COLUMN: Gilbert’s championship promise not looking promising with Cavs’ record losing-streak

    As you probably already know, on Monday, Feb. 7, the Cleveland Cavaliers made NBA history. The record they broke? Consecutive losses, 25 of them. Yep, the Cavs have officially reached rock bottom.

    As of that fateful Monday, the Cavs had not won a game in their last 25 tries, and the last time the people and players of Cleveland felt what it was like to win was Dec. 18, 2010. But even that win wasn’t very gratifying. In their last 36 games, the Cavaliers have gone 1-35.

    The real bummer for Cleveland, though, is the way they started the season. In their first 16 games, the Cavs went 7-9, a fairly respectable record considering they lost essentially their entire team, LeBron James. At that point, Cleveland had to be feeling pretty good about themselves. They were 7-9, a not too shabby record, and not too much behind LeBron’s 9-7 Heat.

    Well, you know what happened next. But really, after all that’s happened and all the losses, the thing that has got to sting the most, for one Clevelander in particular, is what I’ll call; “The Promise.”

    Now, let me take you way back to the summer of 2010. And more specifically, July 8, the day of the infamous “Decision.” LeBron James on that day crushed the hearts of millions of Ohioans and pretty much made himself public enemy No. 1 in Cleveland. But nobody, and I mean nobody, reacted as harshly and ridiculously as Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.

    Just hours after LeBron announced he was leaving Cleveland, Gilbert threw a temper tantrum that would have made a 2-year-old’s jaw drop.

    In a letter to all Cavs fans, Gilbert blasted LeBron, calling him cowardly, narcissistic, and disloyal, among other things. But what really stuck out in his letter was his “Promise.” Gilbert said, and I quote, “I personally guarantee that the Cleveland Cavaliers will win an NBA championship before the self-titled former ‘King’ wins one.”

    So, how are those words tasting now, Dan?

    After guaranteeing a championship for Cleveland before the Heat got one, the Cavs just lost 25 games in a row, and Miami has the third best record in the league with LeBron leading the way.

    Besides the obvious embarrassment of not being able to fulfill his promise, Gilbert should also be very embarrassed by his actions and the things he said in his letter.

    I’ll be one of the first to tell you that I think the whole “Decision” fiasco definitely deserves criticism. The way LeBron handled everything was questionable and it really was a bad situation, but the actions and tirade of Dan Gilbert was absolutely inexcusable.

    In his letter full of hateful comments and personal attacks, Gilbert talks about the terrible example that LeBron set for the younger generation and how they need positive role models. Hmmm, well, I sure hope he didn’t mean role models like him. Surely I’m not the only one to see the hypocrisy and irony in his statement.

    With the way things have turned out, it’s hard not to look at his promise and just laugh. His so-called guarantee has turned into a joke and a laughingstock. I mean really, you go out there and say something as ridiculously bold as that and then back it up with this kind of performance?! Really?!

    That’s like having a much bigger kid steal your lunch money and you threatening to beat him up, but when he comes back to fight, you drop to the ground and roll into a fetal position. It’s really pretty embarrassing.

    Lastly, that kind of statement is uncalled for by the owner of a team, because he really has no control over the situation. He doesn’t play on the team; he doesn’t coach the team, so he doesn’t have any way to guarantee their success.

    And think how the players on the Cavs feel. Besides losing 25 straight games, they also have to deal with their owner’s big mouth because he guaranteed the city of Cleveland a championship. That kind of pressure is unfair especially when it is put on you by one of your own.

    I feel bad for the players on the Cavs, I really do. Losing that many games in a row has to be a nightmare, especially after the success they’ve had in the recent past. But I don’t really feel bad for Dan Gilbert. Because after all, if you’re going to talk the talk, you better be able to walk the walk.

Mark Israelsen is a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering. He has also been a lifelong fan of the Utah Jazz. He can be reached at mark.israelsen@aggiemail.usu.edu