Dino Baskovic Can’t Lose

I've never agreed with the statement "It's business, nothing personal." I owned and ran my own business for eight years. It's very personal.

That's not to say I had a right to publicly and visibly burn every bridge I felt like. As a result of last night's nuclear explosion over "The Decision" of LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert woke upto an ounce of remorse and a pound of damage control. Were I the Cavs PR guy, I'd be a bit rankled at my boss for having singlehandedly turned crisis into crises.Comical (Sans) that Gilbert's letter was, holding the webmaster at gunpoint to pull the trigger without first running it through a few filters was just as foolish as the entire LeBron-ESPN debacle in the first place.

Still, it's near impossible for me to be completely objective throughout all this, being a lifelong Cleveland fan and having endured all "The" monumental sports failures over the years. Personally, I loved "The Letter." This is why I turn to Brian Windhorst, the Cavs beat writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer who offered rationale, factual reporting throughout this free agency messmoreso than his source-frenzied media peers at other papers. He gave a glimpse of what Gilbert went through the past seven years in service to the King. James wasn't perfect. Then again, neither was Gilbert, nor could the two of them hoist a trophy together—at least the only one that matters.

It's good to know that guys like Gilbert, wealthy and at times pigheaded as they may be, actually give a damn about this business. Now the question for Gilbert and the Cavs is how to turn that terse letter into lemonade -- and five subsequent rings. It will take a lot of fast and right moves in the coming days and weeks, as well as rebuilding the franchise in mere months, not years. Sure, that harsh rebuke has sports pundits wondering why on earth any superstar agent would send their clients Gilbert's way at this point. But if a few choice words become the impetus for turning the team and perhaps all of Cleveland into champions, then Gilbert made the right choice.

Countless letters throughout history penned by the powerful and the passionate have become catalysts for change, war cries, rallies for victory. You see, business is about winning. (Yes, it's also about learning from failure and fostering talent and the people and the children and the manatees and on and on, but ultimately winning.) And if you don't like winning, then get out of the business.