thedynasty1998;390130 wrote:First off, I don't think you can say Lebron loves the attention and thrives on it. He has been silent during this whole process and didn't even show up to a finals game that he had a ticket to because he wanted to avoid the public. If anything, he's been in hiding.
I totally agree about Gilberts situation though. People are so quick to say, Gilbert is willing to spend money and pay the luxury tax. Well that's when he's selling out the arena and is trying to lure Lebron back to Cleveland. If Lebron leaves, attendance drops at least 10% and maybe as much as up to 35%. Those are huge numbers in terms of revenue.
Attendance isn't even close to being the biggest source of income for the Cavs. Marketing and TV deals are, most of which (including the biggest TV deal in the NBA) don't expire for the next 2 or 3 seasons.
Gilbert is a billionaire.
Gilbert has said money is not an issue, no matter what happens this offseason, his #1 goal remains bringing a championship to Cleveland. Dan Gilbert is widely respected round the league as an owner. He's a guy that people will want to play for, especially because he cares about winning and he's able to give out the $$$. He's rebuilt EVERYTHING about the Cavs. He's renovated the Q, made new facilities for the players, he invests time into the team..
Gilbert is one of the fortunate owners in sports. He doesn't use his team as a source of income, he uses it as a hobby, thus cutting back on spending isn't something he has to do.
Also, let's not actlike Gilbert is alone in this deal. He's got a bunch of minority owners, a couple of which are very wealthy themselves. The book is still out on the Chinese Investors, depending on what LeBron does, but they're a big part of the franchise as well.
With or without LeBron, if the Cavs continue to win, people will continue to come. Clevelanders support their teams as long as winners are produced. Especially in 20,000 seat arenas.
