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Cavs' Gilbert Unfazed By Luxury Tax, Avows Commitment To Building Around LeBron

Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert has "never shied away from the luxury tax threshold in the past and he made it clear" yesterday that he is "not wavering one bit from that stance," according to Chris Haynes of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. Gilbert: "Clearly the cap will be going up in the next couple of years based on the revenues of the league as well, but that message is still there. I think that when you have so much invested, if you want to look at this financially and take away the other stuff, I almost think it's kind of silly when you invest so much into a franchise and have such high costs already and then at the margin, I know it's a lot of raw dollars when you look at it by itself, but relative to everything that's invested, I was a little bit surprised when our franchise was going to stop right there." He added, "To me, it's like getting to the two‑yard line, and okay, we're done now. I think it's not even smart business or maybe not even smart financially, because there is obviously risk involved. But when you're willing to do that, theoretically, your revenues can offset part of that as well and increase in revenues." Haynes writes Gilbert's comments were "exactly what" Cavs F LeBron James "needed to hear." James, who signed a two-year, $42.1M deal with the team, "can gauge the organization's aggressiveness towards building and sustaining a championship-caliber team regardless of the luxury tax hurdles." Haynes: "After 'The Decision' and the infamous 'Letter,' not many believed this day would be possible, let alone the impact it is having" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 10/30).

WATER UNDER THE MAIN AVE. BRIDGE: In Akron, Jason Lloyd notes the bitterness between James and Gilbert "has subsided and the name-calling has stopped." It was replaced yesterday by "laughter and playful jabs between owner and superstar." The "most unlikely reunion in league history is complete." But Gilbert said that he "never believed the relationship between the two was irreparable." Gilbert: “Unless you’re really doing some significant harm to another human being, I don’t think the bridge is ever burned. I certainly don’t keep grudges. He’s not that kind of person.” Lloyd notes Gilbert’s remarks were his "first publicly in eight months." Gilbert added, “We had one bad moment and it just overshadowed all the great times we had together. ... We have an opportunity and we have an obligation to represent this team and franchise the right way" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 10/30). ESPN's Michael Wallace noted former NBA Commissioner David Stern is "far more pleased" with how James "handled his decision to relocate this time around." Stern: "He seems to have made this from the bottom of his heart. I couldn't be happier." He added, "We all know The Decision. My words at the time were ... the show was poorly conceived, poorly produced or something. But then I thought that LeBron didn't deserve everything that people heaped on him. I thought he was a young man making a decision he was entitled to make, and that it was difficult" (ESPN.com, 10/29). Meanwhile, USA TODAY's Jeff Zillgitt writes James' return to the Cavaliers is "a personal triumph, and he's focused on making it a professional success." James is "well aware that a Cleveland team hasn't won a major pro sports championship" since the '64 Browns. He said, "If there's any fans around the world that need a championship, it's these fans" (USA TODAY, 10/30).

WELCOMING COMMITTEE: A massive banner was hung across from Quicken Loans Arena today, depicting James with outstretched arms performing his signature chalk-throwing ritual, and ESPN's Chris McKendry said, "This is how they've expressed their emotion. They've worn them on their banners and on their big buildings, huge banners praising, dismissing vilifying and once again loving LeBron James. This is the newest one and they will unfurl it throughout the day." ESPN's Jay Crawford noted, "As homecomings go they don’t get much bigger than this. LeBron James, the ultimate homecoming king, and while they're not throwing a parade for this particular homecoming, I'd say there's at least a chance that we could see one in late June." ESPN's Mark Schwarz said the "buzz" around the Cavaliers is "palpable, the magnitude of this year in Cleveland is palpable. LeBron knows it as well or better than anyone." ESPN's Brian Windhorst said the atmosphere is "like the Finals here but it's a regular season game. In fact, it's not even a very good regular season game," considering the Cavliers' opponent, the Knicks, lost 104-80 to the Bulls last night ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 10/30).

THE SUNSHINE STATE OF MIND: In West Palm Beach, Greg Stoda notes the Heat prior to last night's home opener against the Wizards showed a pregame video "dripping with obvious LeBron-ness." The "underlying theme was commitment," and the "difficult-to-ignore implication was that James didn’t show any." There was "almost no sight of James" in the video, and there "was even a shot of Shaquille O’Neal included ... so the slight had to be intentional" (PALM BEACH POST, 10/30). In Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Hyde notes a parking lot on Biscayne Boulevard that charged $30 last year, last night had a sign that read "$15 for the Heat's opening night." A parking attendant said, "The LeBron discount." Hyde writes of the atmosphere, "It wasn't Broadway anymore. It wasn't Ringling. It wasn't sports as a social and global spectacle in the manner any night felt like the past four years with LeBron on the court." The experience "hit you like a punch how different this first night felt." Hyde: "The party didn't just leave the concourse. It left town" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 10/30).

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