FanHouse Dan Gilbert

The biggest reason many people assume LeBron James will leave the Cavs when his contract expires in 2010 is the assumption that the humble city of Cleveland can't possibly serve as the grand backdrop for James' stated plans to become a "global icon." Apparently, the theory goes, world dominance can only be accomplished in New York.

Well, Dan Gilbert is doing his best to destroy that notion -- all while making a pretty decent profit. According to Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Gilbert is on the verge of selling a significant stake of the Cavs and Quicken Loans Arena to a group of Chinese investors, providing an influx of capital to a franchise apparently losing millions while trying to build a team around LeBron, and also providing a direct pipeline to Chinese sponsors and fans.

NBA Essentials provides the must-see links, quotes and videos of the day.

-- "In an event that took place Saturday night, a Bar Mitzvah that featured T.I. as a performer and Dwayne Wade as a guest, it's being reported that fisticuffs broke out. Not between the Hip-Hop artist or his crew, or Dwayne Wade and his associates, but between Cleveland Cavalier's owner Dan Gilbert and former Rock Financial honcho David Hall." -- MLive.com

-- "(Sacramento) is the worst team and being here you find out why... There are many young guys that want to find their niche, but they are so far away... There's no chemistry or teamwork. I can't see how this team could be competitive in the near future in the West... The draft is going to save no one." -- Andres Nocioni in Olé, as translated by HoopsHype

The Cavs weren't happy the first time Mo Williams was left off the All-Star team, but now that he's been passed over twice (Boston's Ray Allen was named Jameer Nelson's injury replacement), they're so mad they're speaking in tongues. Or something.

LeBron James. New York. Jay-Z. Brooklyn. 2010. Yada. Freaking. Yada. We've heard all about the possibility of James bouncing out of Cleveland (and we're guilty of promoting the media hawking too!) and you're probably tired of it.

Well, guess what: Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, also thinks that the LEBRON IS LEAVING pseudo-hype is a bit overdone, and he said as much on CNBC last night.

"This is not LeBron James saying this stuff, this is just a media phenomenon here that will pass in time," Gilbert said. "We're focused on this year and you know what, so is he, and he's focused on this year and next year and hopefully a long career in Cleveland, Ohio. We believe that and we think we have a great situation here and we're off to a great start."

And well, despite the fact that Gilbert doesn't have a fantastic history with trusting particular athletes, he's kind of right on this one -- most of the fuel on the LeBron to New York fire is directly a result of media types being perfectly willing to accept the fact that a corporate behemoth like Bron would never sacrifice money, fame and the unwieldy power of being a Knicks superstar for sticking with his homegrown team that somehow managed to backdoor into drafting him.

Well, that and a totally coincidental circumstances that has every team in the L dumping salary in anticipation of 2010 faster than the King dumped the Indians in the ALCS two years ago.

I haven't seen a single rumor suggesting Mike Brown's job is in jeopardy. In fact, considering the man signed a two-year extension just four months ago, he probably has as much job security as anyone in the entire league. But if the Cavs really want to take the next step forward, GM Danny Ferry should put "find a new coach" at the top of his summer to-do list.

I know, I know: the Cavs advanced all the way to the Finals last year, and only a true cynic could fault them for losing to a 66-win Celtics team this year. But LeBron James has been the reason for their success, not Brown. If Brown were simply along for the ride it wouldn't be all that bad, but all too often he's actually standing in the way.

How so? By being oblivious to knowing how to use the best player in the game. There's no way around it: the Cavs' offense is simply atrocious. The mainstream media turns a blind eye because they're too busy celebrating LeBron's amazing individual numbers, but for people actually paying attention, it's almost unbearable.