LeBron James: Why Dan Gilbert Had Every Right to Call out LeBron

Dan Gilbert used to love LeBron James. 

Of course, an owner is going to love the star player that brings him a ton of money. Gilbert had no reason to dislike LeBron until July 8, 2010.

LeBron made the decision as to where he would play in 2011 on "The Decision", which wasn't the best idea. A live one-hour special on ESPN dedicated to the most coveted free agent in NBA history made LeBron look very bad in the eyes of the public (excluding Miami Heat fans).

LeBron received a ton of criticism for his decision. He joined a "super" team hoping to win a title. He said he would never go ring chasing, but that's exactly what he ended up doing.

In fact, LeBron never hoped he would win a title. He “knew” that he would win not just one but multiple titles.

Now the Dallas Mavericks are the 2011 NBA Champions, which means LeBron and the Heat will have to wait another year to win it all. LeBron proved a lot of people wrong by reaching the finals, but he didn't quite live up to his word.

There's no doubt in my mind that the Miami Heat are capable of winning an NBA championship with the players they have. They were in great position to win it all this year, but they failed to close out games.

This team is too talented not to win a championship.

Following the Dallas Mavericks’ series-clinching Game 6 victory over the Miami Heat, several people took to the social media world to voice their thoughts and opinions on the new NBA champs (as well as the team that fell short).

One of those individuals was the owner of LeBron’s former team, Dan Gilbert. He tweeted congratulations last night to the Mavericks plus a little extra:

"

Congrats to Mark C.&entire Mavs org. Mavs NEVER stopped & now entire franchise gets rings. Old Lesson for all:There are NO SHORTCUTS. NONE.

"

Gilbert was just one of many taking shots at LeBron on Twitter. Some of those folks may or may not have had the right to call out LeBron, but Gilbert certainly did. 

Listen, I don't blame LeBron James for leaving Cleveland. He knew he was never going to win a title there. The Cavaliers couldn't place the right players around LeBron, and there was no way big time stars were going to chose Cleveland as their free agent destination. 

Free agency is a part of basketball, which is why I don't have a problem with LeBron leaving Cleveland for Miami. Obviously, he realized he needed help to win a title, so he left.

I do find it funny that during the finals, he got the help he had always been looking for, but he failed to play up to his potential. 

What I have a problem with is how LeBron left Cleveland. He had to know that he was choosing Miami much earlier than the night before "The Decision".

LeBron spurned the city and left his coaches, teammates and owner out to dry. He didn't apologize until almost a year later. LeBron went on national television and pretty much said “screw Cleveland.”

Had LeBron just held a press conference announcing his decision to play for Miami and thanking Cleveland for all the good times, then Gilbert wouldn't have a reason to bash LeBron. However, LeBron didn't do that.

For that, Dan Gilbert has the right to call out LeBron James. I'm glad that Dan used his head and didn't directly use LeBron's name, but simply mentioned that there are no shortcuts in life and he is right.

LeBron thought he had the title locked up for this year and many more to come. Gilbert could have said something about Karma or something about LeBron's performance on the biggest stage of them all. But instead he chose a smarter, subtler route in ripping LeBron.

It sure would have been interesting to see what Gilbert would have tweeted had the Heat won the title this year.

If you remember correctly, Gilbert stated that the Cavaliers would win the title before the ring-less king ever would.

There's still hope for Gilbert to achieve that goal.