Everyone has an opinion about where LeBron James is going and whos joining him. To that point, the LeBrons from the TV commercials were alive and well this past weekend, having reportedly been in Miami, New York and Chicago all at the same time.
Its the height of silly season in the NBA, and the start of the most anticipated free-agent period in league history is still more than a day away. But one person is perhaps most uniquely positioned to speculate on LeBrons future. That person has been on both sides of the fence in LeBrons relationship with Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, and he also was willing to speak freely and on the record when I reached him on the phone this week. No sources, no confidants, no private moments, no agendas.
Dan Gilbert didnt buy the Cavaliers to watch the franchises most valuable asset walk away. (Getty Images) That person is Steve Greenberg, son of the late Hammerin Hank Greenberg and undisputed king of the sports transaction as managing director of the New York-based investment firm Allen & Co.
“The irony about this whole media circus is that, if you look at what LeBron has done in Cleveland and what Dan has accomplished in Cleveland with the C let alone multiple titles over the past two or three we probably wouldnt be going through this exercise,” Greenberg said. “My point being, the Cavs and LeBron, Dan and LeBron, and LeBron and the Cavs are the perfect sort of triangle and match for one to Cleveland. They just havent done it yet. And had they, I dont think anybody would be talking about going to Chicago, Miami, New York or another place. I think that has helped fuel the speculation.”
There are those on the team side of things willing to speculate on their chances of landing LeBron. There are those from various, competing factions of LeBrons camp who are willing to do the same. But only Greenberg has the kind of experience as a stakeholder with both Gilbert and LeBron, so his words carry considerable weight in this breathless debate about where James will decide to spend the prime years of his career as an athlete and icon.
Greenberg, whose Allen & Co. brokers the biggest sports deals, worked with Gilbert on his attempted acquisition of Rawlings in the early 2000s, advised him on his attempt to buy the Milwaukee Brewers from the Selig family and finally helped him close the deal to purchase the Cavs. When James agent, Leon Rose, h which now represents the top three N Greenberg acted as an informal advisor to Maverick Carter, the CEO of James marketing company, LRMR Marketing.
Greenberg knows Gilbert well, and also has experience with namely Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan. (He calls Reinsdorf a “friend,” but declined to comment on Dolan because he has been on opposing sides of past business dealings with him.) But he also has come to know LeBron and what makes him tick. Whereas most NBA players think Allen & Co. is another name for the Celtics Big Three, when Greenberg first met LeBron, he was astonished that the budding superstar associated the name with the firms annual conference for titans of industry in Sun Valley, Idaho, and wanted to attend.
All of this has he an opinion more than worthy of inclusion in the vuvuzela-like drone of speculation that currently has America covering its collective ears.
“Its sort of like [Derek] Jeter,” Greenberg said. “When his contract comes up, people dont say, Gee, I wonder if Derek is going to go play for the Giants in San Francisco. Hes so intertwined with the fabric of those pinstripes, and has been for so long with such success, and has been so comfortable in that environment. You used to be able to do it more, but [Cal] Ripken has done it. Jeter has done it. … Despite all the craziness, I suspect Kobe [Bryant] is going to be a Laker for life. Those are few and far between in sports, but when you look back, those tend to be the players that have the greatest impact on the game.
“Whats really extraordinary about and it happens to be not one of the top five markets,” Greenberg said. “I kind of liken it to Warren Buffett. If Buffett lived in New York or the Greenwich, Conn., suburbs or San Francisco or Chicago, I actually think some of the mystique of being the Oracle of Omaha might have been diminished. The fact that hes lived in the same house in Omaha and it is his hometown tends to lend to the legend. So if you can do it in Cleveland or Chicago as opposed to New York or L.A., that only adds to it.”
It is no secret, of course, that Buffett has become one of James most influential mentors. So while I believ and enhance his goal by moving his one-man corporation to a major market, Greenberg is on the other side of the argument. All you have to do when deciding how much weight to give his opinion is look at his track record. Hes usually on the right side of the biggest sports deals, and has experience with both parties who will be making (or not making) this one.
Poll Where will LeBron James sign? Cavaliers Heat Bulls Knicks Nets
“Dan is the ultimate entrepreneur and the ultimate people person,” Greenberg said. “If you look at any of his organizations, starting with Quicken Loans, thereve been a couple of keys to his success. One is his sort of vision and leadership, but the other is his ability to attract, maintain and incentivize key executives over long periods of time.”
Now, Gilbert chases the most important executive of his career.
“I imagine that Dan would want to have a multi-decade relationship with LeBron James,” Greenberg said. “Thats how hes thinking, and that will go for as long as Dan owns that franchise. Thats going to be his approach. I know its been his approach the last five years.”
How does he do it?
“That is part of Dans secret sauce,” Greenberg said. “From a long time hanging around the sports industry, Ive seen all kinds of owners; the good, bad and ugly, the smart and the not so smart. And over a period of time, the quality of ownership does tend to affect the way an organization thinks, acts and performs on the field or on the court. Dan is one of those guys. Hes a winner, a winner in life, a winner in business, and hes going to be a winner in the basketball business, as he has been.”
Thats where we are, 36 hours from the biggest transaction of Gilberts career. Greenberg said that if you asked 100 people to tell you the first thing that comes to mind when you say, “Cleveland,” 50 of them would say LeBron James. If LeBron leaves, and you asked 100 people to tell you what comes to mind when you say, “Dan Gilbert,” he would be the guy who let LeBron James get away.
We are days away, maybe even hours, from a transaction that will define them both. Greenberg, sports biggest deal maker, isnt in a position to bet against either one.
