LeBron produced the sharpest and most noteworthy criticism of Clippers owner Donald Sterling after TMZ made Sterling's racially offensive diatribes public, saying "it's unacceptable in our league." No one has accused Gilbert of holding the same misguided racial perceptions as Sterling. With Gilbert, it's about the personal attacks on LeBron's character, and his diametrically opposed views on the business of the NBA.
Gilbert, for those who never bothered to read his unhinged response to The Decision in 2010 before the Cavaliers
recently purged it from their website, called LeBron's departure to the
Miami Heat a "cowardly betrayal" and said LeBron was a bad example for the children of Cleveland. This wasn't just a critique of the televised announcement; it was a tantrum about the very premise of free agency, as if anything other than a career-long commitment to the team that drafted a player constituted treason.
A year later, Gilbert was among the group of owners holding to the hard line when the NBA locked out its players, willing to sacrifice games to institute a new collective bargaining agreement that limited player earnings and hampered the formation of superteams.
A return to the Cavaliers by James would be a tacit endorsement of all he rejected. It wouldn't represent just a swallowing of his own pride -- it would be a surrender in the battle for self-determination for NBA players.
