again,” James said after the Heat’s practice Thursday in Cleveland.

“I had a lot of fun times in my seven years here. You can’t predict the future. Hopefully I continue to stay healthy. I’m here as a Miami Heat player and I’m happy where I’m at now. But I don’t rule that out in no sense. If I decided to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me.”

LeBron is still signed for two more years by Miami and he has options for another two. He would still be young enough to continue playing five years from now, so a return to Cleveland could be possible. By then I think Cavs fans would be willing to give him a chance. LeBron says he thinks he could eventually reconcile with Dan Gilbert. The question is if the Cavs owner feels the same.

Convention says the Cleveland Cavaliers should take point guard Kyrie Irving with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Irving’s the safe pick, the “smart” choice, the guy who won’t send Cavs fans into the depths of agony again with a Decision-like defection. He’s the rebound girl.

He may not be “the one,” but at least he won’t break your heart.

The scouting report on Duke’s finest ranges from “above average NBA point guard” to “a one-car garage version of Chris Paul.” He’s the anti-LeBron James, a humble “sir” mumbler from a structured background and a pedigree school. He can run an offense and shoot the ball, but he won’t blow you away with his physical tools or his athleticism.

Having just had a long-term relationship go horribly wrong, a LeBron-type is exactly the type Cleveland is trying to avoid. They’re shell shocked. When LBJ took his talents to South Beach, it scarred them. Now they’d rather go with a “sure thing” than be challenged.

They don’t want to get hurt again.

Unfortunately, this is a mindset that’s leading them away from Derrick Williams, the most talented player in the draft and arguably its only true impact player. And that’s bad news because playing it safe never got anybody anywhere in the NBA. Just look at how the 2006 draft worked out for Toronto. Andrea Bargnani’s a good player, but he’s never going to lead the Raptors anywhere significant.

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Ron Artest supports the Lakers coaching hire of Mike Brown, his former coach in Indiana. Though Artest is disappointed that the players made it tough for Brian Shaw to be considered for the job because they fell apart in the playoffs, he thinks Mike Brown is a good coach. And he expressed his support in a way only Ron Artest can.

During an interview with Mason & Ireland on 710 KSPN in Los Angeles to talk about his hilarious prank by Jimmy Kimmel (watch the video here), Artest shared his thoughts on the Mike Brown hiring.

“I think it’s good,” Artest said. “Mike Brown is a guy who got LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers to the championship with just LeBron and a bunch of old ladies in canes. I don’t know how he did that, I don’t know how he did that, but he’s a great coach — I played for him in Indiana. He was a great defensive mind. Rick Carlisle did all of the offense, and Mike Brown did all of the defense.”

If you can get past the hilarious insult of the rest of the ’07 Cavaliers, Artest has some serious confidence in Brown. He also said that if he were more mature back in Indiana the team could have won some titles. Ron Ron also says he’s picking the Heat to win the Finals despite being down 3-2.

You look at his comments about the Cavs being a bunch of old ladies with canes and it’s no wonder he won a sportsmanship award this year. I’m also sure Larry Hughes, Damon Jones, Drew Gooden, and some of the other players from that squad will have some words for Ron next time they see him.

The Cleveland Cavaliers decided to have Nick Gilbert represent them at the NBA draft lottery Tuesday night. Nick is the son of Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, and the 14-year-old was born with a nerve disorder that causes tumors to grow anywhere in the body at any time. Not only did Nick raise awareness for Neurofibromatosis with his appearance, but he also won the hearts of viewers with his charisma. Oh yeah, he also picked up some nice street credit by throwing up what some people interpreted to be a gang sign.

For instance, Wizards center JaVale Mcgee, tweeting under his alter-ego of “Pierre,” wrote on twitter “He just thru up gang signs for the number 1 pick…. Dan Gilbert son a gangsta.”

Like I said, kid picked up some serious street cred with his appearance. Oh yeah, he also helped the Cavs (with his good luck?) get the #1 and #4 pick in the draft. The top pick came from the Clippers in the Baron Davis trade and it only had a 2.8% chance of winning. It’s OK, the Cavs will find a way to screw it up. If not because of their bad moves, but because the pick is partially cursed because of its ties to the Clippers.

Picture courtesy of Jose 3030 on twitter who is a must follow if you already aren’t.

The hate Clevelanders (or specifically Cavs owner Dan Gilbert) still harbor towards LeBron James is beyond unhealthy and is borderline disturbing obsession. After LeBron left for Miami in free agency, the Cavs owner ripped him in an open letter to the fans. Then when the Heat and Cavs played in Cleveland for the first time in December, the hate from the fans was evident in their posters, but the worst action was putting LeBron bobbleheads in the urinals.

No surprise, the petulant Dan Gilbert broke out a petty move on Tuesday. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports that “James was delayed in getting into the arena for the Miami Heat’s shootaround Tuesday morning when he arrived with a driver and a second car at the entrance of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ underground parking garage. Cavs spokesman Tad Carper said visiting NBA players are not normally given private car access to the underground garage, but exceptions are made when requests are made in advance.”

OK, so they’re standing behind the “they weren’t authorized line” which sounds fine to the public but we all know was an intended shot at LeBron. It’s petty, but it’s funny. The sad thing is this is all the Cavs have to hold over LeBron at this point, unless that is they can actually get revenge on the court. Un. Likely.