According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert has been admitted to a Detroit area hospital following stroke-like symptoms. However, he is recovering comfortably.
Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert was admitted to a Detroit-area hospital this morning after experiencing stroke-like symptoms, a Quicken Loans company spokesman said. “He received immediate medical attention and is currently recovering comfortably,” the statement said.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 27, 2019
Dan Gilbert Hospital Admission
History with the Cavaliers
Gilbert became the majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2005, purchasing the team from majority owner Gordon Gund. Dan Gilbert inherited a team on the rise, led by northeastern Ohio native, LeBron James. Gilbert showed in a short amount of time that he would be willing to spend money to improve the team. In his first couple of months as the Cavaliers owner, he shelled out a five year, 70 million dollar contract to Larry Hughes. Hughes largely sputtered out in a Cleveland jersey and didn’t quite live up to his high dollar contract. However, the Cavaliers made it to the NBA Finals in the 2007 season where they were promptly discarded by the San Antonio Spurs in four games.
Blockbuster 2008 Trade
Near the NBA trade deadline in 2008, the Cavaliers made a blockbuster trade. They acquired Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, and Delonte West. While this team had some success, it never amounted to much as they failed to make it to another NBA Finals in James’ first tenure in Cleveland.
The Decision and the Letter
Following the 2010 NBA season, LeBron James was set to become a free agent. It was the biggest free agent storyline in the history of the NBA. James appeared on national television to announce his decision. James, to the dismay of Gilbert, chose to head south to Miami and join the Miami Heat. As a result of James’ decision, Gilbert wrote a letter to the fan base that trashed James and seemed to sever the relationship.
The Return and the Championship
The Cavaliers stunk up the NBA in the absence of James. In 2014, he decided to come home and try to bring a title to Cleveland. The Cavaliers were fresh off of selecting Andrew Wiggins with the number one pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. However, Lebron James isn’t a fan of rookies. Wiggins was promptly dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love. As a result, this gave the Cavaliers an impressive big three of James, Love, and Kyrie Irving. The teams led by this trio saw great success and eventually brought a Larry O’Brien trophy to Cleveland in 2016.
Back to Mediocrity
The Cavaliers have been without LeBron James for exactly one season. As a result of the hole left by James, they tied for the second-worst record in the NBA this season and will have the fifth pick in the NBA draft. Dan Gilbert will have to continue to be aggressive as an owner to get the Cavaliers back in contention. In the years Dan Gilbert has been the Cleveland Cavaliers owner without LeBron James on the roster, the Cavaliers have a record of 116-278. However, with James, the Cavaliers have gone 560-342. Hopefully, for Cavalier fans, Dan Gilbert will build this team into a winner without LeBron James. The process of getting back into contention starts at the end of June, with the fifth pick in the NBA Draft.
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