LeBron James: Will Dan Gilbert Grow To Regret His Post-Decision Letter?

We have all seen it and read it.

The post-decision letter that Owner Dan Gilbert wrote on the Cleveland Cavaliers team website was the second most controversial move by any member of the NBA world this off-season.

The most controversial move, obviously, was LeBron James' "Decision" television show.

Some of us feel that the writing of the letter was just an upset owner ranting about his star player leaving him without any notice.

Others feel that it was the leader of an organization rallying his fans in order to light a fire under a team and a city.

And others believe that it was a white man trying to show ownership over his star African-American player who "ran away."

No matter which one of these three point of views you held, one question remained constant after the letter.

Will Gilbert regret his decision to write this letter?

Recently he was interviewed by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and the resounding answer from Mr. Gilbert was no.

You can find the full interview here http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2010/10/cleveland_cavaliers_owner_dan_1.html.

Gilbert felt that he did what he had to do in order to support the organization and its fans, and he will not apologize for that.

But I have to wonder, if the Cleveland Cavaliers take a turn for the worse in the win-loss column and join the bottom of the league, how will Gilbert feel then?

Obviously the Cavaliers will win less games than they have in the past, when you lose a superstar of James' caliber and replace him with young, unproven rookies, you are bound to lose more games.

And losing for one or two years is normally expected of a team who lost the face of their franchise while they attempt to rebuild.

But what if Gilbert's words scared away potential free agents?

What if those words have caused the players on the team to already begin looking for a way out the door?

There have already been rumors that fan-favorite Anderson Varejao is already looking for a way out of the organization to play for a "contender."

And not to mention that veteran scorer Antawn Jamison is upset with his role on the team and would like something changed.

I know these two players are veterans and that the desire to win a championship will always be there, but it seems to me like there is a little more behind their desires to leave the team.

Especially since the Cavaliers are only four games into the season and have a record of 1-3.

Most players don't start grumbling until the team is well into January or February, a time period that allows everyone to figure out just how the team is going to play.

But these guys have chosen to start looking for a way out in November?

Something is definitely going on behind the scenes in Cleveland, and it could stem from the soon to be "regrettable" words of an owner just trying to fire up his organization.

Gilbert's letter could have been more devastating to the the franchise than James walking out the front door without saying good-bye.

The impact of the letter won't be felt this year, or even next year, but it will be felt in the next five or 10 years.

Cleveland already has a tough sell to potential free agents as a place to live because of its long, cold winters.

But when you add in the possibility of being called out in the national media by an owner who isn't afraid to speak his mind, it may make the task impossible for general manager Chris Grant to lure big name free agents to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Gilbert says that he doesn't regret his letter and that he won't regret it in the future.

But I have to ask the question.

If the free agents won't come to Cleveland, the fans stop coming through the gates, and it becomes obvious why players are shying away from the organization, will Gilbert finally regret his post-decision letter?

And if he finally realizes his mistake, will he still have time to admit it in the media before permanent damage is done to the image of the organization?

These are just a few things that Gilbert needs to think about when he is telling people that he doesn't regret his letter.

Because if his words have caused permanent damage to the Cavaliers chances of bringing in big name free agents in the future, then there may be only one thing left to do for Gilbert.

And that thing may just be for him to leave the organization that he loves to spend on and root for, and give the city of Cleveland a fighting chance when it comes to bringing in players that can change the fate of the organization in the future.