Dan Gilbert calls out Cavs lack of effort & possible chemistry/lockerroom issues

• hoops23

  

  Dan Gilbert bout to slap a bitch.
  

  CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In the shell-shocked silence at The Q Tuesday night, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert sat stoically in his baseline courtside seat less than 10 feet from LeBron James, who passed the time of the neverending final minutes on the last seat of the bench.
  
  The scene on the floor and the silence in the emptying building wasn't what either of them had planned for this "all in" season, which is now down to Thursday's Game 6 after the Cavs lost, 120-88, to the Celtics.
  
  After the game, in an exclusive interview with The Plain Dealer, Gilbert expressed some frustration at the effort level of his team that he's spending more than $100 million in payroll this season; a team he put together by sparing no expense in an attempt to win the title this season.
  
  "Our entire franchise has done everything in its power to put all of our players and its coaching staff in the best possible position to execute when it counts," Gilbert said. "And to deliver to the highly supportive fans of Cleveland a proud, intense, impassioned all-out drive to achieve a championship."
  
  "The last two home playoff losses and the manner in which we lost these games does not come close to being anywhere near the high expectations all of us have of our organization. Our fans and supporters deserve more."
  
  Like many fans must have been feeling after the 32-point loss, the worst home playoff loss in team history, Gilbert seemed to be taken aback by his team's effort in both the Game 4 and Game 5 losses, in which the Cavs were outhustled by the Celtics.
  
  "Above all, the fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers, as well as the entire franchise, deserve and need our players and coaches to dig deep within themselves," Gilbert said.
  
  Despite his disappointment in the losses, Gilbert, who is known for his optimism, said he's confident his team will be able to rebound in Game 6.
  
  "We have to ask ourselves two questions," he said. "Will we remember who we are and choose to impose our will on our opponent for the remainder of this series and beyond? And how much do we want it? I believe in our players, our coaching staff and our entire franchise. This series is not over."

• IggyPride00

  

  He has to be panicking right now because he knows that if the Cavs lose this series, and Lebron leaves, the value of the franchise falls by a miniumum of 30-40%. That represents hundreds of millions of dollars.
  
  I would be shitting my pants as well if I were him right now.
• hoops23

  

  I don't think LeBron leaves regardless, it would definitely hurt his legacy.
  
  However, it also seems there may be some rift within the team
  

  CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Thoughts following the Cavs 120-88 loss to the Boston Celtics:
  * There is no one reason the Cavs are in a 3-2 hole to the Celtics after what probably was the worst performance -- considering the stakes -- in the 40-year history of the franchise.
  
  But there are signs that some of the culprits are deeper and that they are decaying the team that won 61 games and assembled a rock-solid postseason resume after an impressive six-month season.
  
  Let's start with coach Mike Brown, since that is where many of the fans have started. There are several players who are upset with him and how he's handled his rotations during the playoffs, sticking guys in and yanking them out of the lineups.
  
  This came to a bit of a head after Game 4 in Boston, where Shaquille O'Neal was upset that he didn't come back into the game after leaving early in the fourth quarter.
  He's also been moving around playing time for Zydrunas Ilgauskas and changing roles of bench players and even starters. During the playoffs, Anthony Parker has played as little as 19 minutes and as many as 42. O'Neal as few as 15 and as many as 28. The players haven't been fully comfortable with those role adjustments,
  
  Ultimately it goes back to the fact that the Cavs didn't have a complete team until the first game of the playoffs. The return of O'Neal forced one odd man out and it destabilized the rotation. The pressure of the playoffs already causes enough back-and-forth and adjustments, but coming into the playoffs blind has taken Brown out of a comfort level and it has carried over to the players.
  
  After nearly a month of it, tempers have flared. There were a number of angry players Sunday in Boston. They were displacing their frustration over the loss on the coach and not on the lacking effort they clearly put forth.
  
  Also, Brown seems to be searching during games without any real plan of what to do. The players can sense this and it undermines him to a certain degree. Very rarely during the playoffs have the Cavs made in-game adjustments that have provided fruit. In between games with practices and film sessions, yes. But not within the game.
  
  When the Cavs look like they are going to lose in the first quarter, usually they have lost.
  This is either because Brown isn't making proper adjustments or that the team is not executing those commands. Either way, it is a sign of trouble.
  Beyond Brown, however, there are other responsibilities. It lies with the captains and that means LeBron James. While he will be the first to tell you that he's a leader and you can see that his teammates are fully invested in that situation, he has not seemed to act like one during much during this series.
  
  First off, he's undermined his coach by acting lax after losses when Brown has been sounding alarm bells. It is James' personality not to be too worried about anything and it was not expected that he'd be throwing people into lockers and such. But his "we'll get 'em next game" philosophy has clearly backfired. With the exception of Game 3, despite all the handshakes and nonsense, the Cavs have been knocked on their heels in every game.
  
  It has further become problematic that James has been disengaged during the games. Not only has he fallen into the trap of "letting the game come to him," but he's been increasingly distant. In huddles he's looking at the ceiling or into the distance. It is not the James anyone on the team knows and his teammates and coaches have seen it.
  
  More problematic, they can't explain it and that is making the entire locker room uneasy.
  On Tuesday it was Zydrunas Ilgauskas and O'Neal that actually were more proactive. They were showing more leadership than James both on the floor and off the floor.
  
  There were two skirmishes on the court. One was with Kendrick Perkins and O'Neal and the other was with Mo Williams and Rajon Rondo. James showed no such fire and then didn't get get involved in the exchanges, staying off to the side.
  Whatever James says in the locker room behind the scenes stays there. In the past, it has been quite obvious that James has a huge role in everything that happens.
  
  Perhaps that is still the case. But the way his teammates are playing they have either tuned him out or he's not showing the same fire as he regularly did during the season,
  
  All of this is magnified because right now the Celtics have excellent chemisty. They are playing like the team that is tighter and has more confidence and more stars. That is only making the issues more glaring.
  
  And there's very little time to figure this all out.

• krazie45

  

  He should withhold their paychecks
• Mr. 300

  

  Leboob is going to ruin this franchise in more ways than one.
• se-alum

  

  It's the same thing most of us have been saying about Mike Brown all year. He is absolutely clueless when it comes to rotations. His susbstitutions are mind-boggling at times. Where the hell was Delonte and Jamario in the 2nd half yesterday?? Brown may as well start looking for another job.
• Footwedge

  se-alum wrote: It's the same thing most of us have been saying about Mike Brown all year. He is absolutely clueless when it comes to rotations. His susbstitutions are mind-boggling at times. Where the hell was Delonte and Jamario in the 2nd half yesterday?? Brown may as well start looking for another job.

  And what rotationss would you be using? Show me 5 guys on this team that has earned his paycheck.
  
  Yeah bash Brown. How about this...Every fuggin rotation he has put out there stinks. Now....exactly who's fault is it again?
  
  Last night.
  
  DWest.... horrible
  Jamison...absolutely horrible.
  Shaq...pathetic
  LBJ....one of his worst games ever.
  Andy....complete no show
  Gibson for a spark....zero production.
  
  Only 2 people earned a check last night. Z and Parker.
  
  But let's all blame last year's coach of the year. Makes a lot of sense.
• ytownfootball

  

  The only sure thing as far as rotations the TEAM could count on all season long was LBJ getting a breather to start the second quarter...and even that didn't happen last night. Fuggin Mike Brown.
• se-alum

  

  Footwedge wrote:

  se-alum wrote: It's the same thing most of us have been saying about Mike Brown all year. He is absolutely clueless when it comes to rotations. His susbstitutions are mind-boggling at times. Where the hell was Delonte and Jamario in the 2nd half yesterday?? Brown may as well start looking for another job.

  And what rotationss would you be using? Show me 5 guys on this team that has earned his paycheck.
  
  Yeah bash Brown. How about this...Every fuggin rotation he has put out there stinks. Now....exactly who's fault is it again?
  
  Last night.
  
  DWest.... horrible
  Jamison...absolutely horrible.
  Shaq...pathetic
  LBJ....one of his worst games ever.
  Andy....complete no show
  Gibson for a spark....zero production.
  
  Only 2 people earned a check last night. Z and Parker.
  
  But let's all blame last year's coach of the year. Makes a lot of sense.

  Shaq...pathetic?? 21pts in 27 minutes, and the only guy other than Parker that was putting forth effort. Z was playing well, but only got 14 minutes.
• Gymshoe

  

  Yeah, you can't blame the defensive-minded Mike Brown for last night's loss..............(sarcasm to the max).
• wildcats20

  

  Hey Dan Gilbert....
  
  Money doesn't win rings in basketball, only baseball. You need chemistry to win championships in basketball, something that you have to develop, not buy.
• vdubb96

  

  I'm perplexed by the Shaq was awful comment. Footwedge, he's the only player last night other than Z and Parker that looked like they gave a FUCK!!!
• krazie45

  

  While I agree Shaq had a good game points-wise, 4 rebounds is completely unacceptable.
• namod65

  

  The fans at the last two home games should be able to get a refund for their tickets. They at least showed up and gave their team full support as they did all season. They pay a lot for these playoff tickets and this is what they get in return? A team that doesn't show up to play?
  
  Haven't owners done this before? This time I think the money needs to come straight out of the player's and coach's pay because this is on them.
  
  There are no excuses whatsoever. Gilbert and Ferry have done everything necessary to win a championship. We got Lebron some shooters, we got him a big post presence, we got the stretch 4, we got the point guard. We have depth, size, and length. This is the best team in the league. We have no weakness no exploit! Especially not for 20-30 point blow outs! NO EXCUSES, THIS IS ON THE PLAYERS AND THE COACH! Gilbert is right the fans deserve better.
• wildcats20

  

  namod65 wrote: we got the point guard.

  No, they got a role player who turned into a starter. Who is NOT a true PG.
• 2quik4u

  

  Footwedge wrote:

  se-alum wrote: It's the same thing most of us have been saying about Mike Brown all year. He is absolutely clueless when it comes to rotations. His susbstitutions are mind-boggling at times. Where the hell was Delonte and Jamario in the 2nd half yesterday?? Brown may as well start looking for another job.

  And what rotationss would you be using? Show me 5 guys on this team that has earned his paycheck.
  
  Yeah bash Brown. How about this...Every fuggin rotation he has put out there stinks. Now....exactly who's fault is it again?
  
  Last night.
  
  DWest.... horrible
  Jamison...absolutely horrible.
  Shaq...pathetic
  LBJ....one of his worst games ever.
  Andy....complete no show
  Gibson for a spark....zero production.
  
  Only 2 people earned a check last night. Z and Parker.
  
  But let's all blame last year's coach of the year. Makes a lot of sense.

  you need to quit fucking posting. Shaq had 21 points last night, he was the only one playing out there.
• Al Bundy

  This team got into several bad habits (that they haven't recoverd from) when they shut it down after 78 games.
• sleeper

  

  I'd like to see the starting 5 of
  
  PG - Mo
  SG - Delonte
  SF - Lebron
  PF - Hickson
  C- Shaq
  
  Let Jamison replace Hickson, and Varejao replace Shaq when needed.
  
  When and if Mo starts blowing dick, put in Gibson or someone in that gives a damn(Gibson played hard last night, and with effort, have to give him credit).
  
  Parker and Moon can be subbed interchangeably with Lebron or Delonte, and occasionally we can go big and have Lebron run the point.
• SQ_Crazies

  

  Good for Dan Gilbert. He has every right to scream this from the roof of the Q if he wants.
• Pick6

  

  SQ_Crazies wrote: Good for Dan Gilbert. He has every right to scream this from the roof of the Q if he wants.

  no shit?
• SQ_Crazies

  

  Pick6 wrote:

  SQ_Crazies wrote: Good for Dan Gilbert. He has every right to scream this from the roof of the Q if he wants.

  no shit?

  ?
• newarkcatholicfan

  

  He owns the team he can do what he wants even if it is sad.
• hoops23

  

  newarkcatholicfan wrote: He owns the team he can do what he wants even if it is sad.

  No matter how sad you may think this is, it's no where near as sad as the existence of yourself on this site.
• cbus4life

  LTrain23 wrote:

  newarkcatholicfan wrote: He owns the team he can do what he wants even if it is sad.

  No matter how sad you may think this is, it's no where near as sad as the existence of yourself on this planet.

• hoops23

  

  lol, touche.