Cavs owner reflects on his reaction to LeBron James' decision, the coaching and front-office changes and his expectations for the season.
"We certainly have expectations that this team will compete," said Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert prior to Wednesday's season opener. "And when I say compete, compete for a playoff spot and then you never know what can happen."CLEVELAND, Ohio -- "The Chosen One" era is over. The Cavaliers' motto, "All for One and One for All," is a bit more pronounced on team logos, promotions and billboards.
One chapter ended as the new one begins, Wednesday night against Boston. A few days before the Cavs' opener, owner Dan Gilbert reflected on his reaction to LeBron James' decision, the coaching and front-office changes and his expectations for the season.
Q: It seems you've been kind of under the radar and invisible since the LeBron James decision. Was that intentional?
A: Well, you know, the summer we've been very busy. I've been very busy. The franchise has been busy. So a lot of that is there's no games and I'm not in Cleveland as often, either. So I wouldn't say it's too intentional.
Q: In retrospect, any regrets about your public reaction to the James decision?
A: My letter was to the fans and supporters of Cleveland. People get a little confused because they think it was a general statement to the world or even to LeBron or to whoever. It really was to the fans and supporters of Cleveland, and I wanted to make sure they knew where I stood and where the franchise stood and how we felt, which apparently was pretty similar to the way they were feeling. No, we don't have any regrets. We're looking forward to the future and we're focused on the future and all that other stuff, but I don't really think about it in that way.
Q: How about the Cavs finances? During the playoffs you said the team had to advance deep into postseason just to break even.
A: "The Cavs have been running at a -- there are various measurements of a business operation -- but on an even level or breaking even or slightly positive the past few years. Slightly loss to slightly positive I would call break-even on the EBITDA line, which is earnings before interest, taxes and all that. So I would say that our finances are strong. In fact, this year we're projecting our highest revenue that we've ever had, so nothing that's occurred has affected our finances going forward."
Q: How about for next year, because season tickets were committed in March before fans knew what the roster would look like? Any concerns for the following season?
A: You never know what's going to happen until it happens. Clearly there are some people who make decisions based on their belief of the franchise's direction and the team's performance. What was interesting was we didn't even get a lot of, I mean there was very, very little push-back or requests for -- because LeBron had made his decision -- I want my money back, I want my deposit, I'm not going to renew my tickets. That was a great sign. The support has been overwhelming, both in words and encouragement as well as renewal rates, suite holders, everything.
"(Dan Gilbert is) counting the minutes to Wednesday night because I'm so anxious to see how we really do in a real game situation. Just like any other fan, it's so different you're hoping it's way better or equal or whatever or it's on the right path."Q: The deal with the Chinese partners fell apart. Is there a share, an interest that's still available and will it be marketed at all?
A: You know, you'd have to probably directly ask that shareholder (David Katzman, who owns about 15 percent.) We haven't heard from him one way or the other recently, so I haven't talked to him, I don't know. And again, it had nothing to do with anything with [James]. It just had to do with the buyer not moving forward, based on certain documentation they were requested to provide the NBA.
Q: How disappointed where you in that? Did it matter to you?
A: It's always nice to get an international partner that can be influential and putting the team up to a certain profile, but I wouldn't call it fundamental to the mission or anything. I think it would have been nice.
Q: You've never owned the team without LeBron on it. How does it feel different?
A: Well, it's like a whole completely new fresh start here. Frankly, it's a different feeling, but it's a very good feeling and we've very excited about the coach and the team and the players that we have and the chemistry and the front office.
In a way, you're just excited just because it's different, just to kind of see almost what's it going to be like and how's it all going to work together. And we've got a lot of flexibility on the basketball side with a trade exception and extra draft choices and we've got a lot of young, athletic players and we're going to compete and we're going to compete very strong.
Q: What are the plans for the trade exception?
A: Well, it's good until next July 1. So there is a little bit of a time pressure to do it before the trading deadline, but you still may have a piece after the season, as well, of time to do it. There's nothing going on right at this exact moment particularly. Those things are used as you get closer to the deadline.
Q: Do you see, depending on which way the team is headed, if it's potentially playoff bound or better than playoff bound, you might go after players?
A: A trade exception expires, so either way -- whether we're competing heavily, which we expect to be or we're not -- you never get that value back. Either way you want to hope that you can use it, but then again if the market's just simply not there and you're going to use it to use it, you probably don't want to do it. That's more of a Chris Grant, general manager decision."
Q: What are your expectations for Dec. 2 (when James and Miami visit Cleveland), besides winning?
A: We're kind of like business as usual. As a franchise, we don't have any different expectations than anyone else. Certainly the fans do. We get a lot of emails, a lot of suggestions on the kinds of ideas and things that people would like to do. There's a lot of good ones, but a lot of them are something that the franchise couldn't or wouldn't endorse, just as being not consistent with what the NBA would want or probably what we would even want, too. Fans will express themselves. We will always have the best security possible as we always do. And I hope that Cleveland and the fans, you would hope that everybody keeps it to a certain level, because anything you do that crosses the line isn't going to look bad for anybody but the franchise and Cleveland.
Q: What are your expectations for the team?
A: Expectations are strong. We won 60-something games two years in a row and although we lost obviously one of the better players in the NBA, we have a lot of talent on this team and we've got a great coaching staff, we've acquired some new talent, so you never know until you kind of get rolling exactly. But we certainly have expectations that this team will compete, and when I say compete, compete for a playoff spot and then you never know what can happen.
Q: So there's no number on it that you're hoping for, to hit a certain mark?
A: No, there's no number. We saw, obviously, large numbers in the regular season are somewhat meaningless as you get to the playoffs based on what's happened to us in the last couple of years. So for us it's certainly to make the playoffs and we feel we have a team that can make the playoffs, and that's all, in essence, we did the last five years.
Q: When you hired (former Cavs coach) Mike Brown you said he had all the tools, that he was the most impressive interview you've ever had. What changed?
A: Well, I'm not sure so much necessarily changed. I think you stick with somebody for a period of time and, ultimately, if your goal as a franchise is to get past just having the best record or winning a round or two of the playoffs -- one year obviously we went to the Finals -- but there just comes a time when you've got to change the voice and you've got to look for another direction. ... The head coach sometimes can do everything in the world and it still may not work. But from that standpoint we just felt we needed to try a different route, a different path. ... We really like Byron [Scott] and his track record. He's won three championships as a player. He went to two [Finals] as a head coach. He has not won one as a head coach. He is very motivated to do so."
Q: What about the change in GM, what prompted that and if you could do it over again would you prefer that Danny [Ferry] wouldn't have left?
A: Danny Ferry did a very good job when he was here and put the franchise up to a certain level, as did Mike Brown, and his contract had ended after five years and, ultimately, both sides decided they wanted to do other things. No hard feelings at all there. It wasn't like he was terminated or anything. Literally, the contract was over and he felt like he wanted a different direction, we felt like we wanted a different direction and a lot of it was who was going to call what shots versus replacing the head coach, during free agency and all that.
So we kind of mutually decided not to renew the contract. ... Five years in the sports business, I'm learning anyway, is a long period of time. A lot happens and you learn a lot, but it's kind of like after five years if you're not -- you've got to either feel like the next year you have a much better chance, like things are going or you feel like you're treading water or going in reverse. Maybe after three years or two years or four years, treading water's OK, but by the fifth year it's sort of like maybe it's time to try a different path.
Q: Are you more involved than you were?
A: I think the same amount. We kind of come in and out, depending on what's, you know you get both seasonality, so there's a draft, and there's a trading deadline, so there are points where you're all huddled up for various periods of time, so that drives a lot of it. And then certainly if you have to make changes, that drives a lot of it. Certainly, the summer, clearly with what was going on, there was a lot of involvement.
Q: Are you going to be at as many games this season?
A: Oh, yeah, absolutely. Can't wait till Wednesday. Counting the minutes to Wednesday night because I'm so anxious to see how we really do in a real game situation. Just like any other fan, it's so different you're hoping it's way better or equal or whatever or it's on the right path. In any case, either way, whether you're right or wrong, it's definitely different and you can't wait to see it.
Q: How important is a fast start this season?
A: It would certainly help. I don't think it's everything. Every game counts the same, but certainly for confidence, of the team, of the franchise, of the coaching staff, of the fans and supporters, it certainly would be something that you would want.
Q: The impression among some fans is that top-shelf free agents don't want to come here.
A: I think that's kind of silly. You have to believe that someone who is making a decision about where they're going to play basketball is going to want to go to a place where the ownership and the management is as committed as this one is, where they have practice facilities like this, where they're willing to not only spend but willing to kind of create a culture of winning and hire the top people and all that other stuff. Is a free agent not going to come to a place because when a certain player left under unusual circumstances, that he wrote a letter so they're afraid someone may write a letter one day if they do the same thing five years down the road? I think that's kind of crazy. I don't think it's true or accurate.
Q: Do you think fans and media are dwelling on the James saga way too much?
A: Until there's something to fill -- you had it happen in July and the season doesn't start until November -- so until there's something else to fill the hole or the gap, you can understand it. So I'm hoping once the season starts, that we've got enough exciting things to go on that it truly becomes the past, but you certainly understand it.
Q: At what point this season do you think you'll know what you have in this team?
A: That's a good question. I probably should get Chris [Grant] and the front office's opinion on that, but I think it's possible that you know early. In the first 20 games you know one way or the other. It's more likely you'll probably be not knowing like most teams won't, because you'll be somewhere in between there, so you don't know which way you're going. I can't remember the number, but something like of the 30 teams, something like 22 or 23 competed for a playoff spot until the last 10 days or two weeks, so you never know. I don't want to be too judgmental in the first, like, 10 games. I don't think that's a good way to go.
Q: Are you a patient man?
A: In general, no. But five years of what's happened here and believing you're (knocks on the wood conference table) knocking on the door and so close and you could just see how things can turn one way or the other, it kind of makes you that way a little bit.
Look, as long as the belief system is there, not only among myself but everybody in the franchise and all the players and the key people, like the coaches and the front office, and more importantly the fans and the supporters, then we're just going to keep going until it happens. And I just really believe in my heart it will. It's just a matter of when it does.